What is Developmental Readiness?
Alma Heights Christian Academy uses a developmental approach to determine Kindergarten readiness. This developmental assessment is carried out in a one-to-one setting consisting of such tasks as building with blocks, copying and drawing, and verbal and motor ability evaluations. Most children find the 20-minute assessment a pleasant experience. This assessment determines readiness by measuring cognitive and social maturity. It is not an intelligence or academic achievement test.
Research has shown that every child passes through a predictable cycle of developmental stages. Each child develops at a rate and pattern of growth unique from every other child. Children are not all ready for the same thing at the same time. We cannot produce or speed up readiness.
When our children are infants, we respect behavioral age. The “average” baby crawls at 9 months of age. If a 9 month old does not crawl, we do not require him to do so or penalize him for not being ready to crawl. We need to use the same wisdom and patience for our older children.
Understanding that developmental age may not be consistent with chronological age and knowing that parents truly want what is best for their child, any one of the following school placement recommendations may be made for a potential kindergarten beginner:
- That the child is ready for enrollment in kindergarten.
- Staying home a year and coming to kindergarten the next year.
This decision has far reaching implications and may set the stage for a positive academic experience for the properly placed student. We want your kindergarten student to benefit fully from each and every activity within our kindergarten program. This developmental assessment will help us understand your child better and will enable us to make an informed decision. If your student is not fully ready, we encourage you to give them the gift of time by allowing their development process to align with academic expectations.