Is Kindergarten Ready for Your Child?

Besides considering your child's needs, abilities, and maturity, you also should take the time to evaluate the kindergarten program in your school district. Finding out about your local kindergarten will give you other factors that may help you determine when to enroll your child. Ask the school's principal about:

• Class size
• The number of teachers and staff per pupil
• The use of aides in the classroom
• Whether they operate on a half-day or full-day schedule
• How much contact your child is likely to have with older children—in the lunchroom, bathroom, playground, and so on
• The nature and objectives of the kindergarten's "academic" and social program

All of this information should help you reach the best decision for your own child.

Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Parenting a Preschooler and Toddler, Too © 1997 by Keith M. Boyd, M.D., and Kevin Osborn. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

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