Getting ready for kindergarten

Fewer than half of incoming kindergarteners in the state are fully prepared for school, Todd Otis, president of Ready 4 K told the House Early Childhood Learning Finance Division March 6.

HF3290, sponsored by Rep. Sandra Peterson (DFL-New Hope) would establish grants for school districts to assess and close the achievement gap of children who are not ready for kindergarten. The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in the division’s omnibus bill.

Currently school districts screen incoming kindergarteners for health, academic and social skills. The grants would help school districts administer research-based assessments and coordinate with community and school-based early childhood programs. Participating school districts would be required to submit an annual report on the assessment process and results.

“These investments go a long way between providing a vital link between the early childhood and the K-12 years,” Peterson said. “When we know more about how our children are doing, we can do more to help our children do better.”

Karen Effrem, a board member for the group EdWatch, which opposes kindergarten screening, said the best way for children to close achievement gap is to grow up in an “intact family with religious affiliation.”

She said the percentage of children who are truly unprepared for kindergarten is much lower than the popular conception, and that the school-run assessments are subjective.

“It is very hard to accurately assess a child, especially a young child, because they do grow and change so rapidly,” she said.

Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley), said he and his wife met recently with their 4-year-old son’s preschool teacher, who gave them a page and a half of information based on observations of their son.

“It was a whole bunch of subjective things, but it was extremely valuable for us as parents just to see the difference between how he behaved and interacted at school, versus how he behaved and interacted with us at home,” he said.

Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka) sponsors the companion bill, SF3044, which awaits action by the Senate Education Committee.