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This sounds pretty crazy. I know how "Kindergarten" is defined in the USA but still: academics for 5 yo? At that age my kid's teachers were trying to keep the

by gumby 3y ago

This sounds pretty crazy. I know how "Kindergarten" is defined in the USA but still: academics for 5 yo? At that age my kid's teachers were trying to keep them from taking their clothes off if they weren't playing in the mud, and teaching them to queue.

kalleboo 3y ago
I dunno about the US but here in Japan for pre-school there is "daycare" (保育園) and "kindergarten" (幼稚園), the former being just a place to put your kids when you're at work and they mostly play, and the latter focusing more on academics. But even my kids in "just" daycare do get the opportunity to learn to read and write (hiragana and ABCs) and basic maths (reading/writing numbers and adding up single-digits) to their level of interest
- seanmcdirmid 3y ago
  In much of Asia, kindergarten is pre-schooling, but in the USA it corresponds to grade zero which is when formal public education starts. You are actually free to skip this grade in most states (you can start your kid in first grade), but most don’t.
  - Izkata 3y ago
    In the US they're separate - kindergarten corresponds to grade zero, and preschool is a year before that. Preschool is the optional one, and kindergarten is required in the vast majority of states.
    - seanmcdirmid 3y ago
      https://www.edweek.org/education/state-policies-on-kindergarten-are-all-over-the-map/2002/01#:~:text=But%20even%20as%20talk%20of,survey%20conducted%20for%20Quality%20Counts https://www.edweek.org/education/state-policies-on-kindergar.... > Shortly after the turn of the 20th century, proponents of educating children at an early age began lobbying for more kindergarten classes. ''The movement was never to make kindergarten compulsory,” says Barbara Beatty, an associate professor of education at Wellesley College and the author of Preschool Education in America. “It was to mandate that districts offer kindergarten.” > Now, more than 100 years’ later, state policies still vary on how--and even if--districts must offer kindergarten. > But even as talk of the importance of high-quality preschool education reaches unprecedented levels, some states--Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania--do not require districts to establish kindergartens, according to an Education Week survey conducted for Quality Counts. (In these states districts don’t have to offer kindergarten) > Currently, 13 states--Arkansas, Delaware, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia--and the District of Columbia require children to attend kindergarten. In Rhode Island, Tennessee, and West Virginia, the law requires that youngsters attend kindergarten even though they do not have to start school until they are 6, the age at which children customarily enter 1st grade. (Only 13 states mandate that your kids have to attend kindergarten)
- gumby 3y ago
  This was German (where „Kindergarten“) comes from, though that word means ~1 or so to 5. Then pre school („Vorschule“) from 5-6 and then, if you pass the test („Schulreife Prüfung“ — “ripe for school exam”) the following year you start grade 1, which is when school actually begins. There are various neurological theories the teachers have told me why the brain isn’t ready for reading, maths, etc until you’re six and have passed the exam. Hence 5-6 is still playtime and naps with some training on how to behave.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

by gumby 3y ago

kalleboo 3y ago

I dunno about the US but here in Japan for pre-school there is "daycare" (保育園) and "kindergarten" (幼稚園), the former being just a place to put your kids when you're at work and they mostly play, and the latter focusing more on academics. But even my kids in "just" daycare do get the opportunity to learn to read and write (hiragana and ABCs) and basic maths (reading/writing numbers and adding up single-digits) to their level of interest

seanmcdirmid 3y ago
In much of Asia, kindergarten is pre-schooling, but in the USA it corresponds to grade zero which is when formal public education starts. You are actually free to skip this grade in most states (you can start your kid in first grade), but most don’t.
- Izkata 3y ago
  In the US they're separate - kindergarten corresponds to grade zero, and preschool is a year before that. Preschool is the optional one, and kindergarten is required in the vast majority of states.
  - seanmcdirmid 3y ago
    https://www.edweek.org/education/state-policies-on-kindergarten-are-all-over-the-map/2002/01#:~:text=But%20even%20as%20talk%20of,survey%20conducted%20for%20Quality%20Counts https://www.edweek.org/education/state-policies-on-kindergar.... > Shortly after the turn of the 20th century, proponents of educating children at an early age began lobbying for more kindergarten classes. ''The movement was never to make kindergarten compulsory,” says Barbara Beatty, an associate professor of education at Wellesley College and the author of Preschool Education in America. “It was to mandate that districts offer kindergarten.” > Now, more than 100 years’ later, state policies still vary on how--and even if--districts must offer kindergarten. > But even as talk of the importance of high-quality preschool education reaches unprecedented levels, some states--Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania--do not require districts to establish kindergartens, according to an Education Week survey conducted for Quality Counts. (In these states districts don’t have to offer kindergarten) > Currently, 13 states--Arkansas, Delaware, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia--and the District of Columbia require children to attend kindergarten. In Rhode Island, Tennessee, and West Virginia, the law requires that youngsters attend kindergarten even though they do not have to start school until they are 6, the age at which children customarily enter 1st grade. (Only 13 states mandate that your kids have to attend kindergarten)
gumby 3y ago
This was German (where „Kindergarten“) comes from, though that word means ~1 or so to 5. Then pre school („Vorschule“) from 5-6 and then, if you pass the test („Schulreife Prüfung“ — “ripe for school exam”) the following year you start grade 1, which is when school actually begins. There are various neurological theories the teachers have told me why the brain isn’t ready for reading, maths, etc until you’re six and have passed the exam. Hence 5-6 is still playtime and naps with some training on how to behave.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]