Kindergarten Teachers Views

User Name:

Password:

Remember my ID

Topics

Bilingual Education

Child Child

Child-Book Child Book

Early Childhood Education

Kindergarten

Kindergarten Teachers Views

Last Updated Oct 5, 2008 01:43 PM

Public School Kindergarten Teachers' Views on Children's Readiness for School

Highlights

According to public school kindergarten teachers, the most important quality for kindergarten readiness is for a child to be physically healthy, rested, and well-nourished--96 percent indicate that this quality is very important or essential for school readiness. The majority of teachers also believe that children should be able to communicate needs, wants, and thoughts verbally (84 percent) and should be enthusiastic and curious in approaching new activities (76 percent).

Most public school kindergarten teachers (88 percent) believe that readiness for school comes as children grow and mature and cannot, therefore, be pushed. However, 94 percent also believe that they can enhance a child’s readiness by providing experiences children need to build important skills.

Ninety-seven percent of public school kindergarten teachers agree that one of the best ways to help children learn to read is by reading to them.

Teachers in 90 percent of public school kindergarten classes reported that their students listened to stories read aloud 5 days per week in the 1992-93 school year.

Only 27 percent of public school kindergarten teachers assume that by the end of the kindergarten year all children will be ready for first grade, and 70 percent indicate that they would hesitate to send children to first grade if they felt the children were not ready for the demands that they would meet there. Furthermore, 85 percent of public school kindergarten teachers indicate that they communicate with the first grade teachers so that they can proceed from where the kindergarten teacher left off. Only 4 percent report that they do not communicate with the first grade teachers.

Fifty-four percent of public school kindergarten teachers teach full-day classes. Of those who teach half-day classes, 27 percent teach morning only, 11 percent teach afternoon only, and 62 percent teach both a morning and an afternoon kindergarten (Figure 8).

In the Nation’s public school kindergartens, the student-to-staff ratio for spring 1993, including the teacher and paid assistants (based on full-time-equivalents), was 15 to 1 . The student-to-adult ratio, which includes volunteers and is also based on full-time equivalents, was 14 to 1 .

The Nation’s public school kindergarten teachers average 9 years of kindergarten teaching experience. Fifty-four percent majored in early childhood education, and 29 percent hold memberships in professional associations for early childhood education.

Extended Day Kindergarten

Key Characteristics Continuous professional development Integrated skills curriculum Overview Florence School District One began its extended-day Title I kindergarten program in 1973. The program serves 240 students a year in four elementary schools with Title I schoolwide projects; students whose scores on a skills checklist indicate a need for additional work on reading receive first priority in enrollment. The program focuses on improving cognitive, motor, and social skills needed to succeed in first grade, with a particular emphasis on early literacy development, including listening, speaking, and language skills. Students receive more than 630 extra hours of instru...

Full Day Kindergarten Pilot Programs

Governor Minner Announces Full-Day Kindergarten Pilot Programs for the 2004-2005 School Year Nine School Districts and One Charter School to Receive Funding to Begin Pilots Wilmington, Del. – August 9, 2004 Governor Ruth Ann Minner today announced the names of nine school districts and one charter school who will receive funding to implement full-day kindergarten pilot programs in their schools beginning this school year. The ten funding recipients are: Appoquinimink School District Capital School District Indian River School Dis...

Competencies of the Kindergarten Teacher

Personal Qualities and Competencies of the Kindergarten Teacher The revised Kindergarten curriculum continues to emphasize the philosophy of the Report of the Minister's Committee on Kindergarten Education, Saskatchewan Department of Education, 1972. This document (pages 3 to 6) identified six features that were to be incorporated into the Kindergarten program. It is possible to infer from these features personal qualities and...

Mathematics Achievement In Kindergarten

Children's Reading and Mathematics Achievement in Kindergarten and First Grade Children's experiences with school are almost as varied as children themselves. This report is the third in a series based on findings about young children's early experiences with school from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K). Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the ECLS-K selected a nationally representative sample of kindergartners i...

Publicly Funded Kindergarten

Community -Based, Publicly-Funded Kindergarten Where can I find information about kindergarten programs on PEI? Kindergarten in Prince Edward Island is an integral component of the early childhood system. Working with families and communities, committed early childhood educators have been developing and delivering kindergarten programs which exemplifies a high quality early learning experience for our Island children. Introduction of community-b...

Children Who Enter Kindergarten

The Elementary School Performance and Adjustment of Children Who Enter Kindergarten Late or Repeat Kindergarten: Findings from National Surveys Highlights Data from the 1993 and 1995 National Household Education Surveys show that about one child in seven in the U.S. either entered kindergarten late or was required to repeat kindergarten. Children usually enter kindergarten late because their parents hold them out until they are more mature. Children us...

Kindergarten in the United States

Full-day and Half-day Kindergarten in the United States: Findings from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 Introduction Full-day and Half-day Kindergarten in the United States is the latest in a series of reports from the National Center for Education Statistics using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K). A major trend in kindergarten programs that has occurred in the past few decades is an increase in the prevalence of kindergarten classes that meet for the entire school day rather than just a part of the day. This report describes the schools, both public and private, that offer full...

Kindergarten Teachers

Kindergarten Teachers Flock to Teachers.Net Center SAN DIEGO, CA--Kindergarten teachers everywhere have learned that the Teachers.Net Kindergarten Center is the place to connect with colleagues, gather teaching tips and classroom management ideas, access kindergarten lesson plans, recipes, crafts, and connect with enthusiastic collegial support. The web home for Kindergarten teachers is at http://teachers.net/mentors/kindergarten . The Teachers.Net Kindergarten Center includes a message b...