Indicators of Quality Kindergarten Programs

Many states are now developing guidelines for children ages six and younger based on the National Association for the Education of Young Children's (NAEYC) list of "developmentally appropriate practices." The major challenge facing kindergarten is to provide developmentally and individually appropriate learning environments for all children who are legally old enough to attend kindergarten. Because children entering kindergarten vary widely in maturity, teachers need to provide several levels of learning experience for each activity. For example, a "trip to the store" can provide a language experience, a math lesson and a science lesson: The language experience is making a grocery list; the math lesson is measuring the ingredients that the children buy; and the science lesson is the discussion about what happens when the ingredients are mixed and baked.

Small group and individualized teacher-directed activities, as well as child-initiated activities are essential to successful kindergarten programs. High quality programs recognize the importance of play and view teachers as facilitators of learning.

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