On Wednesday, October 13, more than 30 parents gathered to get information on the process of applying to kindergarten. A number of parents with older children in school discussed how they made their choices and described their experiences in their schools.
Dr. Mike Riera (head of Redwood Day School and nationally known education expert) shared some words of wisdom on how to pick the right school for your child. Some highlights for those who missed it:
- Visit older classrooms, not just the kindergarten room
- Try to talk to 3rd graders.
- Some questions to ask/have in mind:
- How do teachers deal with kids who have trouble adjusting?
- How do they handle different temperaments?
- Seek out more than the parents who totally love the school; try to talk to parents who chose to send their children elsewhere and find out why
- Look at the school's teacher retention rate — not too much turnover (too disruptive) or too little turnover (a school needs fresh blood and ideas)
- Look at what a school emphasizes (and what they have to leave out as a result).
- You know your child better than anybody
- Pushing kids to read too early (before they are developmentally ready) = BAD. It can turn them off reading for good. Once they get the reading bug, though, they won't stop!
- Some kids want/need more structure than others - but it can change depending on time and circumstances (i.e., in a new setting, they may need more reassurance and direction than they'll need when they've settled in and are more confident)
- You don't want your kid to be "one up" (you don't want your kid to be the only older/younger one — you want a cohort of kids in roughly the same age group)
- BUT: mixed-age classrooms can be a terrific thing
- If kid has to repeat kindergarten, he/she can be given additional responsibilities by the teacher so it won't just be a rehash of the first year
- Kindergartens tend to be "very rich environments" these days - perhaps more so than when people our age (ahem) were kids
On the school interview process itself:
- No studying for assessments!
- Interviewer asks questions "to the point of failure" to see what the child's development level is
- Also assessing child's reaction to transitions, frustration
A couple of interesting writers on education and childhood development that were mentioned:
- Rob Evans
- Jean Piaget
There were also a number of handouts which are linked below.
- Transition to Kindergarten Parent Guides
- Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten?
- He Has a Summer Birthday: The Kindergarten Entrance Age Dilemma
- Summary of 2010 Early Childhood Education Legislation (PDF)
- Kindergarten in California: California state law and information regarding admission to kindergarten
- Getting School Ready!
Schools discussed
- Piedmont School District
- Oakland Unified School District
- Redwood Day School
- The Bentley School
- St. Paul's Episcopal School
- Corpus Christi School
Other resources
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