Is My child ready for Prep?
This is a question many Parent/Caregivers ask themselves as we near the end of Kindy and the Beginning of Prep. There are many great resources at your fingertips to help you decided the best decision for your child.

In 2015 the decision to send my son to prep or give him a 2nd year in Kindy was a decision that plagued me for sometime. Many Discussions were had between my self and Sandy, then i turned to the internet and found a GREAT resource a book called Ready, Set, Go? by Kathy Walker.
Ready,Set, Go? was a very easy read it was hard to get a hold of in book stores, it can be ordered in by all major bookstores, however i turned to Ibooks to purchase and downloaded a copy to my ipad.

When i reached the chapter on school readiness it was very plain and simple my son was staying at Kindy, Without saying anything i shared the checklist with My Mum and with Sandy at Kindy who both came back to me and said another year at kindy that was it decision made, and now 10 months on i can confirm it still is the best decision, although sending my son off to school still seems daunting i know next year he is going to be able to manage it 10 times better than if he had attended this year. It wasn't that my child wasn't academically or intellectually ready for school it was looking if he was ready Emotionally and Maturity wise.


Here are some keypoints from Ready, Set, Go?
"An easy way to help understand the concept of readiness is to define what it is not. Readiness is NOT:"

• "being able to write your name or count to 100"
• "being able to recite the alphabet"
• "being gifted or academically bright"
• "saying you want to go to school."
• "showing interest in reading"

Ready, Set, Go? Talks about how we really need to be looking at our child's Maturity, being able to control their emotions, actions and behaviors.

"A Brief Checklist from Ready, Set, Go? The following are factors to consider and the skills to look out for when assessing your child's readiness for school:"

• "Self regulation of emotions, actions and behaviors."
• "Self-initiation and confidence"
• "Independence and self-help skills"
• "Effective communication: speaking, listening and responding.
• "Awareness of and interest in others and ability to interact with a variety of people."
• "Ability to concentrate and attend, follow through and persist."
• "Adaptability, flexibility and responsiveness to change."
• "General awareness of and interest in their environment, peers, adults and experiences."
• "Age and Gender"

"Signs that your child is not ready"

• "They just seem to be like lost little children."
• "They need me to direct them and remind them constantly of what to do next or where to go next."
• "They seem as if they are in a world of their own, not really aware of everything else going on around them"
• They seem to just follow the lead of others. They don't seem to initiate anything themselves."
• "They seem smart enough but they just can't concentrate or follow through with their workand tasks. They often lag behind the rest of the class, not because they can't do it, just because they can't concentrate long enough."
• "They just don't seem able to work at the level I think they are at. They are to easily distracted by others and can't stay on task."
• "They have difficulty making friends. They follow some children around but other children just don't seem to notice them."
• "They act like they just needed another year of play in a preschool rather than being sent to school."
• "They seem to find things overwhelming."
• " They get so very tired and find it hard to even stay awake, let alone concentrate."

Looking back through this checklist it would be suggested if you have said YES to several of the points that your child would benefit from a delayed exit from Kindergarten.

Reading Ready, Set, Go? explains all these key points much more in depth than what i can share with you here. Ready, Set, Go? will take you into some case studies of children who went straight onto prep and children who stayed in Kindergarten for that second year. Children who did attend prep before they are ready Maturity wise may find they are repeating a year further down the track in the school system. This is where I asked myself is it better my child stays in Kindy or Repeats Prep/Year One or Even Year 7, What may affect Him more Socially/Emotionally, in the future?

The checklists above help parents in two ways, confirming their child is well and truly ready or confirming that a second year at Kindergarten is what their child needs. Last year i shared this checklist with friends who were asking themselves the same question, they were very nearly leaning towards a Delayed exit from Kindy. After reading through the key points above it made their decision much easier that their child was well and truly school ready ( It was mum and dad who weren't ;) ).

We hope reading this has helped settle any butterfly's you may be having when making the best decision for your child, grab yourself a copy of Ready Set, Go? if you are still unsure and remember your always welcome to talk to your child's kindy teacher about these Key aspects.

Please feel free to share this post & I hope you have found the Key points above helpful.

Kim :) 

We will be hosting an open morning on Saturday the 29th of October from 10am to 11am for all families looking to enrol for the 2017 Kindy program. We currently have vacancies in both our Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday groups. 

Please Email brookesstkindy@optusnet.com.au to register your interest for the day. 

We look forward to meeting with you all.