Nowadays, sending a child to kindergarten without any preschool experience is like driving a car without any lessons, or jumping into the deep end of a swimming pool without knowing how to swim. There was a time when kindergarten was optional and children attended just to learn how to play with each other and get into the school routine. But today our children are expected to know so much more on the very first day of kindergarten that pre-kindergarten classes are really not optional anymore either.
Nationwide, over 40 percent of children have some kind of preschool experience before kindergarten. In northern New Jersey, it is rare for a child to not have that head start, ranging from one to three years in preschool. As a result, many young students are entering kindergarten more academically and socially experienced than their parents were.
Children can attend preschool just three mornings a week and learn what they need to start kindergarten on the right foot this fall. At Jenn’s Junction, for instance, the certified teachers in our Pre-K class use the highly regarded Mother Goose Time curriculum. We also focus on specific knowledge children are expected to have when they enter kindergarten.