The topic that I have chosen is social emotional development. Many times a child is not ready to attend kindergarten because they are social emotionally not ready for the structure that kindergarten demands. As early childhood educators we must recognize the importance of preparing the children in our care for kindergarten. Many directors and teachers do not recognize the importance of the social emotional development of a child. As a director as well as a teacher, when I am confronted with a behavior problem I first look at the child's social emotional age instead of their age. Parents, teachers, and directors need to be educated to look at the social emotional age of the child.
Hello Kathy,
ReplyDeleteYes being socially/emotionally ready for kindergarten is a must and should be taken into account when our students leave our centers. However, because of our funders, we cannot keep a child in our program that has aged out. Meaning, that once a child has reached 5 years old by September 1st or 2nd he/she are no longer eligible for our programs, regardless to if they are socially/emotionally ready. There were a few students in my classroom that would have benefited from another year in preschool.