progress report

In our 3-year and 4-year preschool programs there are learning objectives and a standard agenda. The 3-year program focuses on letter and number recognition, printing, color recognition. and sight-reading of number words and color names.4-year old program begins reading. The goal is sight-reading of about 50 words -- color, number, basic nouns and verbs. Also the ability to print these words.Students entering 5-year-old kindergarten are expected to know the alphabet, numbers to 20, colors, and basic directions -- underline, circle, check mark, etc. Plus personal info -- complete name, address, phone number, birthdate, etc.In first grade they will abandon printing and begin cursive writing. By second grade they will be writing exclusively in cursive.Preschool is not playschool anymore. It is the academic foundation on which the rest of their little academic lives are based. I am sure there are some schools that are more "flexible" and fun, but the public school system -- and many private schools -- adhere to the academic approach.

I was really hoping that this paper pushing teacher was not the norm. MamaS, the early childhood education makes me so sad. I am all for rigorous progarm with high standards but pushing paper/pencil lessons for 3 yo just doesn't make sense to me for a couple reasons. First, by December of first grade, all the students really catch up with one another, just by looking at their work One could never tell who went to preschool and who didn't and who did half day kindergarten vs. full day so why push so hard when they are little. Second, I believe children really do learn best at their own pace, and through play and exploration. I guess I better start looking for a better fit for my family.

When are people going to recognize that you don't get kids ready for academics by making them focus on academics earlier? Three year olds need to do three year old things like messing around with sand, water, play dough and paint, playing with blocks, pretending, running, jumping and climbing, looking at books and being read to, singing, enjoying the outdoors and most of all PLAYING. When they get a chance to do all these things in a warm, nurturing environment that emphasizes social and emotional skills and relationships then they are much more ready to be receptive and capable of acquiring all the skills they will need later in school. No offense, MamaS, but the goals described for threes and fours in your post sound much more like what Kindergarten and First Grade goals used to be many years ago. For some reason, because we have more children in organized programs at younger ages we think we have to put them through their paces and prepare them for the next level instead of just allowing them to do the things that are developmentally appropriate for their age and abilities. It makes me sad too, marathonmom. Keep looking. There are programs out there that see children in a different way.

our 3 year preschool class did not include those criteria. they worked on having them recognize their name. at age 4 or preK, they sort of expect them to know how to write their name pretty well. no points off if they can't, however, haha. my dd was one of those a little behind the others with letter recognition. i refused to do flash cards and that's what it would have taken. at the end of the 3 year program they "tested" them with how they'd be eval'd in the official state preK program. but that was the only work sheets. i hated the thought of it too. but i agree, kindergarten is not what it used to be. they want them reading - sight words, sounding out words before 1st grade. but guess you know that part.

No offense taken. They aren't MY goals. Yes, they are the Kdgn and first grade goals of "yesteryear". Once the federal government started funding K3 and K4, they had to set standards to show that they were "getting something for the money". The standards had to be testable, not just teacher evaluations.When the public schools went the standards and objectives route, the private schools followed because many of the private K3 and K4s feed into public school at K5. Their kids had to be -- not just equal to, but better than -- public K3 and K4.Pink Princess has been in private K3 and K4. Last week she had the "entrance test" for K5. She had to be able to recite the alphabet, match pictures of upper and lower case letters, count to 20, count groups of objects and circle the correct number underneath, write her name, correctly recite her full name, address, phone number and birth date, and finally sight read at least 12 of 20 flashcards. Her mother worked with her every afternoon for six weeks.Her "score" was 93% and she will get a place in the K5 class. The cut-off "failure score" was 80%. About 1 out of 4 kids "failed" and will have to go to public school.NOTE: This is NOT a highly academic school. It is an average Christian school, integrated, blue collar and white collar, etc.I agree that is is not the best approach, But it is what it is, and unless your child will be in Montessori K-12 you will probably encounter these expectations sooner or later.The mother of Pink Princess has her in gymnastics, swimming and dance aerobics so that she can work out all the four-year-old energy that she has to contain at school.

our state does not have public K3 and K4 funded, so maybe that is why the preschool we have focus more on learning through play than the "schooling" part of things. My kids have always gone through Head Start (federally funded free preschool for people under a certain income level and ALL foster kids). The focus on learning through play, no dittos, no worksheets, no flashcards. My kids all recognized the uppercase alphabet and numbers 1-20, could write thier name, and recognized at least 20 sight words which was all that was asked of them in their kindergarten round up. One of my daughters was gifted and was reading chapter books before she went to kindergarten meanwhile my other daughter just barely met the requirements and they are both doing fine in school by the 1st grade. According to the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) the greatest determinant for sucess in primary school is a good social education in prek, the do not recommend a highly acedemic approach in prek.