| Kindergarten Readiness You and your child are getting ready to venture into new experiences, whether it is the public school system or private schools. You may already have children in the school system or perhaps this is the first time for both of you. Whatever the case may be, we want to assist you in selecting the right school for your child.
Helping You And Your Child Prepare For KINDERGARTEN
While enrolled in our program, your child's teacher presented experiences to prepare children for kindergarten. This may have included a field trip to visit an elementary school's kindergarten class and teachers. You and your child's teacher may have discussed the schools in your area, what information will be sent to the school of your choice from our program and when this will be done. You may have also attended a series of workshops regarding what is required and what to expect in the transition to kindergarten.
If you have any further questions concerning your child's transition to kindergarten, your child's teacher or the Site Supervisor at your local Head Start/State Preschool can answer many of your questions.
Transition to Kindergarten
To assist you even further, we have prepared this web page with links to valuable information to help you in making an informed decision as to which school your child will be attending when he/she is ready for kindergarten.
Here are some helpful hints to help ensure an optimum experience transitioning to your child's next school experience:
Find out all you can about the new school
- Explain that he/she will be making new friends as well as some old friends
- Talk about what he/she will be learning and how you will help
- Talk about health and safety in and around the school and school bus
- Talk about his/her Preschool experiences that will help him/her in Kindergarten
Talk with your child about his/her new school, new teacher and new friends
- Rules & regulations
- Attendance policies, grading system
- School schedule and calendar, holidays, minimum days
- Food services, bus service
- Ask about special programs that are available for students
- Discipline Policies
Get involved
- Take an interest in your child's education and help your child with their homework
- Read the materials sent home by the schools (newsletters, etc.)
- Volunteer in the classroom or in the school
- Attend Parent / Teacher Association (PTA) meetings
- Attend Parent / Teacher conferences
- If your child is having problems in the classroom, ask the teacher how you can help.
Links To Helpful Resources -Selecting the Best School - What you need to know
You have many choices and this website will provide you links to valuable resources that will help you evaluate the academic achievement of the schools in your area. These websites will give you the information you need to make an informed decision and ensure that your child has the best opportunity possible in the education system he/she enters.
The following are links to connect you to valuable resources and information you will need to know about the schools in your area.
The Academic Performance Index (API) summarizes an individual school or school district's academic performance and progress on statewide assessments. Click on this link and type in the name of the school you want to know about to find out its API score.
Each spring, California students take the state's STAR (Standardized Testing and Reporting) tests, which measures students' achievement on academic content standards. To get information on your child's school, just click on this link, select the County, District, and school from the dropdown menus and then click view report.
Here are other Websites that may be helpful for you and your family:
Helping Your Preschool Child - The United States Department of Education site on this subject with activities for children from infancy through age 5.
ABC Mouse - Early Childhood Education Programs/Activities/Information
Thank you for visiting our site. We hope you find this helpful! |