Greetings from Ellen: July 9, 2021

Dear Families, 

Only four short weeks before we close out the year. All things considered, it has been a pretty amazing year. Children have thrived, despite all of the obstacles, and in the end, the children have blossomed and are ready for what lies ahead. For Sea Lions and Dolphins, it means becoming the “big kids” in the Eagles and Flying Squirrels. For the Eagles and Flying Squirrels, it means heading off on the grand adventure that is Kindergarten.

A prospective CEC parent recently asked me how we prepare children for Kindergarten, which is not an uncommon question. My response is always about how we do not prepare children for Kindergarten, but it is about how we want them to reach their potential, however far that takes them. We want them to know they are strong, capable, and competent. We want them to feel good about themselves and their capacity to interact with others, collaborating, negotiating, and cooperating. We want them to be fearless in their explorations, undaunted by setbacks, and driven to find out as much as they can about the world around them and themselves. We want them to be bold in their own education.

Of course, we want them to be successful as they move on to kindergarten. The research is pretty clear about the skills that are needed to be successful in school, and they do not include memorizing facts, or getting the right answer. Our job, truly, is to help the learn how to learn and to love doing it. We want them to have authentic experiences in their world, to have real problems to solve, and to do work that is meaningful to them. These are the experiences that set them up for success.

Every time I walk through the preschool yard, I see examples of children solving real problems and doing meaningful work together. Children might be puzzling out how to put ramps together to get the balls to go as far and as fast as they can. There is work being done at the water table, negotiating materials and splashing. There are children wondering about the silkworms as they watch them grow and change, learning big words like metamorphosis, and learning about the circle of life. There is grand romping, and running, and laughing, and building relationships everywhere I look.

These are the opportunities that grow confidence. These are the experiences that build competence. These are the ways children develop a strong sense of themselves. These are the building blocks of their future learning. This is what children need. This is how we ‘prepare’ children for kindergarten.

Be well,