what do kids learn in
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may be dating myself, but when I graduated from kindergarten, I needed to be able to say all the letters of the alphabet and recite my address and phone number from memory. Although I’m sure I learned other skills throughout the year, that was the final test. My, how things have changed! Kindergarten students are now reading, writing, doing addition and, sometimes, subtraction by the time they move on to first grade. In fact, as crazy as it may sound, if a child doesn’t have some pre-K skills, he may start kindergarten behind his peers. “Academics is a part of what we do, but they have to be able to do critical thinking, walk in a line, make good choices and selfregulate before kindergarten,” says Michele Isringhausen, director of Colonial Presbyterian Child Development Center in Overland Park. “When they get into kindergarten, they need to be able to hit the ground running. They no longer have the luxury of learning social skills in kindergarten; they have to be able to focus on academics.” Isringhausen is a former kindergarten teacher who remembers juggling four young children with a husband who traveled frequently. She says she tries to create a community to support the kids’ developmental needs, as well as the parents’ emotional needs. “I wanted to be able to give parents the benefit and opportunity to build community. To know that I’m not in this by myself. That there are others that can come along beside me and help me.” Early education can also give outside teachers an opportunity to notice when a child is struggling with speech, attention or sensory issues and to offer educated advice on how to move forward. Minka Rudman, preschool lead teacher & early childhood coordinator at The Barstow School, notes that in addition to academics, in preschool children “are
