Kindergarten Readiness: Teacher and Parent Expectations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the expectations of kindergarten teachers and parents of pre-school-aged children on school readiness. Clarifying expectations can provide guidance and direction for parents in order to prepare their children in ways that meet teachers expectations. The subjects of this study were parents of pre-school-aged children and kindergarten teachers from the Rochester area. A survey was distributed to determine which readiness skills both parents and teachers found as critical for entrance into kindergarten. The data from the survey reveal that teachers and parents in the Rochester area have similar expectations when it comes to what readiness skills are critical for kindergarten. Teachers and parents ranked the readiness skills with a score of one being not important and a score of five being very important. The highest ranked skill by teachers and parents was that children be healthy, rested and well nourished. The least ranked skill by teachers was concept of time, while parents felt that general knowledge about the world was the least critical skill on the survey. The readiness skill with the greatest discrepancy was knowing the alphabet, numbers, colors, and shapes. Parents felt more strongly about the importance of the skill upon entering kindergarten than teachers.