Lillian2468
asks:
Q:
Kindergarten v. Pre-K
I am sure this has been asked before, so I apologize in advance.
We have been agonizing over the decision to red-shirt DD next year. She turns 5 in late July and the cut-off is Aug 1st. She seems immature and impulsive to us. She knows her colors, shapes, numbers 0-10, and most of the letters. Her handwriting is practically non-existent. She has been in pre-school for 2 years.
From researching it appears that there is no long term positive effect for red-shirting ??? So that has me confused all over again!
Our choices for next year
(I also have a DS who will be in 2nd at the public school)
1. public half-day K (large class size 23-25, 1 teacher and an aide)
2. transitional K at daycare (follows the state academic standards and taught by two licensed K teachers, 15-17 students)
3. Pre-K at a Catholic school (more academically focused than the typical church programs here, but little pencil and paper work, more center based, 20 kids, 1 teacher and an aide)
Any advice will be appreciated. We have her signed up for #3 but now I am questioning that decision.
In Topics:
Kindergarten readiness, Choosing a school, Motivation and achievement at school
We have been agonizing over the decision to red-shirt DD next year. She turns 5 in late July and the cut-off is Aug 1st. She seems immature and impulsive to us. She knows her colors, shapes, numbers 0-10, and most of the letters. Her handwriting is practically non-existent. She has been in pre-school for 2 years.
From researching it appears that there is no long term positive effect for red-shirting ??? So that has me confused all over again!
Our choices for next year
(I also have a DS who will be in 2nd at the public school)
1. public half-day K (large class size 23-25, 1 teacher and an aide)
2. transitional K at daycare (follows the state academic standards and taught by two licensed K teachers, 15-17 students)
3. Pre-K at a Catholic school (more academically focused than the typical church programs here, but little pencil and paper work, more center based, 20 kids, 1 teacher and an aide)
Any advice will be appreciated. We have her signed up for #3 but now I am questioning that decision.
> 60 days ago
Answers (3)
Perhaps this article from the U.S. Department of Education's Educational Resource Information Center would be helpful to you:
Academic Redshirting and Young Children
http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Academic_Young/
It says that the research on the effects of redshirting is inconclusive, and the Center provides 10 suggestions for parents grappling with this decision. The article concludes with this advice:
"The most helpful approach for parents may be to obtain suggestions from the school, and ideally from the future teacher as well, about how best to help the child during the first few months of school. The child is likely to adjust to the transition to school when parents are careful about how they express their concerns. Parents can be most helpful by offering the child reassurance and support, and by resisting the temptation to discuss their own anxieties and concerns in front of the child."
There are additional related articles you might also review in Education.com's information center about kindergarten readiness (link below).
Good luck in your decision-making! It's great that you are doing your research and taking steps to do what is best for your daughter at this stage of her education.
Academic Redshirting and Young Children
http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Academic_Young/
It says that the research on the effects of redshirting is inconclusive, and the Center provides 10 suggestions for parents grappling with this decision. The article concludes with this advice:
"The most helpful approach for parents may be to obtain suggestions from the school, and ideally from the future teacher as well, about how best to help the child during the first few months of school. The child is likely to adjust to the transition to school when parents are careful about how they express their concerns. Parents can be most helpful by offering the child reassurance and support, and by resisting the temptation to discuss their own anxieties and concerns in front of the child."
There are additional related articles you might also review in Education.com's information center about kindergarten readiness (link below).
Good luck in your decision-making! It's great that you are doing your research and taking steps to do what is best for your daughter at this stage of her education.
> 60 days ago
My suggestion for you is the following. Your daughter is going to need some intervention to get her skills strong for Kindergarten and 1st grade. This stage in a child's education is so important. If they don't get the beginning foundation to reading and writing - they tend to struggle in the other grades following. Find a preschool/Kindergarten program where the teachers are credentialed teachers. They have gone through vigorous training to teach children the fundamentals necessary for further development. But at the same time an environment that is warm and friendly and open to children that might have some extra energy, inattention and impulsive tendencies.
Resources:
> 60 days ago
Thank you. At this point I am leaning towards having her go to the transitional class at daycare and then going into Kindergarten at the public school the next year. It is quite expensive, but the Catholic school isn't cheap either and it is just another transition for her to make.
> 60 days ago
