When it comes to excellence, Kindergarten teachers’ believe it can be best defined in the results. True excellence will be seen in motivated, engaged children with empowering memories of learning to read and write and the stamina for independent acts of literacy. These are the children who meet high Common Core Standards in literacy and beyond.

Excellence in kindergarten literacy is the vital foundation for bridging the achievement gap and building schools of ambitious, self-regulated readers and writers.  Experiences in the educational arts engage children’s multiple ways of learning while promoting creative and higher-order thinking; they take advantage of how the young child’s brain learns best. Developing social-emotional intelligence supports children in being successful in school . . . and in life. Yes, we are preparing our children for the 21st century!!!

Writing is the key that unlocks the alphabetic code.  So, collaboratively the Kindergarten teachers’ definition of excellence includes cooperative learning, rich experiences in the arts, science exploration, respectful and supportive parent connections, a language-intensive “writing-to-read” environment, systematic phonemic awareness through songs, and an explicit multisensory ABC and phonics immersion program within a comprehensive literacy framework.  So please continue to work with your child on their new literacy work at home through reading their mini-books and reading to them each and every day!!!