What is School Readiness?

School readiness means that a child is ready to learn when they enter kindergarten and first grade. Being ready for school means having the health, skills, and knowledge that allow a child to learn and participate comfortably in school experiences.

The experiences children have in the years before they start school have a profound effect on the rest of their lives. To be prepared to succeed when they enter school, young children need to be healthy and well fed and to have adequate shelter. They need to be in loving, supportive environments that provide them with the kinds of stimulation that all children need to develop the basic social and cognitive skills upon which success in school and life are built.

Schools may reasonably expect that children entering kindergarten will be active, curious, and eager to learn. They will know something about themselves, and will be interested in making friends and sharing experiences with them. In kindergarten, children be gaining self control in their social environment.

Parents are teachers, too.

Parents are a child’s first teachers.  They care for, groom, feed, and nurture a child.  They talk to and love a child.  They set an example for the child to follow in how they act with others.  They teach how to solve problems, make decisions, follow directions and respect other people.  They read to children.

As a parent you have three major roles in your child’s early education.  You are a designer as you set up the environment that your child will learn from.  You are a consultant as your child asks questions and looks to you for guidance.  And you are an authority in setting reasonable goals and rules for your child. 

How do children learn?

Young children learn by doing things, by watching others, and by interacting with others.  They have a natural curiosity to explore their world.  What they are learning must be meaningful to them and children must have time to learn.  Children learn through play.

Children need experiences in life in order to know how to pretend play, draw, understand stories, solve problems, make decisions, and much more.   They learn through repetition.  They need to hear and do the same things over and over again.  The age of a child will determine what activities and tasks they are capable of performing.  Having reasonable expectations of a child and providing an inviting and stimulating atmosphere is a healthy way to help a child grow and learn.