When are children ready for school?

How do I know my child is ready for school?

[mme_highlight] Criteria for children’s readiness to school were revised by the National Educational Goals Panel (NEGP), encompassing the following domains: physical well-being and motor development; social and emotional development; child’s approach to learning; language development; cognition and general knowledge. Readiness of communities and schools has to be reflected in a well defined set of indicators. [mme_highlight]

School Readiness results from the interaction and has its foundations on the readiness of the child, readiness of the school and readiness of the family and community too. Education does not begin with kindergarten so parents must keep in mind that their children early experiences can greatly affect their later achievement in school.
General well-being, health, adequate motor, social and cognitive development are essential components of school readiness. Despite the general lack of agreement on what constitutes readiness or how to measure it, there are some points of consensus that constitute key indicators of the readiness of a child for school.

What is the definition of school readiness?

Kindergarten readiness seems to be gaining more and more importance; inclusively, it is the first stated goal of the National Educational Goals Panel (NEGP), established in 1990. Nevertheless, the concept of “readiness” is poorly defined and is interpreted differently in different contexts, mostly because not only the child, but also school and community are included in it and should be ready too.

The NHES index was presented in 1993 as a way of approaching the measure of readiness. It included five items:

  • Not sleepy or tired in class;
  • Not hard to understand what the child is saying;
  • Enthusiastic and interested in lots of different things;
  • No trouble taking turns or sharing;
  • Not restless, sits still.

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Percentage of children meeting the 5 NHES criteria for school readiness

  • 5 criteria: 63%
  • 4 criteria: 26%
  • 3 criteria: 9%
  • less than 3 criteria: 2%.

    • (after parents’ reports of teacher assessments)
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    The latter criteria for children’s readiness to school were revised by the National Educational Goals Panel (NEGP), encompassing the following domains:

    • Physical well-being and motor development;
    • Social and emotional development;
    • Child’s approach to learning;
    • Language development;
    • Cognition and general knowledge.

    There is actually some degree of overlap and correlation between the cited domains, however the point is that a child’s readiness is no longer focused on mastering specific skills, but rather recognizes development as a whole. It should also be noted that each child is different and develops at a different pace, but the domains mastered before kindergarten entry are also influenced by early experiences, including enrollment in quality daycare, cultural environment, inborn developmental conditions, as well as family risk factors.

    All children will certainly benefit from kindergarten experience, but those with better previous early learning experiences have better odds to succeed.

    What are parents’ and teachers’ views of school readiness?

    Accordingly to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (U.S.), “Every child, except in extreme instances of abuse, neglect, or disability, enters school ready to learn.” However, for the majority of parents and teachers this does not fully defines readiness to school as it is no guarantee of academic success. Teachers and parents’ views are shown in the boxes below.

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    Parents and teachers assessment of school readiness criteria

    Percentage of preschoolers’ parents and teachers who rated each item in a survey as “essential” or “very important” for school readiness (U.S. Department of Education)

     Percentage of ParentsPercentage of Teachers
    Physical health / well nourished0%96%
    Communicates needs, wants, thoughts92%84%
    Enthusiastic and curious about lots and different things84%78%
    Can follow directions0%60%
    Not disruptive of the class0%60%
    Sensitive to other children’s feelings0%58%
    Takes turn and shares92%55%
    Sits still and pays attention80%42%
    Can use pencil and brush65%21%
    Knows letters of the alphabet58%10%
    Can count to 20 or more59%7%

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    How can schools and communities promote school readiness?

    One could answer this in short: taking care of our children the best possible way. Nevertheless, at a population scale, these words are not enough. Readiness of communities and schools has to be supported by political measures and has to be reflected in a well defined set of indicators to be accomplished. Important measures to pay attention to are:

    • improving health prevention programs and its population coverage, with special focus on hearing, vision, or dental problems;
    • assure children are enrolled in high-quality early education and child care programs;
    • provide free access to culture and organized activities.

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      Summary and Recommendations

      • Although the concept of school readiness is not a consensual one, with parents, schools and communities showing different perspectives, the general criteria for children’s readiness to school were revised by the National Educational Goals Panel (NEGP), encompassing the following domains: physical well-being and motor development; social and emotional development; child’s approach to learning; language development; cognition and general knowledge.
      • Children’s readiness to school is greatly influenced by early learning experiences, including enrollment in quality daycare, cultural environment, inborn developmental conditions, as well as family risk factors.
      • Readiness to school does not only imply readiness of the child, but also readiness of schools and communities. Hence, political measures and well defined indicators should be on focus to prepare children for school with great and equal standards.

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      References

      • High PC, American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Early Childhood, Adoption, and Dependent Care and Council on School Health. School readiness. Pediatrics 2008; 121:e1008.
      • National Education Goals Panel. The Goal 1. Technical Planning Subgroup Report on School Readiness. Washington, DC: National Education Goals Panel; 1991.
      • Lewit EM,Baker LS. School Readiness. Future Child. 1995 Summer-Fall;5(2):128-39.
      • S. Department of Education. Readiness for kindergarten: Parent and teacher beliefs. Statistics in brief, NCES 93-257.
      • Willer B, Bredekamp S. Public policy report: redefining readiness: an essential requisite for educational reform. Young Child. 1990;45(5):22–24.

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