Is Kindergarten Right for Your Child?
Are you thinking about sending your child to kindergarten? Are you unsure whether it is the right step to take at this time in your child's life? If you have any concerns about enrolling them in kindergarten, then it can help to learn more about what takes place during a kindergarten program so you will understand what your child will experience during their kindergarten day.
What is kindergarten?
One of the biggest mistakes that people commonly make is to think of kindergarten as a babysitting service that exists to take your children off your hands during the day. It's true that enrolling your child in kindergarten will allow you to gain more free time, but kindergarten is not simply a babysitting service; it is a vital part of your child's education. A good kindergarten program will both nurture and educate your child and start to teach them vital social interaction skills which they will need as they progress through the education system before entering the working world.
Choosing the right kindergarten program
It is kindergarten that will establish the foundation for everything your child goes on to learn in the education system, so building a strong foundation is vital. You must search for a kindergarten program that is serious about helping children to develop. They should be consistently working towards clearly defined learning outcomes. A good kindergarten program will be continuously monitoring children to ensure that they are supported to reach the desired outcomes and that they receive additional support in areas where they are more prone to struggle.
Ask the kindergarten about their methods of child assessment and whether the data they gather is available to both parents and staff. A good kindergarten will be able to gather the data they need through established structured play rather than expecting children to engage in formal tests or simply guessing whether a child reached the target.
What else should you consider?
In addition to finding the right kindergarten program for your child, you must check that your child is likely to be happy at the kindergarten. No child will perform well in a setting where they are permanently unsettled. It is always worth taking the time to look around any prospective kindergarten carefully. Are there colourful drawings on the wall? Do the children appear happy in their environment? Are all of the staff engaged and actively stimulating the children? If this is the case, then the kindergarten program is a good choice.