Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 Children Ready for School, Schools Ready for Children and Families 11
The Concept of School Readiness for Children 12
The School Readiness Road 13
Early Learning Standards and Indicators of Progress 15
The Role of Language and Literacy in School Readiness 28
Demographics and the Learning Needs of Children in the Twenty-first Century 31
The Concept of Ready Schools 32
Ready Schools Need Ready Personnel 34
Discussion Starters 33
Chapter 2 Kindergarten in the Twenty-first Century 41
A Brief History of Kindergarten 42
Philosophical Foundation for the American Kindergarten 43
The Reality of the Current Kindergarten 45
New Academic Pressures 45
Full-Day versus Half-Day Kindergarten 46
Kindergarten as the Bridge between Preschool and Elementary School 47
The Impact of Home on School Preparation 47
What Kindergarten Looks Like Today 49
Two Kindergarten Classrooms Observed 50
Different Kindergarten Styles 53
Discussion Starters 54
Chapter 3 Preparing Children for Kindergarten 55
Going to Kindergarten Is a New Situation 56
Child Development 101: Growth Is Not a Straight Arrow 60
Preparing Dual-Language Learners 64
Preparing Children with Special Needs 66
Understanding the Kindergarten Teacher's Challenges 67
Whose Job Is It to Prepare Children for Kindergarten? 68
Special Transition-to-Kindergarten Activities 72
Discussion Starters 80
Chapter 4 Preparing Families for Kindergarten 82
A Road Map to Kindergarten 83
Parents' Hopes 83
Parents' Anxieties 84
Addressing Parents' Feelings and Needs 85
Helping Parents Prepare Their Children 87
Special Transition Activities to Prepare Parents for Kindergarten 95
Discussion Starters 102
Chapter 5 Preparing Pre-K Teachers and Child Care Providers 103
Teachers' and Caregivers' Roles 104
All Who Care for Children Are Teachers 105
Practical Tools for Gauging Early Literacy Behaviors 106
Provide Feedback to Parents 109
Early Childhood Educators Learn about Kindergarten 111
Discussion Starters 113
chapter 6 Transition-to-Kindergarten Planning 114
Continuity Is the Goal 115
Thinking about Logistics 116
Pre-K to K-12 Collaboration 116
Now Is Everybody Ready for Kindergarten? 121
A Few Last Words 125
Discussion Starters 126
Appendix A Are Children Ready for Kindergarten? Checklist 127
Appendix B Are Families Ready for Kindergarten? Checklist 128
Appendix C Are Prekindergarten Teachers, Family Child Care Providers, and Family Educators Ready to Prepare Children for Kindergarten? Checklist 129
Appendix D Literacy-Richness Assessment #1: Children's Behaviors 130
Appendix E Literacy-Richness Assessment #2: Adults' Behaviors 131
Appendix F Action Plan for Transition-to-Kindergarten Activities Template 133
Appendix G Online Resources 134
References 139
