School Readiness
Early Childhood
Redshirting Debate Just Got New Fuel with ADHD Study
A study has shown more diagnoses of ADHD among kindergarten students who start school just before a Sept. 1 school enrollment cutoff date.
Early Childhood
States Still Uneven on the Crucial Pre-K to Kindergarten Transition, Report Finds
Researchers with the Education Commission of the States note that a bumpy transition from preschool to kindergarten can cause problems down the line, but few states are taking a systematic approach to smoothing that transition.
Early Childhood
Practicing Kindergarten: How a Summer Program Eases Kids Into Learning
The start of kindergarten can be overwhelming for students, and for their parents. In Portland, Ore., a summer program is working to ease that transition.
Early Childhood
Video
Kindergarten Can Be Overwhelming - Some Educators Try to Ease the Way
Kindergarten isn’t just about crayons and nap time anymore – it’s serious academics.
Early Childhood
Video
Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten? Are You? Tips From a Teacher
Preparing a child for kindergarten can be a daunting task for any parent. Beyond the challenges of managing separation anxiety, some may also try and get their children “up to speed” by teaching them the alphabet or how to count from 1 to 10. For families whose first language is not English there are also language and cultural barriers to contend with. But what are the most important skills on day one? In Portland, Ore., a kindergarten preparedness program offers parents strategies to help prepare their children to hit the ground running. Teacher Donna Shinagawa shares six tips with us.
Early Childhood
Opinion
Utilizing Research to Expand Early Childhood Services in Baltimore
Research findings yield new insights into how Baltimore's 'Judy Centers' already support and can continue to support early ed and school readiness.
Early Childhood
Opinion
Toward Kindergarten Readiness For Every Child
Research examines how Baltimore's early ed 'Judy Centers' improve disadvantaged children's kindergarten readiness.
School & District Management
Opinion
From Age 3 to Grade 3: How Atlanta Promotes School Readiness and Achievement
A cross-sector partnership works to develop the data infrastructure and research agenda required to support Atlanta's preschool to third grade system.
Families & the Community
Video
Parent Changemaker: Fighting for Teacher Home Visits
Single dad Paul Lumpkin had moved himself and his two children to Springfield, Mass., to begin life anew, after a bruising custody battle for his son and daughter. So he was understandably wary when his daughter’s kindergarten teacher asked to pay a home visit. He wondered if she had done something wrong in school. “I was expecting the worst, to say the least,” Lumpkin said.
Instead that visit, designed to encourage parent engagement, turned out to be “transformative” for Lumpkin and his daughter Key-Aurah. Getting to know her teacher informally helped turn the shy 5-year old into a class leader. Lumpkin became actively involved in his children’s education and then stepped up as a parent leader when the district decided it could no longer fund parent-teacher home visits - despite widespread parent support.
“I thought that if parents wanted it, then it was one of those things that they would find a way to make it happen. It was a rude awakening … because it didn’t work like that.”
His advocacy, and that of other parents convinced the district to find the needed resources. Lumpkin says his experience has taught him that as “parents, we need to establish our voice.”
Early Childhood
Opinion
Helping the Littlest Learners: District Reflections on the Potential of 4-Year-Old Kindergarten
A school district leader reflects on the impact of recent research about the district's 4-year-old kindergarten program.
Early Childhood
Opinion
Kindergarten Readiness: Enhancing Equity With 4-Year-Old Kindergarten
New research analyzes the associations between enrollment in four-year-old kindergarten and kindergarten readiness. Contributed by the Madison Education Partnership.
Early Childhood
Cities, Counties Join New Initiative to Focus on Kindergarten Readiness
A $6.5 million year-long pilot program will focus on getting children from birth to 3 ready to start kindergarten through a partnership between several national groups.
Early Childhood
Academic Gaps Linger Between Social Classes at Kindergarten Start, Study Finds
A study released last month by the Economic Policy Institute finds that large academic gaps found between kids from low-income families and more affluent ones have gone unchanged since the late 1990s.
Early Childhood
Home Visiting Has Bipartisan Support. So Why Did the Federal Program Lapse?
Congress has failed to renew a home-visiting program that provides parent coaching to vulnerable families, but advocates hope lawmakers can resolve their differences and bring it back.
