Kindergarten Readiness

  School readiness involves more than just children. School readiness, in the broadest sense, is about children, families, schools, and communities. “School readiness” describes the capabilities and development that are influenced by their families and through their interactions with other people and environments before coming to school.
 

Ready Children

Each child’s level of readiness will develop in different ways and at varying rates. A ready child is prepared socially, emotionally, physically, and intellectually in a manner that is consistent with the Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards.

 

Ready Families

A ready family understands that they are the most important people in a child’s life and take an active
role in developing the child’s school readiness through direct, frequent, and positive involvement in the child. Families recognize their role as a child’s first teacher, while providing a safe environment, promoting good health, developing self-control, fostering excitement and an importance of learning.

 

Ready Schools

A ready school is committed to the children, families, and the community that it serves. A ready school welcomes children of all abilities and provides opportunities to develop the whole child. Ready schools provide quality educators that value diversity and reinforce each child’s individual strengths. Quality
learning environments that exhibit a high level of readiness provide access to books, writing and drawing supplies, games, and various other materials that support opportunities to explore and learn.

 

Ready Communities

A ready community plays a critical role in supporting families as primary stewards of children’s readiness. Community members, organizations, and businesses must work together to support families, schools, and the success of all children.

Click here to download the Checklist

    Click Here for the Kindergarten Readiness Checklist in Spanish

    Click Here for the Kindergarten Readiness Checklist in Russian

Click Here for the Kindergarten Readiness in Nepalese

 Click HERE for the Kindergarten Readiness Checklist in Arabic for the front and HERE for the back


 

 

The Readiness Checklist

Families are young children’s first and most important teachers. Child care providers also play an important role in helping children learn and grow. During children’s early years, families and child care providers can help them “get ready for school.” School readiness includes teaching children to have the skills seen here.

Social and Emotional Skills

  • Independently use the bathroom and wash hands
  • Greet others and say “please”, “thank you”, and “excuse me”
  • Share with others
  • Show respect for self, others, and authority
  • Communicate feelings, thoughts, and needs
  • Follow classroom routines
 

Listening and Speaking

  • Follow multiple step directions
  • Listen and respond to conversation
  • Speak using multiple word sentences
  • Ask and answer questions
 

Fine and Gross Motor Skills

  • Hop, skip, and jump
  • Button, tie, snap, and zip
  • Hold writing, cutting, and eating utensils appropriately
  • Dress independently (coat, shoes, boots, etc.)
 

Book Handling and Directionality

  • Hold books appropriately
  • Understand that print contains a message
  • Understand that print moves from left to right and top to bottom
 

Story Sense / Comprehension

  • Make predictions based on pictures and background knowledge
  • Retell portions of stories with some understanding of sequence
  • Understand the concept of an author and an illustrator
  • Make personal connections to stories
  • Understand fantasy versus reality
  • Identify the beginning and end of a story
  • Understand varying types of genres
  • Comprehend stories
  • Identify characters, events, and problems
  • Able to repeat sentences and refrains in books
 

Letters and Words

  • Recognize and write (capital and lowercase) their name
  • Identify letters of the alphabet
  • Sort letters by name and similar shapes
  • Link sounds and symbols
  • Recognize environmental print and high frequency words
  • Name rhyming words
  • Understand the difference between a letter and a word
  • Clap syllables with assistance
 

Writing

  • Draw recognizable detailed pictures
  • Explain picture
  • Form letters from top to bottom
  • Label pictures and objects
  • Attempt to spell words using invented spelling
  • Understand that print conveys a message
 

Mathematics

  • Understand the difference between letters and numbers
  • Identify colors, shapes, and AB patterns
  • Show some sense of different and alike
  • Match and sequence objects and pictures
  • Count to ten
  • Demonstrate one-to-one correspondence in counting to ten
  • Solve puzzles
  • Understand simple graphs
  • Sort objects
  • Resources

Resources

“Children Do Come With Directions”

A Guide For Parents

Click Here to Download

(240 KB, PDF)
Brought to you by the United Way

Other Parent Resources

   
United Way GECAC Mercyhurst College