As a parent that are dozens of decisions that you need to make with your child’s best interest in mind. One of them is when they are old enough to attend kindergarten, which can be much more overwhelming and difficult than you might think. If you’re currently in this position and you’re having a tough time determining if your child is ready, keep reading. In today’s blog, the team at Yellow Brick Road Early Childhood Development Center are going to touch on a few of the things that you absolutely need to take into consideration before making the final decision.
Age is Just a Number
The first thing that parents consider with a child going to kindergarten is their age. While age is certainly something that you want to take into consideration while making this decision, don’t let it be the only deciding factor. If your child is one of the many children whose birthday falls early in the school year, they could wait an additional year and start just a little bit later than the “average” age. This goes for children that are on the cusp of the cut off as well. If, however, age is the primary thing that you’re concerned with, reach out to the school and we can better direct you.
Consult with Their Pre-K Teacher
In most instances, children will attend a daycare facility or preschool program before they go to kindergarten. If this is something that your child has been doing, it’s always good to talk to their teacher to see whether or not they think your child is ready. There may be areas where they haven’t reached a full level of development. Whether that is socially or educationally, it may be worth it to keep them in preschool or daycare a little while longer so that they can fully develop these skills.
Check Kindergarten Requirements
Just as the opinion of your child’s current teacher matters, you’re definitely going to want to look into what the current kindergarten requirements are at the school that you’re considering enrolling them in. These requirements are often what ultimately determines whether or not a child is prepared for this next level of education. Getting a hold of these requirements early on so that you know what to work on is a great idea to ensure you have some sort of guidelines while focusing on your child’s education.
The requirements that are set for kindergarteners is what they should be learning while attending preschool. If your child is too young and isn’t in a pre-k program, there’s a good chance that they aren’t hitting all of the points that determine if they’re ready for kindergarten. If that is the case, you should definitely look into the programs that we offer here at Yellow Brick Road Early Childhood Development Center in Plymouth.
Maturity Level
By no means does kindergarten require a sophistication or high level of maturity, but it is recommended that your child be at the same maturity level as other kindergarteners. In most cases, this means having a basic understanding of their emotions and how to best express them. This will also take their level of independence into consideration as well as how well they manage a day without parents. If you’re not entirely sure where your child’s maturity sits in regards to grade levels, ask their current teacher for an assessment on their maturity and whether or not they believe their ready for the next step.
Visit Our Facility
One of the best ways to determine whether or not your child is ready for the next step in their education is by visiting the facility. Not only can you get a better idea of whether or not this next step is something that your child is ready for, but you can determine whether this is the type of facility that you’d like your child to be attending.
The team at Yellow Brick Road Early Childhood Education want to ensure all parents that we take the education of your child extremely seriously. Contact our office if you’re interested in scheduling a tour of our child care center in Plymouth or with any questions that you have. We are always more than happy to help.
