In the fall of 2017, the State of Illinois rolled out an assessment that may change the face of early education. KIDS (the Kindergarten Individual Development Survey) is an observation based evaluation administered by Kindergarten teachers. It is intended to be play based, even though many Kinder classrooms in Illinois are proudly focused on “academics” in lieu of play based learning. The results seem dismal -only 1 in 4 children in the state were deemed “ready” for Kindergarten- but this was also problematic in many other ways.
Our current culture values testing and data above all else, and we will mine data whenever we can. This means teachers of little kids are focused on results instead of meaningful learning for children via appropriate programming. People are looking for someone to blame for our children’s lack of “readiness” and it’s only a matter of time before the blame for a 3 year old’s “failure” in school is pushed down to where it all begins…the home. And that will be the only bright spot in an otherwise bleak picture, because it will place the focus on where the need for great learning is most profound for young kids.
We have all heard that parents & families are a child’s first teachers, and it’s true. Sadly, most adults aren’t aware of the ways young children learn, so some kids, whose parents and caregivers have learned -or instinctively know how- to have rich interactions are far ahead of their peers. Child-Parent programs seek to increase the number of parents who have these skills.
The adults in these programs work together to model and teach empathy, positive interactions and meaningful use of language to the children in the program. Child Parent Teachers model for parents and caregivers who then model for their children. These skills are the focus because research has shown them to be the most impactful on how children approach their world and eventually interact with peers, teachers and curriculum in school. Children in such programs have a good shot at being ready, but how do we make sure the focus -and the money- is where it should be? That’s a question for our leaders -school and district administrators, local and state level politicians- who need to put the mouth where their mouths are. Sadly, that’s not where they think it should be. It’s time for those who hold the purse strings to listen to those of us who end up holding the bag…instead of opening more half filled Pre K classrooms, consider more 0-3 program offerings. If we’re trying to have kids who are “right from the start” we need to start at the beginning, and that’s not age 3.
