By Steve Bishop

Were you or your children ready for Kindergarten at the age of five years old? Most students pass the physical, emotional, and academic criteria to enter Kindergarten. However, some students have trouble transitioning from preschool to Kindergarten in their early childhood education. These children can benefit from early childhood education programs such as Head Start.

There is a constant debate as to why some students are not ready for Kindergarten like their peers. There are varying circumstances that can cause this to happen. The student may not be emotionally or developmentally ready. Their experiences at home or a physical disability may have impaired their psychological and physical development.

The government, educational organizations, teachers, and parents all play a role in the educational development of each child. When things go wrong, each party tends to point fingers at another party. This can be counterproductive and many times erupts from misunderstanding between the parties.

The government sets specific guidelines and standards for education. For example, President Bush has enacted the “No Child Left Behind Act”. The purpose of this act is to have all students achieve a competent to above average educational score. This act is based on positive ideals, but has been found to be very difficult to achieve in the American school system.

This leads to the question of what practices and procedures are the teachers currently administering in the classroom? There are specific standards that must be met in the public school system. Some subjects have national guidelines while others have state by state guidelines.

One of the major requirements for early childhood teachers, as well as teachers of all levels, is to provide developmentally appropriate content and presentation. An example for early childhood teachers is not to expect students to write a two page essay about their summer vacation when they don’t even know how to hold a pencil.

Education in the early childhood years tends to focus on motor skills and “play”. Children in these years learn greatly through “play”. Early childhood teachers take these developmental stages into account when creating lessons and activities. They cover the specified guidelines as determined by their state.

If your child is not ready for Kindergarten it may not necessarily be the fault of their school system. Consult doctors, counselors, and educational professionals to determine the readiness of your child. Your child may have a learning disability that can be treated successfully because it was recognized early. Then your child will be ready to take their first snack of graham crackers and milk as a Kindergarten student.

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