Kindergarten For All?

          Did you know that only fifteen states require children to attend kindergarten?  I recently learned this while reading the National Associations for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) blog.  I must say that as a future educator that number is absolutely appalling.  There has been some discussions in the past about whether kindergarten should or should not be made mandatory.  There has also been some talk about revamping pre-kindergarten programs to use a curriculum that mirrors the kindergarten curriculum.  The reality is however, that for most children in the United States going first grade is their first time being in an actual school setting. 

          The kindergarten curriculum was designed to prepare children for the first grade and for life in the classroom.  By the end of kindergarten children should be able to use basic math skills, like adding, subtracting, and telling time.  They should know the basics of reading and should be able to identify fifty sight words.  Kindergarteners should also be able to write every letter of the alphabet, their name, and know how to structure simple sentences.  These are the skills that children are expected to have before they enter the first grade.  Children who do not attend kindergarten often lack these skills as well the social skills that are needed for the classroom.  

          Children often do not know how to act in school or how to treat their peers or teachers because school behaviors where never modeled for them.  One of the important social skills that children learn in early programs is the difference between how they are expected to act at school and at home.  In the classroom children are given the chance to experiment with behaviors and emotions that are appropriate for school.  In these programs they get a chance to not only adapt to the structured schedule of a classroom but to have the schedule adapted for their needs as well.  For example, a kindergarten schedule often includes playtime because children learn best through play; when children go to first grade there is no room for play except for at recess.  Due to the focus on academics and preparing for standardized tests the first grade class schedule cannot often be adjusted to the needs of individual students.  By making kindergarten mandatory every student will be prepared for first grade and will have the skills to thrive in school settings.