Letter: Reading & Writing Before Kindergarten?

Many pre-kindergarten facilities are challenged with daily educational expectations from families and public schools around the community.

As childcare professionals, we want to make sure that we are providing the best quality service and education to all of our students six weeks to 12 years. Early learning education is very important and imperative to making an easy public/private K-12 school experience for children. Birth through five years is a very critical educational time in a child’s life.

Some concerns with VPK readiness and requirements for entering kindergarten need to be addressed.

Parents are being informed that their children must be able to read and write by the time they are entering kindergarten. Is this correct? Are the parents saying this because they want their child to be ahead, or are Palm Beach County teachers informing them of this?

As VPK providers, our VPK quarterly assessments do not even have sections on reading or writing.

As childcare professionals, we understand that comprehension and print knowledge are one of the most important areas to be known. Is the Palm Beach County School Board putting more pressure on early learning childcare professionals when not needed?

Johanna Moyett, Director, Acreage Montessori