Prepare kids now for kindergarten

The past year has been very difficult for most of our families, with daily choices that seem to fluctuate from bad to worse. For example, the much-anticipated milestone of having little ones start kindergarten was usurped from many parents, who were presented with three options:

• Distance learning.
• In-person learning that would require masking and socially distancing 5-year-olds within Plexiglas stations – not to mention constant hand sanitizing, new rules and the risk of COVID-19.
• Delaying kindergarten until the following school year.

Not surprisingly many parents decided to delay what should be a joyful start to a lifelong love of discovery and learning. In Sarasota there are 17% fewer kindergarteners than the prior school year, representing roughly 525 students. That means there are 525 local families who have had to find an alternative way to bring some sort of normalcy to their rising kindergartners.

For the families in this situation, here is some advice: Your children are in one of their most important formative periods – it is a time when their little brains are highly receptive to pretty much any academic or social experience. This is a foundational time when tapping into their immense potential with enriching activities, especially reading and writing, is essential to helping them manage increasingly complex academic content in the future. 

The Florida Department of Education publishes standards for each grade level that public schools must adhere to, and upon which state testing of students is based. Kindergartener parents can access these standards and work with their children at home, especially if they did not enroll them in traditional schooling this year.

Language Arts Florida Standards for Kindergarten and Math Standards for Kindergarten can be located with a simple Google search; they include concepts such as “Identify the front cover, back cover and title page of a book” and “Identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons and cubes.” 

Fortunately, there are many online resources to help parents enjoy these days with our children in highly engaging ways. One of the all-time favorites is Kahn Academy, which offers free books and fun educational activities for learners of all ages. Other websites for parents include Common Sense Media and Colorín Colorado; they provide a wide variety of tips and materials in both English and Spanish.

What kindergarteners are expected to learn – according to Florida Department of Education standards – can seem a bit overwhelming, but parents who have made the decision to delay the school start for their children shouldn't be discouraged. The fact is that early diagnostic testing reveals that most of our Sarasota public school kindergarteners who are enrolled in either distance learning or in-person instruction are behind in reading and math.

Districtwide 65% of kindergarten students tested in December 2020 scored below grade level in reading and 71% were below grade level in math. Similarly 75% of first-graders tested across Sarasota public schools are below grade level in reading – and 82% are below grade level in math.

Brennan Asplen, the superintendent of the Sarasota County public schools, recognizes these multiple challenges. That's why he has been encouraging educators to stay positive – and to rest assured that the district is committed to ensuring that every child gets the education they deserve.

Wise words.

As we prepare to open Dreamers Academy, Sarasota’s new dual language immersion elementary public charter school, we are receiving numerous calls from parents questioning whether they should have their young children repeat their current grades. This is a very personal decision; it depends upon many factors – and in reality only parents can choose to take this step.

Right now it appears that most children will have to catch up to grade-level expectations, which should be taken into consideration by parents who want to ensure their children are not facing even more stress than what we've already experienced since schools were shut down last March.

For those parents who have their little ones at home or with family members, spending quality time with them – and perhaps hitting some of the key Florida grade-level standards they would have been learning in school – will prove invaluable come August, when we can hopefully enjoy each other’s company again in our local schools.

Geri Chaffee is the founder of Dreamers Academy, Sarasota’s new dual language immersion (Spanish/English) tuition-free K-5 public charter school. It is scheduled to open in August.