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Spring is near. Meaning the school year is almost over.
My daughter is currently in pre-k because her birthday falls after September first. September first is the cut off for children that are not five years old by that date. Sucks right? Well this year we are preparing for her to start kindergarten at the end of summer.
As her mother I am excited but scared as well.
Going to pre-k daily to learn is great but the learning doesn’t stop there. She has a schedule at home that we follow to ensure she is taking in all the curriculum she is being taught. I recently attended an open house for a charter school that I want her to attend and I learned about the assessment that the teachers usually do with the students the first month of school. I was told that the assessment is done to see where exactly the student is with the basics. When I say the basics I mean knowing their abcs, numbers, colors, know their first and last name in addition to spelling it and some other things.
Kindergarten huh?
Do I feel she is ready for kindergarten? Yes I do. My daughter is not your average five year old. I remember being out in public and constantly getting asked how old is she. A lot of people say she is very mature for her age. They use to speak on how she act in public and her manners. She is very independent. She has always been that way but it increased a year and a half ago when her brother was born. She adjusted and knew that she had to be a role model for him. Also giving birth to her little sister two and a half months ago she understands that she has two younger siblings that are watching her every move.
I stress the importance of discipline within my house. This will continue until all of my children are out on their own. I believe the earlier you start it will carry on in their daily activity.
Preparing for kindergarten came sooner than later meaning the time is creeping up on us. August will be here before I know it.
Which is why I have a checklist of five things I took into consideration while preparing to send my daughter to kindergarten:
Clothing – if the school requires uniform or not. If the school requires uniform that is an additional cost that I will have to save for now. This also goes for regular clothes as well. I prefer uniforms because I like the overall presentation. Actually yesterday one of my neighbors was going to send her child to the same school last year but ended up sending her to the school in our attendance zone. She purchased all the uniforms necessary for her child. She bought them to me and my daughter can fit them. YES!! Which means I have a stash of brand new uniforms at a discounted amount. Can’t beat a steal.
Transportation – school bus or not. I take my daughter to pre-k everyday and pick her up. To be honest her riding the bus scares me but if you ask her she wants to. The school I attended for open house actually doesn’t provide bus service so I have to dedicate to picking her up and dropping her off. So flexibility is key here.
Foreign Language – spanish or french. Majority of the schools here in georgia offer spanish. Some offer it within the curriculum or at an extra cost. The school we are considering offers spanish as an elective in addition to music, physical education and art. This is a great age for her to start learning another language and learn about other cultures.
Class size – big or small. I know that some schools have a shortage in school teachers meaning the classrooms can be extremely large. On average kindergarten classes can range from 18-24 children in a class. For me 18 is more ideal and 24 is too much. I know I don’t have the final say in personnel hiring but as a parent I want my daughter to have a personable relationship with her teacher (s).
Technology – computers or not. Children these days are tech savvy. My daughter knows how to use a iPad and computer. She is not an expert but has the knowledge to do so. While attending the open house the school had four computers in the classroom that the students would utilize at specified times and/or days. I like this idea because most kids are visual learners and videos sometimes grabs their attention more than a lecture.
I hope each of these topics on my checklist help you in making your decision when sending your little one off to kindergarten. This checklist could be taken into consideration for any age but mine is specific to my daughter since she will be attending kindergarten in August.
Comment below with your thoughts on my checklist. Also, I would love to hear other topics that were considered when sending your little one to kindergarten.
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