How to Prep Your Kid for Kindergarten if They Haven’t Been to Preschool | KQED

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How to Prep Your Kid for Kindergarten if They Haven’t Been to Preschool | KQED


Westling says that pediatricians and other healthcare providers often don’t have enough time with patients to complete an adequate assessment.

“They often see them for 10 or 15 minutes every three months or so,” said Westling. “They may rely upon families’ identification of concerns to really trigger a more in-depth exploration. But their families don’t have the awareness that the child may be falling behind same-age peers. They may not flag that.”

Families on Medi-Cal should be especially concerned about short visits, says Westling.

“Pediatricians who accept various types of insurance, particularly Medi-Cal, have to make their practices financially viable, oftentimes through high volume.” said Westling. “So it may be that children who have Medi-Cal as their primary insurance may find that their appointment times are shorter than children who have private commercial insurance.”

Sometimes even if a pediatrician takes the time to conduct an assessment, a child may behave differently in a clinical setting, making it harder to discern between a developmental delay and a scared child acting timid.

Developmental milestones are important to track because the earlier a child receives help, the more likely they are to overcome a challenge. (Getty Images)

Resources to learn about developmental milestones

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a developmental milestone as something that 75% or more children can do by a certain age.

The milestones help parents and doctors track children’s growth across physical, cognitive, language and social-emotional areas. Examples of milestones include a child’s ability to hold their head up, to point or to string a certain number of words together in a sentence. If a child misses a milestone it could be an indication that they need extra help to fully develop in one area or that they face a more serious disability or health problem.

Milestones are important to track because the earlier a child receives help, the more likely they are to overcome a delay or challenge.

“The most important thing for people to realize is that children can make incredible progress,” said Westling. “And they make the best progress the earlier we can intervene in their lives and in their development. Their little minds are like sponges.”

Resources to learn about kindergarten readiness

There’s no single, standardized checklist for kindergarten readiness skills, largely because there is no state or federal requirement for schools to assess them.

Among the school districts that do track kindergarten readiness, several different assessment tools are used. Sarah Crow, managing director of the First 5 Center for Children’s Policy, says 35 states are in the process of implementing assessments and that 25 counties in California currently track kindergarten readiness.

Most experts agree that kids entering kindergarten should have some exposure to language and reading, numbers and counting, logic and sorting, and some practice regulating emotions and playing with other children their age.

“Readiness, as it’s sort of been defined and studied, is about literacy and numeracy knowledge,” said Crow. “But it also refers to things like the ability to listen and ask questions, express your thoughts and communicate and demonstrate some self regulation, like sit on a rug in a kindergarten classroom.”

Child care providers trained in early childhood development incorporate these skills into daily activities. Similarly, parents may already be teaching these skills without even realizing it — every interaction has potential to be educational for babies and infants (PDF). Still, intention goes a long way and experts have tips for how to incorporate numeracy and literacy into your day-to-day.

Statewide resources for early learning and development

When it comes to finding resources related to child care and child development, three California programs will be key: the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network, First 5 California and Early Start.

California Child Care Resource and Referral Network

Each county in California has at least one agency that’s part of the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network. These offices focus on helping parents find child care and recruiting and training more family child care providers: people who care for small groups of kids in their homes. Even if you’re not looking for child care specifically, these agencies can be a good place to contact.

Sometimes the organizations that have resource and referral (R&R) contracts provide other services as well — think play groups, parenting classes and financial assistance. Each agency varies, but chances are the people working at your local R&R center know about many of the resources in your community.

Look up your local resource and referral agency within the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network.

First 5 California

First 5 California is a statewide organization with a presence in each county. First 5 was established in 1998 when voters approved Proposition 10, which imposed a tax on tobacco products. The collected funds are divided between First 5 at the state level and a First 5 commission in each county. At a statewide level, First 5 advocates for policies that support children up to 5 years of age and their families. First 5 operates a resource website for parents that’s worth checking out.

Like R&R agencies, each First 5 county commission varies in focus, depending on what challenges families in the region face. Local efforts range from parenting groups to child development classes to tracking kindergarten readiness. Again, if your local First 5 office doesn’t offer a service directly, the people working there likely know who does.

Find your local First 5 office.

Early Start

Early Start is California’s early intervention program for infants and toddlers with developmental delays or those at risk for having a developmental disability. Most people interact with Early Start through one of 21 regional centers throughout the state. Regional centers are agencies contracted by the state to manage services for families with children under 3 years old who have or are at risk of having a developmental disability or delay. Some families are referred to regional centers immediately after birth by a neonatal intensive care unit. Other families may be referred later on by a pediatrician, and still other parents call on their own.

There is no cost for an evaluation, and one is supposed to be conducted within 45 days of when a parent first contacts the center. This FAQ by the California Dept. of Developmental Services is straightforward and may answer many of the questions you have about calling a center (PDF).

Look up an Early Start regional center near you.

Bay Area resources by county for early learning and development

Scroll down to find your Bay Area county below. This guide focuses on programs that can help parents without access to child care make sure their young children are kindergarten-ready. The classes and playgroups here do not require the time or financial commitment of more traditional child care or preschool.

In addition to the local outposts of the larger statewide organizations mentioned above, parents looking to bolster their kids’ school readiness should check out their local libraries and recreation departments.

Bay Area libraries offer much more than traditional storytimes. Kids can dial a number and have a story read to them in English or Spanish — another library has worked to place books in barbershops — and several libraries have project kits that kids can check out.

Most recreation departments offer some kind of financial assistance for classes, but that information is often not easy to find. If cost is preventing you from registering for a class, call your county’s recreation and parks department and ask about scholarships.

Alameda County

Contra Costa County

Marin County

Napa County

San Mateo County

San Francisco

Santa Clara County

Solano County

Sonoma County

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