Parents with kids entering kindergarten are easy to spot. If the deer-in-headlights eyes aren’t enough of a clue, the child hiding between their legs will usually give it away. While other parents are waving goodbye to their children on the first day of school, kindergarten parents are clinging like Velcro to their now school-aged children. The transition is more than just a developmental milestone; it is a rite of passage for kids and their guardians.
One of the biggest challenges with being new to school is the lack of information. It seems that after five years of being in the know, parents will now be relying on their kindergartner to convey curriculum and behavioral anecdotes from his or her day—a terrifying prospect.
Briana Murphy (left) and Megan Lee race off to meet their teachers at last year’s kindergarten picnic. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
The Harvard Family Association (HFA), a social organization for Harvard families with children under the age of six, conducted a survey of its members to find out what makes being new to school so frightening. The survey polled all 31 members of the HFA and 13 respondents answered both multiple choice and open-ended questions. The results boiled down the fears to three main areas: The Basics (i.e., details about kindergartners’ schedules throughout the day); The Bus (do I or don’t I?); and The Brain (i.e., individual development and communication with educators). Below is some information intended to assuage the fears of parents entering this new phase of child rearing.
The Basics
A curriculum night will be scheduled for early September. Parents of kindergartners will be treated to a very detailed explanation of their child’s day at school. Since most are eager for that information now, here is an overview:
- School begins at 8:50 a.m. and ends at 3:08 p.m. Half-day kindergartners are dismissed at 11:30 a.m. or arrive at 12:30 p.m.
- Morning curriculum consists of short work blocks focusing on reading, writing, and math. Each work block is followed by a gross motor activity to get the children moving. In the beginning of the year, the work blocks are about 10 minutes long, working up to 30-minute blocks by the end of the school year. Every morning also incorporates a 10- to 15-minute music and movement activity.
- All-day kindergartners eat lunch together from 11:40 to 12:05 and head outside for recess from 12:05 to 12:30. An additional outdoor recess is built into the day in the beginning of the year. After recess, children will return to their classrooms for a 25-minute rest period in which they will look at books, listen to books on tape, or simply relax.
- The afternoon curriculum follows the same pattern as the morning but focuses on science and social studies.
- Specials close out the day from 2:20 to 3 p.m. Specials that the child will have every week include music, art, and physical education. Additionally, kindergartners will have alternating weeks of library time and technology lab. During library time, kids will listen to stories and check out books. Technology lab focuses on computer skills. The other alternating specials are health, which is new for the 2014-2015 school year, and Spanish.
Next week, each kindergartner has a classroom orientation during the first day of school (August 27). While the children take a ride on the school bus with the guidance counselor, parents will get more information about each kindergarten class from their child’s teacher.
The Bus
Many parents struggle with the decision to bus or not to bus. The most common fear in our survey was the lack of supervision on the bus and the length of time it adds to the child’s school day. According to Sandra Martin, co-owner of Dee Bus Service, which provides busing for Harvard, the longest a child will be on a bus is about 40 minutes. Children are seated according to age. Kindergartners sit at the very front of the bus, first-graders next, and so on, with fifth-graders in the rear of the bus. While the ride for some could be long, it provides downtime and an opportunity to interact with peers. Some parents worry that adding the bus to a kindergartner’s transition would only increase the child’s anxiety and fear. But all of the educators and service providers interviewed believe the anxiety is higher for parents than for kids. In the end, all agreed that the decision is family-based, but the system in place at HES—in conjunction with Dee Bus Service—is designed to make sure every child is accounted for and reaches his or her final destination safely.
The Brain
It comes as no surprise that the biggest concern parents voiced is with regard to their child’s individual development and communication with school faculty. As kids progress through school, they become more communicative so parents are able to get a better sense of a day in the life of their child. However, for kindergarten parents, the first day feels a lot like taking a shot in the dark: Send them in and hope for the best. Here are the top five concerns HFA survey participants expressed addressed by faculty at Hildreth Elementary.
- How will my child’s individual learning needs be met in a classroom of 17 or more students? HES Principal Sue Frederick said that teachers have many opportunities throughout the day to tune in to each child’s individual needs. While there is a state-mandated core curriculum to follow, the teachers decide how lessons are delivered based on the receptiveness in the classroom. Each class has an aide, allowing kindergarten teachers time throughout the day to evaluate each child’s growth and development. According to kindergarten teacher Melissa Niland, rest time is often used for the teachers to meet with small groups for extra assistance in a subject matter or additional study to challenge the kids who excel in a particular subject. In addition, the school has math and reading tutors on staff to provide extra support.
- How will my child’s progress be communicated to me and how often? Each kindergarten class has a teacher-specific website. This site will contain newsletters along with details regarding what the kids are working on throughout the year. Parents will be able to log on and see what themes the teacher is presenting, and specifically the reading, writing, phonics, math, science, and social studies the children are learning. There will also be pictures of classroom activities.
- With regard to student interaction, what is the discipline policy, i.e., role playing and decision-making exercises vs. shame and punishment? How is bullying addressed? For detailed information regarding HES discipline policies and procedures, parents can consult the 2014-2015 handbook, which is available on the HES website. In general, though, Ms. Frederick stated that there are rules in place that all children are expected to follow to ensure the safety and well-being of all students, and when those are broken, teachable moments are made. Emphasis is placed on positive reinforcement. There are a number of programs in place to help children make good decisions and learn empathy, such as Habits of Mind and Bucket Fillers. Second Step is the social curriculum used to teach core social-emotional skills such as empathy, emotion management, problem solving, self-regulation, and executive functioning skills. More information regarding these philosophies will be explored at curriculum nights. Finally, HES has a full-time licensed school guidance counselor on staff to help children and parents deal with any student interactions requiring intervention.
- How can a parent get involved? Are there opportunities for parents to volunteer in the classroom? The Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is always looking for new members. Kindergarten teachers create many opportunities for parents to interact in the classroom, from theme-related events such as making cranberry sauce and building gingerbread houses, to the person of the week. Each kindergartner will become “the person of the week,” and during that week the child can share objects from home and invite special people from their lives to visit the classroom. Parents are welcome to approach teachers about volunteer opportunities in the classroom, as well.
- How do parents communicate with teachers? Drop-off and pick-up times are not when parents should be engaging teachers. All the teachers support and encourage open lines of communication with parents and are available via email or for in-person meetings either before school begins or after the close of the day.
“We understand that leaving your child with us for the first time is both exciting and scary, and we take that responsibility seriously,” said Ms. Frederick. While being new to school is a huge transition, Frederick emphasized that this new phase is a partnership between home and school. Communication with teachers and faculty will ease the burden of the unknown and, in turn, lessen the anxiety associated with this momentous occasion.
Julie Gowel is a member of the board of the Harvard Family Association.
