Vancouver kindergartners get jump start on learning
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VANCOUVER, Wash. – Kate Quayle says her family needs an early start to the back-to-school routine. She has four children who are under the age of five.
“My girls like to stay up late, even if they’re not supposed to, and sleep in and I feel like getting them into the habit of waking up and getting ready in the morning and just socially being around the other kids,” said Quayle.
“Just gets them into that routine of what to expect for kindergarten.”
Some kindergartners in Vancouver are getting a jump start on learning a month early. Several schools in the Vancouver Public school district opened at the beginning of August as part of the district’s Jump Start program.
“Teachers can work with the kids, work with the families and the kids can see what school is like without anyone else around,” said Jump Start teacher Kendra Yamamoto.
Yamamoto says the expectations in kindergarten are higher than most parents realize.
“Nap time and finger painting are great, but here in kindergarten we’re doing more academic things,” she said.
Nearly 50 percent of Vancouver kindergartners are taking part in the Jump Start program.
“I think as a whole everyone is working together,” Yamamoto said. “As long as we know what our focus is, we can get there.”
MRS YAMAMOTO WAS MY KINDERGARTEN TEACHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can understand a day or two, or maybe even a week, but a MONTH?! Really? I wish they had something like this when I started high school.  Kenny-garden is easy. Starting high school was scary. You're riding your bike while other kids are driving cars, and some are old enough to buy smokes.Â
Where is the parents' responsibility to teach them to sit still and behave? Why do tax dollars have to be used to take the place of parents?
 @Oh My I'm with you 100% on using tax dollars effectively, but when do you propose we start educating kids in public schools? I think our kindergarten program does a great service to our community and it isn't intended to replace parents. They are learning to read and write at a younger age, and that is a good thing.
 @Oh My My girl participates in this program and she is a super polite little girl that already has been taught how to sit still and behave, so thinking all the kids in jumpstart are misbehaved is silly. Why this is good is because alot of kids have never been in preschool or daycare, such as my girl (so when it comes to responsibility, I give 100%). Our kindergarteners are going full days, 5 days a week. For a 5 year old that's major. Being able to get used to school without the older kids there it is a huge benefit to the kids This is a good example of tax dollars use, frankly I'd pay more in tax if it went to all kids being able to do this.
âNap time and finger painting are great, but here in kindergarten weâre doing more academic things,â she said.
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My child's daycare teaches reading and writing. Most children can read on their own there are under age 4.
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Now if we only had that same determination to educate our children when they turn 11+, then we might not be playing second fiddle to developing countries like China and India.
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 @Repoman I think we have the "determination" to educate our children. Unfortunately, many of today's kids arrive at school with problems which make learning more of a challenge than it used to be. I'm talking about attitude problems, as well as other results of poor parenting. I'm not blaming the parents alone for these attitudes, for they seem to pervade society.
 @felines99  @Repoman All that much more reason this is a good program, it lets the teachers work with the problem ones with limited students on hand. In the long run hopefully it helps limit those kids for distracting the rest if the kids. Also, when school starts they can seperate problem kids to different classes.
Academics are great but kindergarten needs to back to teaching kids how to be respectful, how to manage their time, how to interact with other properly and how to follow directions. Use academics to teach it, but focus on the basic skills first that will serve them well the rest of their school years.
@Owt_Raged ... The PARENTS need to have been teaching these life skills.
@Owt_Raged Their parents can't be respectful, or manage their time, it's no wonder that the kids follow suit.
 @JTesla perhaps they weren't taught that in school either...
 @Owt_Raged Most opponents of education funding are quick to put that responsibility on the parents.
 @GetOverYourself in the past, parents taught a lot of stuff, however working in groups, meeting deadlines, interacting with large groups of peers, following directions (for projects), those types of things should be part of schooling. Most of the time, unless you are letting daycare raise your children, you don't get the opportunity to teach your child in large groups.
They have more than enough time to teach your child that they aren't any better than the least of the students, they have no problem holding the bright kids back to teach to the slowest, they have no problem starting kindergarten telling your child that every item their parent bought with their money, does not belong to them, it belongs to the community. Less of that, more of the skills needed to succeed in school.