Kindergarten Registration at Fayette County Schools in Lexington, Kentucky

By Anna Seacat

Getting Ready for Kindergarten in the Bluegrass

Spring time is right around the corner in Fayette County in Lexington, KY, which means Kindergarten registration is upon us.  So, if you have a little one in your home, you will most likely spend the next couple of weeks sifting through your files to find your child’s birth certificate and running around Lexington to acquire proof of her getting preventative health, eye, and dental exams.  Oh yeah, and don’t forget about calling the Pediatrician’s office for that immunization certificate.  After jumping through all these hoops, there might be a few lingering questions in your head.

Does my child know everything he needs to know to start school? What skills should preschoolers in Lexington, KY know before starting school in August?  How can I prepare my child for the first day of Kindergarten?

Officially starting school is an exciting time for both child and parent in the Bluegrass.  Even if your little one has been acclimated to peer socialization during play dates and attended a preschool, Kindergarten is your child’s official step towards being “school-aged.”  Is she or he ready?

Kindergarten preparatory academies and academic programs for toddlers and preschoolers is becoming a must in cities larger than Lexington, where Kindergarten entrance exams are a standard.  In fact, I often hear that my friends, who live elsewhere, are enrolling their children in “cram schools,” where preschoolers are taught how to Ace entrance exams.  Other parents spend thousands of dollars to hire private coaches, tutors, or enroll their children in Kindergarten preparatory academies.  Fortunately, here in the Bluegrass, there is less cause for Pre-K anxiety.  But, we should do everything we can to ensure that our child won’t enter that first day of school and be…the dreaded, “behind.”

KUMON's early learners achieve academic excellence.

So, what does a child need to know before entering a Kindergarten classroom in Fayette County?  Is rattling off the alphabet enough?  What about counting to 100?  Maybe writing her name (legibly) is required?  Aren't skills learned in preschool sufficient?

The answer to these questions is meaningless, because it is not the required skills or achieved milestones that parents should be focusing on when preparing a child for school, rather experts tell us it should be maximizing a child’s individual potential.  For instance, some children learn to read at age three, while others learn it in a classroom setting during the first grade.  Again, it’s not the age, the grade, or the skill that matters.  Instead, parents should simply make sure that their child is learning and achieving as much as she or he is capable of. 

Sudha Chopra, an educator at the KUMON in Lexington, KY sees Pre-K and Kindergartners in KUMON’s early learners program achieving academic greatness.  But, that greatness is defined by the child’s individual potential, not their grade level or age.  In fact, as shown in the video below, Chopra explained that second graders, who have been in the KUMON program since Pre-K are mastering Algebra.  Furthermore, most KUMON students are working well above their grade level.  But, she insisted that instead of focusing on the grade level, KUMON works to maximize the potential in each child on a schedule that feels “just right” to the student.  

Therefore, if you are the type of parent who worries about whether or not your child is prepared for Kindergarten in Fayette County, you can relax in knowing that it’s not the grade level preparedness that will ensure academic success.  However, you may want to consider having your child’s individual ability assessed and grown through a program like KUMON.  By doing so, you will make certain that their potential to excel academically is being met.