Friedrich Froebel

High nursery: Children from 1 to 2 years old. Low Middle Level: Children from 2 to 3 years old. High Middle Level: Children from 3 to 4 years old. First level of transition: Often called pre-kinder, for children from 4 to 5 years old.

Friedrich Froebel, a German educator, established a school in Blankenburg, Germany in 1837. Froebel characterized the children in his school as plants, and the teachers as the gardeners. Kinder in German means “children” and garten means “garden”, thus kindergarten.

Froebel

Because these children were so young, he thought that women should be the ones to teach them, arguing that early education was an extension of mothering. Some of Froebel’s followers opened the first kindergartens in America, which were German-language schools.

Margarethe Schurz

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia require that children attend kindergarten. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia require full-day kindergarten, and 39 states plus the District of Columbia require districts to offer kindergarten either full or half day.

Districts must admit children at the beginning of the school year (or whenever they move into a district) if they will be five years of age on or before September 1 (EC Section 48000[a]). Children who are age-eligible for kindergarten may attend any pre-kindergarten summer program maintained by the school district.

A new study finds strong evidence that delaying kindergarten by a year provides mental health benefits to children, allowing them to better self-regulate their attention and hyperactivity levels when they do start school.

Many children have the social, physical, and rudimentary academic skills necessary to start kindergarten by 5 or 6, but for kids who are born just before the cut-off date or who are experiencing a slight delay, it may be better to wait a year.

Both studies find that the benefit of being older at the start of kindergarten declines sharply as children move through the school grades. In the early grades, an older child will tend to perform better on standardized tests than his younger peers simply by virtue of being older.

Now, new research finds they should probably start their entire school careers later, too. A study out of Stanford University has found kids whose parents waited to enroll them in kindergarten by age 6 (instead of 5) had measurably better scores on tests of self-control by the time they were 7 and 11.

Social and Emotional Maturity One of the most common arguments against early entry into kindergarten is that a four-year-old is not mature enough to start school. A kindergartner is expected to be able to pay attention to the teacher, follow directions, and obey rules, all of which require a degree of maturity.

Signs your child is ready for kindergarten

• Follows simple directions.
• Sits still.
• Uses the restroom.
• Recognizes some letters and numbers.
• Works on fine and gross motor skills.
• Gets along with peers.
• Handles emotions.
• Shows an interest in learning.

Children who start school at an older age do better than their younger classmates and have better odds of attending college and graduating from an elite institution. That’s according to a new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research.

3 day programs – This is generally the most “safe” option for kids if you’re not ready for a full time, 5 day per week program and most kids start out here.

Depending on state licensing regulations and enrollment needs, the preschool age range is typically from 2 ½ to 4 ½ years old; children in a pre-kindergarten class are generally 4 or 5 years old.

First grade (also called Grade One, called Year 2 in England or Primary 3 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school. It is the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade.