Somehow "Kindergarten preparation" has become a huge deal in early childhood. Somehow our country has been led to believe that the children must be made ready for Kindergarten when in fact Kindergarten should be made ready for the children.
Even if we accept the status quo, it is still impossible to make sense of long lists of "readiness skills." If an eligible 5 year old does not have these skills should he or she be deemed unready and not be allowed to enroll? If the answer to that is yes, then what happens to this child? They spend another year in preschool/child care/sitting at home and show up again the next year. What if he or she still doesn't have those skills? A public school cannot turn away a child once they reach the mandatory enrollment age. In NY for example, the mandatory enrollment age is 6 though most children attend Kindergarten at age 5. If a six year old "fails" the readiness test, they still must be enrolled by law. All teachers must teach a wide range of abilities, so why bother determining who is "ready." All children should enroll, be screened, and then taught based on their skills and abilities. Some children are lucky enough to have parents/caregivers/teachers as young children who read to them, talk to them, and engage them in stimulating experiences thus allowing them to gain necessary skills. Not all children are this lucky. Should they then be further hurt by being deemed unready for PUBLIC school?
Ok, sorry. This topic just makes my blood boil!

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