Published: November 16, 2006 11:41 pm         

Panel addresses kids’ readiness for kindergarten

TERRE HAUTE — Developing social skills and a routine and reading to children are the most important ways to prepare them for kindergarten, according to a panel put together by Project Best.

The panel addressed an audience of about 20 people Thursday night in the Landsbaum Center for Health Education as part of Project Best’s community forum, “All About Your Child: Helping Your Child be Ready for Kindergarten.”

“[Children] are never too young to sit and listen to stories or to page through books or to just begin a developing love and appreciation of books,” said panelist Melissa Hancewicz, a 15-year kindergarten teacher at Franklin Elementary.

One question posed to the panel was about helping “at-risk” children whose parents might not be comfortable with reading or who have jobs that won’t allow for a steady routine.

Kathryn Bauserman, co-director of Project Best and assistant professor in the Department of Elementary, Early and Special Education at Indiana State University, suggested using wordless picture books so that the parent and child can use their imaginations to tell the story.

Panelist Andrea Henderson, a preschool teacher in ISU’s Childhood Education Center, noted that the things a child does in preschool also should carry on at home,.

“Learning doesn’t have to be expensive,” she said. “You don’t have to have the Leap Pads and those sorts of things. Everything that’s done in preschool can be done in home.”

One audience member wanted to know what types of things children should know before going into kindergarten.

Hancewicz said while it’s a bonus for the teacher if a child knows how to count, or the alphabet, it’s really the teacher’s job to teach that.

“At the beginning of the school year [teachers] start out with that pretense, that the child is coming to us with no experience,” she said.

Other issues addressed by the panel included their views on all-day kindergarten and whether or not to wait until the child is age 6 before putting them in kindergarten.

The panelists agreed that all-day kindergarten benefits the child more than a half-day session because they have more time to learn and it’s easier to establish a routine.

The age at which a child starts kindergarten depends on the child and the family, according to the panel.

Henderson said sometimes the parents’ high expectations, such as wanting them to know the alphabet, tie their shoes or count very high, could hold the child back since it’s the kindergarten teacher’s job to help them learn these things.

“If your child is secure and you perceive a love of learning with your child and they’re eager for what’s coming, I think sending them to school is a fine idea,” Hancewicz said.

Other panel members included Sabrina Herzog, an ISU elementary education graduate and mother of four and Greg Barton, father of a 5-year-old in the Head Start program.

Project Best started in August. Best stands for Bridging for Effective School Transitions and is made up of a committee from ISU. It is funded with grant money from the Family and Social Services Administration.

A DVD is in the works by the group that will explain how to talk to a 5-year-old about school, what parents need to know and reading lessons and demonstrations for reading to a child.

An additional forum is planned for the spring.

For more information, call either of the directors, Karen Liu at (812) 237-2856, or Bauserman at (812) 237-2853.

Crystal Garcia can be reached at (812)231-4271 or crystal.garcia@tribstar.com.