What American schools require from preschoolers and their parents at the beginning of the school year - ForumDaily
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What American schools require from preschoolers and their parents at the beginning of the school year

Being able to write your first and last name, know the names of the months and seasons, and fasten your own buttons - these and a number of other skills should be mastered by 5-year-old children in the United States before going to school. From the age of five - from preschool age (kindergarten) - school begins in the States.

Фото: Depositphotos

Journalist Yaryna Matviychuk told about her own experience of preparing a child for the first day in an American school.

Back in June, we received a folder of papers with school recommendations and materials for working with a child at home. All summer, my husband and I have been preparing our five-year plan for school. Button fastening was the most difficult for us; it took us several weeks of hard work to master this skill. But everything begins, of course, not with buttons, but with the choice of school.

School selection

School education in the United States is compulsory and free. If parents do not like/do not like public school, they can choose a private educational institution. Tuition in this, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, will cost an average of $8 - $13 per year.

As a rule, families with children of school or pre-school age, and even young spouses, when buying housing, pay attention to the school to which their potential new home or apartment is attributed. A child can go to public school only at the place of residence. And, choosing new housing or making a choice between public and private schools, families are guided by school ratings. They are made up of both states and specialized public organizations, taking into account the following criteria:

  • Academic knowledge of school students (reading speed, knowledge of mathematics, worldview)
  • school security (how well it is equipped, how much and in what condition gyms, rooms for lunch, toilets, which clubs and sections are offered to children)
  • awards (recognition of schools or teachers at state, country level).

The descriptions of the ratings indicate the percentage of race, as well as, as a rule, a geographical map of the area where the children who attend this school live is added.

If the rating is not enough for the final decision, you can always book a trip to the school.

During such a tour, parents communicate with teachers, with the principal, they can attend the lesson and see the school from the inside. Without an appointment you cannot come and independently consider the school. The tour can be ordered at any time by phone, even six months before the start of your child’s education.

No less important criteria when choosing a school are the reviews and experiences of parents whose children have already studied at this school. Here come the Internet, conversations with neighbors, friends.

Фото: Depositphotos

Acquaintance with the school

If you have decided where your child will study, the first acquaintance with the school will be a tour that you ordered or are still going to order. This is not necessary, but very useful for parents.

In general, the administration of each school offers its own program of acquaintance with new students and their families. In our case, the school principal periodically sends e-mails with school news to parents. Although my child is just preparing for a zero class, for the first time we received an email from the director in May with a proposal to meet and meet.

During the summer, the school made four appointments for us. Not all families respond to these invitations, but such meetings are quite informative.

First meeting - June

Meeting on the site only parents with children of 5 age, so that future students and their parents meet and find contact. In classes, mainly 25-30 students.

Second meeting - July

The principal and teachers invited parents of all primary school classes (from 1 to 5 class). The event is held on the street. Children play at the playground, some of them my child already knows after the first acquaintance.

Near the playground there is a refrigerator trailer with ice cream, and it has popcorn roasting. These goodies - for children and adults - are financed from the budget of the parent committee.

The principal and teachers in an informal setting individually talk with parents and with children. At the same meeting, the parent committee of the school can tell about their work / plan, and also add new parents to their members at will.

Third meeting - August

This is a kind of school instruction for parents only (no children) in the evening. At this meeting, parents get acquainted with the school curriculum. Here they learn that in just two weeks their child must present his own “research” in class, that over the next year the child will begin to read, write a little, measure, and use a computer.

Teachers tell parents what a school day, lunch break, excursions, assessment of students’ knowledge and skills throughout the year, and communication with the teacher look like. And also - that a child cannot miss school for more than 14 days a year without an important reason.

Here, parents are also offered to volunteer at school. For example, to help school staff during lunch, a half-hour break or after school, work in a library.

Those who agreed to become a volunteer must undergo mandatory training on the theme “Recognizing signs of oversight or violence among children”.

Fourth and final meeting

30 on August, our school organizes "Open Doors" for parents, relatives, students, teachers. With ice cream and a guided tour.

At this meeting, the children will be shown their classes, the gym, the dining room, they will get acquainted with their teacher and classmates. This reminded me a bit of the “First Bell” in Ukraine, but without building in the schoolyard and official speeches.

Фото: Depositphotos

The first call

In the USA there are no ceremonial lines on the first day of school. And the first day of the school year is not necessarily the first of September.

As a rule, each school district in the state decides when the school year begins. Quite a few American schools began their studies in August or even at the end of July. Traditionally, most schools started the school year on the second day after Labor Day (Labor Day), which is celebrated on the first Monday of September. For example, we go to school 4 September (Tuesday).

Schoolchildren do not carry flowers to teachers, do not dress festively. The first day of school is a regular school day.

School shopping

According to the company Deloitte Services, school expenses for parents per child in the United States average 510 dollars. These are funds for clothes, shoes, stationery, equipment. Each school usually offers a list of recommended items for students.

My friend from New York Svetlana Sischuk, the mother of an 5-year-old boy, calculated that their school expenses coincide with the statistics.

In our case, the school on the site published the recommended list of supplies for students of different classes. For 5-taps need a bit: a backpack, glue, markers, markers, pencils and colored pencils and headphones.

We are not talking about corruption, because the parents themselves buy things from any store or online.

Each school independently determines the needs of its students. Some parents get a very detailed list of stationery with brand names.

This is usually done to ensure that all children in the class have the same pencils and notebooks, so that no one is considered “better or worse.” In addition, teachers usually know well which brand of scissors cuts well and is safe for the child. For example, headphones in our school should cost no more than $20, as the school recommends.

Stationery for the whole year ahead parents bring on the first day of school (or earlier). In our case, each student in the class has a signed box where his / her belongings are stored.

Most office supplies are not required, but recommended to be brought. The school does not publicly announce who brought it and who didn’t.

The time for drafting school bags with all the school supplies is taken over by the parent committee, which thus saves other parents time and earns various school activities.

My colleague Tatyana Vorozhko (mother of fourth-grader) says that in the summer they only buy a new backpack and shoes for their son. The rest are ordered on the school website. It takes just a few seconds, and all the necessary markers, drawing albums and the rest are on the student’s desk on the first day of the school year.

American students who begin in most public schools do not wear school uniforms. The main rule is to keep clothes and shoes comfortable. In our case, the teachers had one request: that the children did not put on the Vietnamese in school, because it is inconvenient to run in them.

Lunch every student either brings from home or buys in the cafeteria. On average, the price of lunch is $ 2.55.

In general, if we compare preparation for school in Ukraine and the United States, American teachers (at least in elementary school) have much more intensive contact with parents - through meetings, emails, excursions, volunteering, parent council. This way parents feel more part of the learning process. Participation in this is not mandatory for them, but it is very useful. Additionally, frequent meetings before the school year provide a less stressful start to school for both children and their parents.

The original column is published on the website. Ukrainian service "Voices of America".

ForumDaily is not responsible for the content of blogs and may not share the views of the author. If you want to become the author of the column, send your materials to [email protected].

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