Is Your

Childto Grow

?

R E A D Y

to Succeed?

to Learn?

Kentucky School Readiness

* These school readiness skills and behaviorsare not to be used to determine schooleligibility; all children who meet the legal agerequirement are entitled to public school.

**These school readiness skills and behaviorsare aligned to Kentucky Early ChildhoodStandards and are designed to be used withthe KIDS NOW Early Childhood Parent Guideand were adapted from the Final Report ofthe National Governors Association Task Forceon School Readiness, the Northern KentuckyCouncil of Partners in Education KindergartenReadiness pamphlet, the United StatesDepartment of Education School ReadinessChecklist, the Maryland Model of SchoolReadiness, and the School Readiness in NorthCarolina Report to the North Carolina StateBoard of Education.

Brochure content is from the Kentucky Governor's Task Force on

Early Childhood Development and Education.

This publication was developed as a courtesy of Children, Inc., www.childreninc.org.

All rights reserved.

The purpose of this definition is to giveparents, child care and preschool providers,and communities an overview of theexpectations of primary schools for incomingstudents and provide guidance to familiesand communities on how to prepare childrenfor school. In addition, a readiness profileprovides teachers, child care providers, andparents a tool to better inform them on thespecific strengths and needs of eachindividual child.

www.childreninc.org

The fivedevelopmental areas for schoolreadiness are: • Approaches to learning

• Health and physical wellbeing

• Language and communicationdevelopment

• Social and emotional development

• Cognitive and general knowledge

Health and Physical Well-BeingMy child:• Eats a balanced diet • Gets plenty of rest • Receives regular medical and dental care • Has had all necessary immunizations • Can run, jump, climb, and does otheractivities that help develop large musclesand provide exercise

• Uses pencils, crayons, scissors, and paintsand does other activities that help developsmall muscles

Emotional and Social PreparationMy child: • Follows simple rules and routines• Is able to express his or her own needs andwants

• Is curious and motivated to learn • Is learning to explore and try new things • Has many opportunities to be with otherchildren and is learning to play and sharewith others

• Is able to be away from parents/familywithout being upset

• Is able to work well alone • Has the ability to focus and listen

Language, Math and General KnowledgeMy child:• Uses 5-6 word sentences • Sings simple songs • Recognizes and says simple rhymes • Is learning to write her name and address • Is learning to count and plays counting games • Is learning to identify and name shapes and colors • Has opportunities to listen to and make music and to dance • Knows the difference between print and pictures• Listens to stories read to them • Has opportunities to notice similarities and differences • Is encouraged to ask questions • Has his television viewing monitored by an adult • Understands simple concepts of time (night and day, today, yesterday, tomorrow)

• Is learning to sort and classify objects

R E A D YThese indicators represent the hopes and aspirations for incomingstudents, not the expectations. Children develop at different rates,not every child will have mastered all of the skills and behaviorslisted below at the beginning of a primary program.

In Kentucky, school readinessmeans that each child entersschool ready to engage in andbenefit from early learningexperiences that best promotethe child’s success.

Families, early care and educationproviders, school staff, andcommunity partners must worktogether to provide environmentsand developmental experiencesthat promote growth and learningto ensure that all children inKentucky enter school eager andexcited to learn.

School Readiness