School Readiness Program

School readiness may not be what you think it is. Rather than focusing on whether a child can read and write, school readiness is measured against a set of skills that children need to succeed at school.

Consider social skills like the ability to get along with other children. Or skills like being able to open a zipper or hold a pencil. Without these types of skills, sitting and listening to a teacher and participating in learning activities are all that much more difficult. They can be the difference between a child who thrives and a child who feels overwhelmed by the school experience.

Think of school readiness as the foundation on which your child will build their education. The more solid the foundation, the better they are likely to adapt to life at school.

Think of all the things your child will learn in their first year of school. Think of all the experiences they will have. Without the basic school readiness skills, they can become frustrated at school. Maybe they will not be able to follow the teacher’s instructions or effectively communicate what they need. This puts them on the back foot, working much harder than their peers to catch up. This can also affect children beyond the first year of school, carrying through their many years of education.

School readiness is not about deciding when a child is ready to start school. It is about setting your child up for success.

There are physical, social, and developmental factors that combine to determine school readiness. Can your child play or work well with other children? Do they have solid self-help skills that they can perform independently? Are they interested in learning new things and new skills?

These factors will come into play in different ways for every child. Just because a child looks physically ready for school, does not mean they have the social maturity required to form new friendships.

Foundational school readiness skills cross a range of different areas of development. Children will develop the skills at different times and that is completely normal. The skills combine to give your child the best start at school. And one on which their teacher can build.

All these school readiness skills rest on a set of social, emotional, and cognitive building blocks. These are the building blocks that children start to develop from the time they are born.

• Receptive and expressive language so children can express themselves and understand other people.
• Executive functioning and bigger picture thinking.
• Social skills and how they interact with their peers and others.
• Planning and sequencing to follow multi-step instructions.
• Sensory integration or processing to different sensory stimuli around them.
• Self-regulation and emotional regulation.
• Articulation and pronunciation of words.

Children must be enrolled in school by the time they turn six. If they turn five on or before 31 July of that year, they can enrol to start school.

For some parents, there will not be any question of if your child is ready for school. They are already 5 and it is almost like they were born ready. For many other parents, it is not so straightforward.

When you are considering this question, call on the expertise of our professional team leaders and managers at Erina kindergarten for advice. If your child sees any health professionals, such as a speech or occupational therapist, our team leaders’ and managers insights can also be invaluable.

At Erina kindergarten we also encourage families to speak with local schools who are also a good source of support in helping to decide if your child is ready for primary school. Visit the school and attend our annual school readiness orientation sessions held each year in July at Erina kindergarten where you can ask questions and get more information.

If your gut is telling you that your child might not have the basic skills, they need to start school, there are likely some signs you can look out for.

Generally, a child that is not ready for school will struggle to follow instructions and become frustrated easily. They may also have a shorter attention span and lack the social and emotional maturity of their peers.

Other signs include:

• Poor language and communication skills
• Resistance to trying or learning new things
• Relying on parents or carers for tasks such as getting dressed
• Not yet toilet training during the day
• Poor social interactions with children of the same age
• Challenges with understanding and accepting consequences

WHAT OTHER PROBLEMS CAN OCCUR?

School readiness challenges are also common to happen alongside some other difficulties. They may have difficulty regulating their emotions and following social norms, such as sharing or taking turns. Following instructions that contain multiple steps can also be challenging.

They may lack self-control or the ability to think flexibly and plan out the steps they will take to complete a task. Both gross and fine motor skills can also be lacking. This impacts on a child’s ability to run, jump, throw a ball, use scissors, hold a pencil and many other tasks they need to do at school.

If you are concerned about your child’s development, talk to your team leader or manager at Erina kindergarten or a health professional for advice. We are here to help where we can.

Whatever stage your child is at, there is a lot we can to do support them as they develop the school readiness skills they need. The most important thing we can do is provide your child with lots of encouragement. Spend time with your child, playing, reading, drawing, singing, talking, and listening and we encourage you to do this at home as much as possible.

Some specific things we will do to help with school readiness will also include:

• Encouraging your child to practice their independence with self-help skills such as going to the toilet alone.
• Finding constant opportunities to count objects, e.g., counting the rocks as you put them in the garden or counting the blocks as you put them away.
• Playing board games together to learn about taking turns. Snakes and ladders is a favourite option for our pre-schoolers.
• Building simple obstacle courses in the play yards and to practise gross motor skills. Playing ball sports which involve throwing of balls
• Doing craft activities using scissors, textas, pencils, crayons, and glue to practice fine motor skills.
• Playing social games to allow practice of social skills & social discussions/interactions

Erina kindergarten provides an educational preschool program with a strong emphasis on school readiness that prepares the children for entering the primary school system. Parents and the preschool educators share a role in making children feel safe and secure as they transition to a new educational setting.

The key aspects of school readiness are integrated throughout our preschool program and routine from the moment the children enter preschool at the age of 3, moving right through to their transition to primary school. The School Readiness Program is expanded for our pre-schoolers in their final year before school to ensure that they are given the maximum opportunities to learn new skills, as well as refine existing abilities. We recognise that children up to seven years old learn best through play, and that just as important as skill development is their development of social and emotional wellbeing, which is needed to be an active and positive learner.

Our aim is to promote lifelong learners; our program will be adapted to the children’s individual needs to ensure the children are socially and emotionally ready to enter primary school with the confidence and resilience to ensure a successful and comfortable transition. Children will be provided with a variety of experiences in their daily program according to their needs and level of understanding which will help make the transition to school a positive experience.

Staff will endeavour to create partnerships between Erina kindergarten and the local schools in our community to ensure an open exchange of information and understanding regarding entry requirements and preparation.

School Readiness Program includes:

• Importance of self-respect and respect of others.
• Promoting social skills when interacting with other children and educators.
• Self-regulation and language development.
• Self- help skills and responsibility for their personal belongings.
• Confidence and high self-esteem promoted in each individual child.
• Foundations of Literacy and Numeracy