Developmental kindergarten

Have you been wondering about Isaac's plans for the fall? As you may recall, he will turn five years old on September 6, right after the start of the school year. In California children may start kindergarten as long as they turn five by December 2, so he made the cut-off with three months to spare -- in theory.

But in practice, as you may recall from my previous discussion, in our area most children (especially boys) who were born in the fall delay starting kindergarten.

And so will Isaac. In the fall he will attend the developmental kindergarten offered by his preschool, a program just for five-year-olds that meets Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to noon. There are 20 children and two teachers in the classroom; unusually, and to our pleased surprise, nearly half the students will be girls. The current year's class has only four girls! The stated emphasis of the program is social and emotional growth, and although the children are expected to participate in one or two teacher-led activities each day, much of the day is still self-directed and play-based. Academics are integrated into fun activities, and the children are encouraged to pursue topics of their own choosing.

As I mentioned earlier, we had registered Isaac for public kindergarten although we were not certain whether we would send him. Our school district assesses each incoming kindergartener in person, mostly to help the teachers determine the skill level and temperament of each child so they can balance their classes. We watched as Isaac met with both the kindergarten teachers at our local elementary school for about half an hour. They interviewed him (in a fun way) to determine his level of knowledge (does he know his letters, colors, numbers?), motor skills (can he throw a ball, jump on one foot, hold a pencil?), and social and emotional temperament (can he talk to a teacher, tell a story, stay focused during the interview?). They also checked to see if he could read and write yet, which he could not -- although we observed a few children at the assessment who could!

The teachers were moving ahead with Isaac's enrollment in kindergarten in the fall, but when I asked their opinion on whether we should wait, they answered "probably." They had a few reasons, but the one that meant the most to us was one we had observed ourselves during the interview: Isaac didn't maintain focus. He was very interested in talking to the teachers at first, but as the interview continued he grew distracted, especially when they began asking him questions he couldn't answer. In fact, once he started to lose interest in the interview I noticed him answering "I don't know" even to questions he could answer, like identifying lower-case letters.

We have never thought of him as a distractible or overactive child, and in fact we have always been impressed with his attention span! But in a busy classroom setting, especially when he was expected to focus on topics not of his choosing, we certainly observed his attention drift away. I don't think this is unusual for a four-year-old, and certainly he will gain additional ability to focus by fall, but perhaps it would be better for him to remain in an environment where he is encouraged to learn by pursuing the things that truly interest him.

For better or for worse, the modern kindergarten is rigorous and fast-paced, and to keep up with it, Isaac will need to pay attention -- even when he doesn't like the subject being studied! (That was my problem with algebra.) So if the kindergarten teachers themselves think he'll benefit from waiting another year, then we'll take their advice.