state_of_the_discipline.html

THE STATE OF THE DISCIPLINE

KINDERGARTEN

"garden for children"

"1st grade readiness program"

The child-centered kindergarten is not new; it has its roots in the 19th century. At that time, the kindergarten was envisioned as a "garden for children" (the literal meaning of the German word "kindergarten"), a place where children could be nurtured and allowed to grow at their own pace. While that image has changed somewhat over the years, the "roots" of sensitivity to children remain. Children's developmental needs have not changed, and so the importance of educating the whole child - recognizing his or her physical social/emotional, and intellectual growth and development - remains.

Kindergarten, once a gentle introduction to formal education, a place where children drank milk and ate cookies, took naps and listened to stories has become a high-stress boot camp for first grade, complete with computer programs, work sheets and reams of standardized tests. Today's kindergartens are as academically rigorous as the first and second grades were 20 years ago.

Many educators emphasize the importance of the kindergarten years in a child's development. They recognize the importance of kindergarten education and support high-quality kindergarten programs that provide developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate experiences for children.

Schools are scrambling to align their early childhood goals with state standards in order to give kindergarten students the mental tools and knowledge they'll need as they march toward the inevitable state-mandated large-scale assessments. Some educators are wary of more formal instruction in kindergarten, although each district seems to be handling the pressure in a different way.

Many of the earliest kindergartens in the United States served the purpose of easing the acculturation of newly arrived immigrant children. Later, the purpose became easing the child's transition from home to the more formal aspects of the elementary school. For some children, the transition purpose continues to be important. The vast majority of children today, however, have experience at preschool and/or child care settings before they attend kindergarten. Nevertheless, many people in and out of education continue to perceive the kindergarten as the initial group experience for children.

Early childhood professionals at all levels are concerned about the methods and content in the majority of kindergarten programs. Despite societal changes, kindergarten remains a place where children need a quality program in order to achieve their full potential.

ACADEMIC RED-SHIRTING

Many educators, parents and child psychologists are beginning to question whether the new curriculum that stresses reading and math skills interferes with children's learning and backfires over the long haul.

Some parents are not waiting for the experts to resolve the dispute; they are simply taking matters into their own hands by actually holding their children back a year. Whether motivated to give their child the competitive edge of being among the oldest in the class or resisting the temptation to turn their child into an early overachiever, a surprising number of parents are consciously delaying their youngster's entrance to kindergarten even when age eligible by keeping their children home or in preschool for an extra year.

This is known as "academic redshirting," after the common university practice of keeping athletes out of games to allow them an extra year of playing eligibility. To some teachers, redshirting children is necessary because all too many kindergartens are more concerned with academics than with the emotional and physical development of youngsters. To others, the practice is not much better than coddling. This tactic is available only to affluent parents, however. The lower socioeconomic parents can't afford another year of day care, or for the mother to stay at home, so poorer kids will be competing with richer kids a year older, making them doubly disadvantaged.

A number of states have tried to alleviate the problem through the simple expedient of raising the minimum age for entering kindergarten, thus ensuring that a larger proportion of children starting school will be more mature. Ironically, raising the entrance age may widen the readiness gap as the kindergarten curriculum is adjusted to fit the new, older students. Further, many critics contend that these measures are mere Band-Aids to the real disease-a curriculum that is not matched to pupils' varied needs. Such critics are pushing for a more flexible, play-oriented, developmentally appropriate curriculum in place of rigid, teacher-directed activities that rely on flashcards, ditto sheets and workbooks.

STRESS ON KINDERGARTNERS

An increasing number of youngsters are forced to deal with multiple transitions throughout the day, which can be stressful for five- and six-year-olds. Many go from some type of early morning child care to kindergarten; then to special art, music, or physical education classes; then after-school child care; and then home. A number of them are then shuttled off to sports events or other extracurricular activities. Some even have the added stress of multiple living arrangements because of divorced parents.

This can result in too many sets of expectations. Moreover, kindergartners need plenty of free choice time to explore and play. Children learn best when they engage in nonstressful interactive play with peers and utilize all of these senses with stimulating materials. They need guidance from teachers and parents who can direct their development without undue frustrations that may result in a pattern of failure and self-doubt.

LINKS TO REFERENCES

There's quite a bit more related to the state of kindergarten, if you're interested. Feel free to check out some of these...

Phi Delta Kappan, Dec 1996 v78 n4 p271 (6) "Supposing that… (using the objectives of kindergarten as the criteria for all stages of education)" by Deborah Meier.

Childhood Education, Spring 2001 v77 i3 p161. "The Child-Centered Kindergarten" by Joan Meyer.

Time, April 25, 1988 v131 n17 p86(1). "Can kids flunk kindergarten? Yes, sir - especially where the law mandates tests for first grade" by Ezra Bowen.

U.S. News & World Report, April 10, 1989 v106 n14 p53(2). "The kindergarten wars: whether earlier is really better when it comes to academics" by Beth Brophy.

USA Today, August 2000 v129 i2663 p6. "Kindergarten Should Be Stress-Free" by Society for the Advancement of Education.

Childhood Education, Summer 2000 v76 i4 p228 "All-Day Kindergarten" by Patricia Clark and Elizabeth Kirk.

Change, May 2001 v33 i3 p8 "Less Play in Kindergarten" by Harold Orlans.

Childhood Education, Fall 1994 v71 n1 p24 (4) "If we call it science, then can we let the children play?" by Jeanne Goldhaber.

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Spring 2001 "Cultivating Kindergarten: The Reach for Academic Heights Raises Challenges."

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"garden for children"	"1st grade readiness program"
The child-centered kindergarten is not new; it has its roots in the 19th century. At that time, the kindergarten was envisioned as a "garden for children" (the literal meaning of the German word "kindergarten"), a place where children could be nurtured and allowed to grow at their own pace. While that image has changed somewhat over the years, the "roots" of sensitivity to children remain. Children's developmental needs have not changed, and so the importance of educating the whole child - recognizing his or her physical social/emotional, and intellectual growth and development - remains.	Kindergarten, once a gentle introduction to formal education, a place where children drank milk and ate cookies, took naps and listened to stories has become a high-stress boot camp for first grade, complete with computer programs, work sheets and reams of standardized tests. Today's kindergartens are as academically rigorous as the first and second grades were 20 years ago.
Many educators emphasize the importance of the kindergarten years in a child's development. They recognize the importance of kindergarten education and support high-quality kindergarten programs that provide developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate experiences for children.	Schools are scrambling to align their early childhood goals with state standards in order to give kindergarten students the mental tools and knowledge they'll need as they march toward the inevitable state-mandated large-scale assessments. Some educators are wary of more formal instruction in kindergarten, although each district seems to be handling the pressure in a different way.
	Many of the earliest kindergartens in the United States served the purpose of easing the acculturation of newly arrived immigrant children. Later, the purpose became easing the child's transition from home to the more formal aspects of the elementary school. For some children, the transition purpose continues to be important. The vast majority of children today, however, have experience at preschool and/or child care settings before they attend kindergarten. Nevertheless, many people in and out of education continue to perceive the kindergarten as the initial group experience for children.
	Early childhood professionals at all levels are concerned about the methods and content in the majority of kindergarten programs. Despite societal changes, kindergarten remains a place where children need a quality program in order to achieve their full potential.