The Importance of being ready for kindergarten.

Is your child turning 4 at the beginning of the year?

Are you wondering whether they should go to kindergarten or wait until the following year?

In Victoria Australia, children need to be turning 4 by April the 30th to attend funded 4-year old kindergarten and then be turning 5 by the same date to attend a school setting. Many families every year question, should we send our child to kindergarten later or earlier.

Remember at the end of the day you know what is best for your child.

There are some things that you need to be aware of both from a government funding point of view, but also from a social-emotional developmental perspective.

Firstly, a 4 year old child is only eligible for one year of funded 4 year old community based kindergarten. There are options to apply for a 2nd year of kindergarten, but this is usually for children who have a developmental delay, or are not meeting their milestones and would benefit from a 2nd year. The preschool teacher, should be engaging in conversations on whether your child would benefit from a 2nd year early in their kindergarten year. The application for a 2nd year is long and lengthy, involves assessments and input from both the teacher, parents and health allied or paediatrician, if the child has one. This process does not necessarily mean you will be successful for a second year.

If you think your child will not be ready for kindergarten, then this is something you should discuss with the teacher the year prior to starting their funded year.

The alternative option is to pay full-fee for a 2nd year, it is expensive and you are not guaranteed a space. Families who are yet to access a funded kindergarten place or are vulnerable have priority over full-paying families.

However, kindergarten in a child care setting operates slightly different and therefore it is best to discuss directly with the early childhood setting. You can find out more about a second year eligibility here.

Secondly, you need to think about your child’s abilities in the early childhood setting.

What do you want your child to achieve in kindergarten? What are your goals? Maybe you would like them to be able to recognise letters, numbers and maybe write their name?

Did you know that early childhood teachers do not expect that your child would be able to write their name, or recognise letters, numbers in the kindergarten year?

It’s important for the 4 year old child to be able to do the following:

• Play & interact with other children.
• Respect educators and other children.
• Be able to listen and follow instructions.
• Be resilient with speaking up and asking for help.
• Using their imaginations to create and problem solve.
• A joy for learning and participating in group activities.
• Independently remove their jumper, wash hands, blow/wipe nose etc.
• Independently open/close package from their lunchbox.
• Be able to self-regulate their emotions.

We do need to remember that each child develop at their own rate and time, and therefore they may not be able to do all of these and are still learning these skills at the end of their kindergarten year.

As a parent, you know your child best and know their capabilities. It is important that if you do have concerns or are questioning your child’s readiness for kinder then please discuss your concerns or questions with the early childhood educator. They will be your first point of contact on whether your child should be starting 4 year old kinder or waiting another year.

Please note, if your child has a disability or has a delay, then their needs will vary and a kindergarten year will provide many learning opportunities for your child. It’s important to discuss your child’s individual needs with the teacher prior to starting the kindergarten, so they are best supported in the environment.

To find out more or if you would like to discuss how to best support your child please contact me.