Does my child meet the deadline?
Knox County's deadline is September 30th.  Many schools use these dates to determine who is ready for Kindergarten, but research shows that your child's chronological age isn't the best way to decide whether he or she has what it takes to be a successful kindergartener.  Kindergarten "readiness" is the determining factor.  Over the past few years early childhood educators have begun to focus on a child's physical, soceal, and copgnitive development rather than age.

How can I tell if my child is ready for Kindergarten?
The skills your child needs to have before entering kindergarten cover a range that includes physical, social academic and life skills. Answers vary, but most educators agree that these are all part of the list:

  Your child can follow rules and directions.
  He can recognize authority.
  She can listen to a story.
  She talks in sentences.
  He can manage bathroom needs, and can dress himself.
  She can recognize shapes and can sort objects by color, size, and shape.
  She can count to ten.
  He can use scissors, crayons and a pencil correctly.
  She knows basic colors.
  She is aple to hop on one foot, skip and walk backward.
  He can bounce and catch a ball.
  She can point to and identify body parts such as elbow, knees, hips, shoulders.

We believe in evaluating and assessing each child as an individual and your child's chronological age is only one factor in the process.  Using the Gesell Developmental Inventory our professional test administrators look for developmental milestones in several categories:  Physical/Neurological Growth, Language Skills, and Adaptive Behaviors.  Additionally, children are observed in a group setting with peers.  The results of both the individual and group assessments are considered in admissions decisions.  Click here for a Kindergarten Readiness checklist.

What can I do over the summer to help prepare my child for Kindergarten?
     Join the library reading program.
     Read at least 15 minutes per day.
     Help your child start a summer journal.  You can write down events and have your child illustrate
     When shopping, focus on a letter of the day and have your child find items that begin with that
     letter.
     Sort socks, hair ribbons, dresses, shorts, etc. by color.
     Establish a writing station.  Provide crayons, pencils, paper and scissors.
     Play outside, ride a bike, hula hoop, hop scotch, swing and climb.

What will my child learn in Kindergarten?
Kindergarten is the starting point for your child's education.  This is where the foundation is created to allow for success in their school career.  There are seven "Domains of Learning" that your child will be introduced to when they enter school:
     Social and Emotional Development:  Listening and following instructions.  Getting along with
     peers.  Working independently.
     Physical Development:  Fine motor skills (cutting, coloring, drawing, tracing).  Gross
     motor skills (running, skipping, hopping).         
     Language and Literacy:  Speaking in complete senteces.  Speaking clearly. Singing familiar
     songs and nursery rhymes.  Recognizing rhyming words.
     Mathematical Thinking:  Sorting items by color and shape.  Counting to 10. Recognizing 
     patterns. Understanding positional words.
     Scientific Thinking:  Discriminating between things that are alike and different.  Using the
     five senses to explore new objects.
     Social Studies:  Describing differences and similarities among people.  Understanding how
     habitats vary among people and animals.
     The Arts:  Singing, making music, painting, drawing, dramatic play.

Discuss your child's strengths and weaknesses with his/her preschool teacher and work with your child to support his learning in each of these areas.
For more information about Kindergarten at The Episcopal School, please visit the "Academics" section of our website.