So There Taking Away Naps I School Now?
Children in pre-k and K usually take naps but not anymore. Some of the schools in my area have said that kids in K will no longer have nap time. In my opinion this is a bad idea. Some kids with late birthdays are still 4 when they enter K and can get tired quickly. I don't think I would even send my child to a school where there are no naps. I could already see a bunch of kids falling asleep at their tables. I would love to hear other people opinions on this.
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Originally Posted by Candy: |
I don't think my state ever had naps in K. My daughter is in K and it is along day. When I was a kid we didn't have naps either
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We never had naps in K when I went to school either & I am 41, lol! However, K was only 1/2 day when I went.
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Our area never had 1/2 K it just a full day. Also our state deadline is to be 5 by Sept 30th so kids born in late Aug and Sept are 4 at the time they start K. So strange because a school less than 5 miles away still have naps.
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Originally Posted by Candy: |
Originally Posted by CraftyMom: |
my dd was in 1/2 day and they still had a rest period of 25 minutes! :) ahh the good ol' days!
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When I was in K, we had 1/2 days.
Our school system made K full day, maybe 12 years ago. Then they had public school 4 Pre-K that was 1/2 day. So if your child needed to nap, you could send them for the morning session (the am was 9:00-11:50 and pm was 12:50-3:35), and then they could go home or to daycare and nap in the afternoon. This year was the first year of all day pre-k (you don't have the option for 1/2 day), and they nap for 50 minutes. Well, at that age, it takes most of my kids 20-30 minutes to fall asleep (probably more in a room full of other 4 year olds squirming), so they are getting a 20 minute nap... |
I think that is along time for a 4 or even a 5 year old to be awake. Getting up for the bus, 8hrs of school, catching the bus home(some kids ride transfer so they have a extra 30-45min ride home) when the child finally does get home they're just going to crash.
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Our district has full day K and no naps. I stop napping kids going in to K at the beginning of summer to acclimate. Honestly most have outgrown napping well before that so it's usually pretty painless. But once the summer hits and they are registered for school they are considered SA and the rules are a bit different for them so it's not as difficult to have them up.
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Originally Posted by Candy: |
Originally Posted by momofboys: |
Originally Posted by momofboys: |
Originally Posted by Candy: |
Here in MD our county has not done naps for 12 years ( could be longer than that I am just going by my oldest dd ) .
And full day K for 8 years . |
Here, you have to turn 5 by September 1st, and our school year starts after Labor Day. So all kids are 5 before they even start Kindergarten.
Also, Kindergarten is half day here, so no need for naps. I have two girls in PM Kindergarten right now, and they go from 12:50 to 3:30. |
Originally Posted by momofboys: Not so easy. They have to test them to see if they're ready, and THEY make the determination. In this boy's case, they felt he was ready, so he went. He was in AM Kindergarten, so I just had him nap an hour after school every day. It has all turned out fine - he's in 5th grade now and doing well. My point is, not every state/school district lets YOU just say "I'm keeping my kid out one more year". |
Originally Posted by momofboys: |
Originally Posted by Lucy: |
Originally Posted by Candy: |
They don't have nap time in kinder here and it's full day. I know a Kindy teacher in another area of my state and they have half day and said if they had full day they'd need to include nap time?? Not here.
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We haven't had naps in kindergarten here for years.
My dd birthday is august 27 and the cut off was august 31st. School doesn't start until after labor day so all kids will be 5 by the time school starts. I asked about holding her back a year and apparently it is not an option in our state. Kids adapt. My DS is in kindergarten now. He goes from 7:45am -2:45pm. He wakes up around 6:45am and goes to bed at 7:15pm. His body has adapted and he wakes up and goes to bed at the same times even on the weekends and school off days. The first month of school may be harder since they are adjusting to a longer day and no naps, but kids are tough |
Not all states require Kindergarten:
15 states plus DC mandate kindergarten attendance (kids are required to have attended kindergarten before enrolling in first grade.) 35 states do not require that children attend kindergarten (kids can go right into first grade at the compulsory age for attendance) Each state has a compulsory age in which children are required to be enrolled in school. In 8 states plus DC the compulsory school age is 5 In 25 states the compulsory school age is 6 In 15 states the compulsory school age is 7 In 2 states the compulsory school age is 8 Most states say that once a child is enrolled in school, they become required to adhere to mandatory attendance rules. http://mb2.ecs.org/reports/Report.aspx?id=32 |
I was in kindy more than 20 years ago and we didn't nap! It was only half day.
Honestly if your child still naps I don't think they're ready for school. |
Originally Posted by SilverSabre25: OP - I didn't catch what state you're in. Here in Kansas the compulsory attendance age is 7 AND children may not enter kindergarten until they are 5 (I don't remember the cut-off date for the 5th birthday). So if I had a 5 year old still falling asleep during school hours they would either be homeschooled that year or start kindergarten when they're older. Honestly, if a parent chooses not to rearrange their schedule or to homeschool and they STILL have a problem with the no-naps policy then they need to rethink their priorities. It's not the school's problem... the responsibility of making sure your child is ready for kindy falls on the parents' shoulders. |
We are going to all day kindergarten next year. Kindergarten is not mandentory but if your child doesn't attend they will be sooo far behind.
We will be the only 6 hour kindergarten in our area-Most are 7:45 to 3:30/3:45 with either a 1/2 day on Fridays or no school at all on Fridays. |
I recently read an article about how they are eliminating nap time in preschools because of rising curriculum demands. I have never heard of nap time in kindergarten though. IMO american children are severely behind on sleep. Parents want to hang out with them in the evenings instead of putting them to bed on time. Naps are essential to a child's development. Eliminating them would be a huge mistake in any setting.
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Im in Louisiana for prek they have to be 4 by Sept 30th and 5 by the same date for K. But school here starts the second week in Aug. I do agree that kids don't get enough sleep, I remember catching a movie at 11 at night at the theater and kids were everywhere. No kid should be up at that late.
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For the states that K isn't mandatory I would imagine that child would be very far behind unless the parent was teaching them at home.
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I don't think anyone is blaming the schools.
Our schools JUST went to full day, prior to that, it was half day with a 45 minute rest period. ALL of my kids have napped during that time frame. My DS (who is turning 6, and was 5 1/2 before entering K) had a heck of a time adjusting and was exhausted daily. He STILL naps on weekends and still goes to bed just fine. I feel terrible about it, and NO I can't pick him up from school early they won't allow that. I have a dcg entering K who is going to have a heck of a time, too. Some kids NEED sleep, and I honestly think they should allow those to rest if they need it. The benefits of down time far outweigh the loss of 10 more dittos coming home. |
In our district, there were no naps even before i started teaching in 2006 for Kindergarteners. The Pre-Ks are all half-day, so no naps there either.
... The kids are tired, but they make it just fine, they go to bed earlier for the first few months. |
Originally Posted by daycarediva: |
Originally Posted by daycarediva: |
Originally Posted by Candy: |
Originally Posted by Candy: |
Half day kindy here is only 2 1/2 hours, so naps aren't needed. It's closer to 3 hours if the kids stay for the optional lunch time. They don't start kindy until age 5 though. There has never been naps in half day kindy here. When I was in full day kindy as a child, most of us got into trouble at nap time because we wouldn't sleep, lol. I'm 38.
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Originally Posted by momofboys: |
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