Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten?
In Chinook's Edge the age requirement for Kindergarten entry is five years on or before December 31st. Exceptions to this rule apply to younger children who have identified special needs and to older children who have not had Kindergarten experience.
There is not a mandatory set of skills that a child must have before they can begin Kindergarten in Alberta. Many parents decide to delay their child's start date in Kindergarten if she/he will be one of the youngest children in the class. There is no hard and fast rule around this but there are several ways to optimize your child's success for their first year in school. If at the end of the Kindergarten year, the teacher and parent agree that the child is "developmentally immature" and would be at a disadvantage in Grade One, then another year of Kindergarten can be accessed. This process involves the completion of a parent and teacher questionnaire focusing on the pros and cons of a two-year Kindergarten plan, and it involves the school administration.
Getting Ready for Kindergarten
Create a positive attitude towards school so that your child happily anticipates their first "big school" experience.
Build good health practices, ensuring that your child has a daily bed-time routine and a nutritious diet which starts with breakfast each day.
Make sure that your child is independent with self-care routines: using the washroom and practicing good hygiene; managing zippers, buttons and snaps on clothing. If you plan to send tie up shoes to school, your child should have mastered this skill before Kindergarten starts. Otherwise, shoes fastened with Velcro are a good choice.
Help your child learn safety rules, especially in crossing the streets in town or the road in rural areas.
- Create a family emergency plan that includes what do if you get lost or hurt.
- Help your child practice memorizing and dialing important phone numbers.
- Talk to your child about who is likely to be a "safe" stranger (Eg. School Office Staff, School Patrollers or bus and playground supervisors wearing vests).
Establish habits of picking up and putting away your toys, books and clothing.
Provide coloring books and scissors to develop your child's fine motor skills. These are a precursor to printing because they develop hand strength and small muscle coordination.
Encourage the use of full sentences and clear pronounciation, when your child is asking or telling information. If you are concerned about your child's speech or ability to understand directions, make an appointment with a Speech Pathologist at your local Community Health Centre for a screening. There is no need for a doctor's referral. Parents can call directly but please be prepared for a waiting list.
Spend lots of time reading to your child. Reading to your child in the preschool years is the best predictor of academic success throughout their education. Read all sorts of texts: Nursery Rhymes, fact and fiction books, signs, menus, labels, learning and game software: anything and everything that is suitable for young children.
Share as many life experiences as you can with your child - from grocery shopping trips and errands to involvement in music, sports and fun at the beach. With each event, your child is accumulating building blocks to success in school and in life.
The Kindergarten Program
Alberta Education Early Childhood Services Policy states "Early Childhood Services programs meet the developmental learning needs of children and prepare them for lifelong learning".
The Kindergarten Program is based on Alberta curriculum in the areas of English and French Language Arts, Math and Social Studies as well as on statements that describe desired learning outcomes across the areas of physical, intellectual, social, cultural, creative and emotional development. The expectations of the six learning areas are interrelated. Young children learn in an integrated way during instructional activities. These learnings are accomplished not only in the Kindergarten program but also in the home and community.