Kindergarten, not just fun and games

A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children ranging from the ages of two to seven, depending on the country concerned. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel in 1837 as a social experience for children to help with their transition from home to school. His goal was that children should be taken care of and nourished in "children's gardens" like plants in a garden. 

However, kindergarten today is not just about fun and games.  Kindergarten is the first formal training your child will receive in reading and writing.  A recent research study concluded that success in kindergarten predicates your child's success in his/her education and career.  Researchers examined the life paths of almost 12,000 children who had been part of a well-known education experiment in Tennessee in the 1980s. The children are now about 30, well started on their adult lives.

What They Found...
Students who had learned much more in kindergarten were more likely to go to college than students with otherwise similar backgrounds. Students who learned more were also less likely to become single parents. As adults, they earned more and were more likely to be saving for retirement. 

On The Other End...
It is settled knowledge that educational problems for African American men don’t originate in middle school or high school, but the signs are manifest as early as kindergarten.  When student underachievement is not recognized and addressed in these early years it contributes to a snowball effect that locks African American men out of college, graduate schools, and other gateways to professional status.  A study of beginning kindergarteners shows that African American males start behind others in terms of emerging reading and math skills.  These skill differences may reflect a differing emphasis in European and African American homes on skill development and what skills are expected at the onset of formal schooling.  African American kids may lag in reading skills because they enter school with smaller vocabularies than European American kids.

The Lesson...
Child Psychologist George E. Smith, president of the Management Planning Institute, which heads 150 "Cradle to Classroom" headstart programs throughout the country, says parents are the first and most important teachers in the lives of their children.  A child's education, like everything else, begins at home. Getting involved with your little one's learning can mean the difference between your child struggling or succeeding in kindergarten and early grades. Preparation can be as simple as reading to your toddler or teaching your child responsibility by assigning him chores. Nowadays, schooling is a joint pact between educators and parents. Teachers will carry the mantle, but they expect children to enter the classroom armed with the skills needed to learn.

8 TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL KINDERGARTEN YEAR
Parents can improve their child's kindergarten performance by creating an atmosphere of learning at home. Here are a few tips recommended by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement to help you boost your little one's success:

1. Read together. Children who read at home with their parents perform better in school. Keep magazines and good books in the home and take children on trips to the library. Discuss reading material with your child. Ask what the book was about or why a character acted that way.
2. Stimulate your child's vocabulary. Tell stories to your children about their family and point out words to children wherever you go.
3. Establish a daily homework routine. Set a regular time for homework each day and set aside a quiet, well-lit place and encourage your child to study.
4. Keep in touch with the school. Parents cannot afford to wait for schools to tell them how their child is doing. Ask what you can do to help your child.
5. Promote family involvement in your child's education. Participate in everything from reading a bedtime story at night to getting involved with the local Parent-Teacher Association (PTA).
6. Enroll your child in preschool. Children who attend a "good" preschool or a headstart program prior to kindergarten fare better in the classroom.
7. Encourage your child's independence. Ask him to help with simple chores, such as choosing school clothes or cereal for breakfast.
8. Teach your child responsibility. Teach your child to complete an assignment immediately and to delay his/her gratification.

What tips would you give a parent to ensure their child is prepared for Kindergarten?