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We are excited to see literacy leaders at all levels revisiting the unique role that quality all-day kindergarten programs plays in comprehensive school reform.
We value The North Carolina Position Statement on Kindergartens of the 21st Century. The following are excerpts:
Kindergarten classrooms of the 21st Century must be places where children of all circumstances and all learning abilities can thrive. North Carolina must continue to prepare students for the future while honoring the original
kindergarten program objectives of providing both “a garden for children, a location where they can observe and interact with nature, and also a garden of children, where they
themselves can grow and develop” (
www.froebelweb.org, 2006). Educators of young children must ask, “How do the kindergartens of the 21st Century support the developmental needs of all the children while providing challenging and meaningful educational
experiences?”
Researchers believe that play provides a strong foundation for intellectual growth, problem solving and creativity. These are necessary skills for the 21st Century where “creative problem solvers, independent thinkers,
and people with expert social acumen will inevitably surpass those who have simply learned to be efficient at getting the right answers” (Hirsh-Pasek & Golinkoff, 2003).
See the entire comprehensive 5-page position paper at
http://www.ncreadyschools.org/documents/1PowerofK.pdf
A recent NAEYC publication, Kindergarten Today: Teaching and Learning in the Kindergarten Year (edited by Dominic F. Gulls, NAEYC, 2006) also speaks to the need for skilled, responsive kindergarten teaching:
The kindergarten year requires a nuanced balance: plenty of play, child choice, verbal interaction, and learning of foundational skills in classrooms rich in engaging activities that are adaptable to children’s
varying readiness for experience-dependent learning. Kindergartners learn best under conditions in which adults guide and support their active efforts, with gradual and measured introduction of more formal lessons.
Kindergarten plays a powerful role in children’s successful introduction to formal schooling. Children need challenging learning experiences that help them move forward. But when classroom experiences are not attuned
to children’s developmental needs and individual characteristics, they undermine rather than foster children’s learning. For example, when kindergartners spend much time in drill-oriented instruction, they display
stress behaviors, express less confidence in their abilities, and are less advanced in motor, academic, language, and social skills at the end of the school year. These outcomes, moreover, are strongest for low-income children.
Follow-ups reveal lasting effects through elementary school in poorer study habits and achievement (Burts et al. 1992; Hart, Newell, & Olsen 2003; Hart et al. 1998; Stipek et al. 1995).
See
Excerpts from Kindergarten Today.
See also links to our articles:
The Smile Approach to Joyful Accelerated Literacy and
Defining Excellence in Kindergarten Literacy.
We hope these articles may support thoughtful dialogue in your school district. |
