Publication Date: Friday, August 13, 2004
The ABCs of kindergarten
The ABCs of kindergarten
(August 13, 2004) With stricter state standards, 5-year-olds get a more intense introduction to school
by Alexandria Rocha
With her first child entering school this year, Jennifer Buenrostor spent the summer labeling 4-year-old Christopher's clothes and shopping for the perfect "Bob the Builder" backpack.
She also harbored concerns about student-to-teacher ratios, recess supervision, new naptimes, and academic and social expectations.
"The first day of school, I'm sure I'm going to be more of a wreck than Christopher," said the Palo Alto mom. "It's the end of one time in our life. We're starting to turn up the volume."
Christopher is one of about 745 children entering kindergarten at Palo Alto's public schools this month. Hundreds of local parents are about to make the significant and often scary transition of sending their child to the "big kid" campus, where larger classrooms, crowded playgrounds and tougher academic and social standards await.
"If you miss a day of preschool, nobody cares," Buenrostor said. "If you miss a day of kindergarten, you have to find out what you missed, what homework."
Buenrostor remembers her own days in kindergarten 30 years ago, when the day was spent gluing, taping, using scissors and coloring with markers and crayons. But today's kindergarten curriculum and standards are a far cry from those of yesteryear.
To graduate from kindergarten, children have to write his or her name, count aloud from one to 30, add and subtract up to five, label the parts of a plant and recognize important American symbols, historical events, legends, presidents and leaders.
There are heftier state standards too, such as describing the literal and expressive content in various works of art and making judgments about the quality of a music performance.
"With the state standards, (kindergarten has) become somewhat more academic," said Cynthia Pino, an assistant superintendent with the Palo Alto Unified School District.
Kindergartners do have homework, but it's not in the traditional sense, said Pino. An example of a homework assignment would be looking through a magazine and identifying objects that begin with a certain letter, she said.
Parent participation also plays a significant role in kindergarten homework. Parents are often asked to read a short story, study numbers or help their child with a creative project, such as a making a cook book.
Though children are not required to know numbers or the alphabet before entering kindergarten, they are expected to show a certain level of social development.
"This is a good school district. Kids really need to be ready," said Sharon Keplinger, the district's director of child development programs.
An incoming kindergartner should be able to sit still for story time, take directions from a teacher, recognize different sizes and shapes and adjust to new situations. Ability to share toys is also a valued skill.
Most parents today are preparing their children for kindergarten by enrolling them in preschool. Statewide, about 50 percent of children attend preschool. In Santa Clara County, 53 percent of kids go to preschool.
"People are becoming more aware that high-quality preschool leads to success in school later on in life," Keplinger said.
Emily Grant-Gibson just started her 2-year-old son, Tyler, at a local KinderCare Learning Center. Her older son, Zachary, 5, who will begin kindergarten at Juana Briones Elementary School this month, also attended preschool.
She's been preparing Zachary for school using kindergarten subject books that teach children the basics of shapes, colors and numbers, in which he has a solid grasp. There's also been other signs that Zachary is ready for the big league.
In preschool, Zachary would captivate his classmates by retelling the tales of their story books -- of course he can't officially read, but reiterating stories is a clear sign of kindergarten readiness.
Like Buenrostor, Grant-Gibson is anxious about her son entering new social settings. She worries about Zachary making friends, though he's quite friendly (he chatted up another kindergartner on the school's playground earlier this week), whether he'll get bored, and if the school focuses too much on academics and too little on play.
She recalled a friend's child who went to a private kindergarten and came out knowing his multiplication tables.
"I'm not really worried about him catching on academically right away," she said. "I think it's more about teaching them to enjoy school for the rest of their lives."
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