Common Ground has been around 49 years.

In that time, we have made some incredible discoveries about how children learn and thrive.

Having a curriculum dedicated to kindergarten-readiness for our 3 yr and 4 yr class rooms has proven to be essential to a child’s comfort, confidence, and comprehension in their kindergarten classroom.

Disclaimer: This does not mean we want your three year old sitting at a desk all the time!

We actually want the opposite of that! We have talked about how essential big body activities and play-based learning are to a child’s holistic development. We have discussed the need for peers to really create a learning space rife with new ideas and curiosity.

As a parent AND a teacher, I covered my initial concerns for children not in kindergarten readiness programs HERE. I especially touched on children who were not in any kind of program during the Covid-19 social distancing effort.

Having a daily schedule in a classroom completely dedicated to their exploration with peers who provide endless inspiration is key to a learning spirit. We want to share our experiences, our research, and our findings with you by taking a deeper dive into how a two year kindergarten readiness program benefits:

• Natural number sense — an awareness that mathematics is present in all things

• Scientific process — independent search for answers to their questions

• Emotional regulation and social confidence

• Physical fitness and general endurance

• Attention, comprehension, and participation

• Learning as a PROCESS over a destination

• Prewriting and Imaginative Independence — We discussed at length how Emergent Writing is nurtured from ages 3-5 HERE, but will touch on it as we discuss other aspects of a child’s growth and development

We will be discussing Rising Kindergarteners and our Private Kindergarten on February 9th, but we encourage anyone with a child who will be 3 by September 30th, 2021 to enroll them in a readiness program. Follow our journey, ask questions, and do your research! We will also provide further reading on the subjects at the end of each post and discussion.

We are constantly learning and growing as well! As teachers, we love learning almost as much as we love your kids, and want to nurture them with you. Let’s do this together!

Warmest Regards,

Ms. LJ