Pre-kindergarten: The kindergarten of 20 years ago

By NANCY JORDAN

Although they remain blissfully unaware, California's 4-year-olds are in the middle of a heated debate. The debate centers on Proposition 82, the "Preschool for All" act. Regardless of one's political position, this proposition raises a significant idea whose time has come. The California Department of Education Web site states that the "Preschool for All" initiative serves to develop high-quality Pre-kindergarten content standards, build a first-class professional learning system for preschool teachers, implement a results-based accountability system, create seamless transitions from Pre-K to kindergarten and first grade and involve all stakeholders in the learning process. The above would be accomplished by taxing the state's wealthiest persons to provide high quality, no cost pre-school programs to all California 4-year-olds.

At St. John the Baptist Catholic School, we are completing the first year of a highly successful pre-K program. We restructured our traditional pre-school program to meet the changing needs of the pre-school aged child. With the addition of standards-based curriculum and the accountability movement, we realized that children are expected to know more, in a more structured manner. Further, developmental psychology has evidenced rapid maturation of the human brain between the ages of birth to 5. Whether or not we philosophically agree, technology, dual working parents, earlier exposure to child-care and other social events have served to advance the cognitive functioning of the young child. Educational programs must meet the ever-changing needs of the students they serve. In a sense, pre-kindergarten is the kindergarten of 20 years ago.

Opponents of this movement cite several concerns. One relates to the movement towards "standardized curriculum." "Standardized curriculum" does not mean "standardized instruction." Per the California Department of Education Web site, "Content standards were designed to encourage the highest achievement of every student, by defining the knowledge, concepts, and skills that students should acquire at each grade level." Teachers are not, nor ever will be, "standardized." Teachers must always be encouraged to utilize their creativity, judgment and style in delivery of instruction.

A discussion of standards naturally leads to concerns that, somewhere in all the theory and paperwork, we risk pushing these little minds into something they're not ready for. Four-year-olds must be painting, cooking, singing, dancing and playing. Pre-K content standards must be age-appropriate and focus on foundational skills which include sitting, listening, sharing, making friends, etc., in conjunction with building math, reading and writing readiness.

In addition, the word, "accountability" often evokes fear in the hearts of educators. In order to monitor program effectiveness, we must assess our service delivery, but we need to do so using techniques appropriate to those whom we are serving. Should 4-year-olds be expected to sit at a desk and complete a bubble test every spring? Absolutely not, and educators know this. Play-based activities, art projects, simple screenings and student interviews are all examples of meaningful measurement tools for 4-year-olds.

Another debate centers on the qualification of Pre-K teachers and the governance of Pre-K programs. This was a challenge for us this year when the Department of Social Services, which issues our "day care" license, challenged our credentials. The DSS is not an educational organization and it is inappropriate for the DSS to staff and supervise educational programs. It is critical that Pre-K programs are taught and overseen by educators -- those professionals who have been trained in curriculum development and implementation, assessment, differentiated instruction and best teaching practices. This raises the credibility of the profession, increases employee retention, leads to higher pay and most importantly, better prepares a child to transition to kindergarten. Our Pre-K teachers are credentialed, considered part of our instructional team, receive the same professional development and clinical supervision as every teacher on our staff.

I believe education should always be a field flooded with research. We should never be satisfied with "I know all I need to know and I'm done." It is exciting to engage in the dialogue triggered by Proposition 82. The bottom line is that all children deserve the educational opportunities that best prepare them for life. Our Pre-K program provides solid evidence that 4-year-olds can play with a purpose. We look forward to walking with this and future generations of wonderful Pre-Kers as they begin their educational journeys.

(Jordan is principal at St. John the Baptist Catholic Elementary School in Napa.)

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