• Familiarity with print and books: It's important for your child to know that people read words, not pictures, and that the words they see in print are related to the words they speak and hear.
  
  Reading milestones: 
• Recognizing print in everyday life, on cereal boxes, street signs, and more
• Holding a book, turning the pages, and pretending to read
• Asking questions and making comments that show they understand what you read to them
• Retells a simple story in sequence
• Identifies own first name in writing

• Letter recognition: The more letters your child is able to instantly recognize and name by the time they start kindergarten, the quicker they are able to focus attention on other tasks such as the sounds associated with each letter.
  
  Reading milestones: 
• Singing the ABC song
• Recognizing the shape of letters
• Starting to learn the sounds of letters: "B" makes the "buh" sound

• Sounds of speech: Technically called "phonological awareness," this is the ability to discern the sounds in words. Word play is key to phonological awareness because it entails listening to the way words sound and recognizing how they change.
  
  Reading milestones: 
• Identifying letters and realizing that they represent the segments of their own speech
• Understanding that "dog" does not rhyme with "cat"
• Clapping out syllables in familiar and unfamiliar words — cow/boy, ro/de/o

• Phonemic awareness: Before children learn to read print, they need to understand that words are made up of speech sounds, technically called phonemes. The 44 phonemes in the English language are the smallest parts of sound in a spoken word that make a difference in the word's meaning.
  
  Reading milestones: 
• Naming several words that begin with the same sound — bat, boy, and bell
• Replacing one sound with another — replace the first sound in pig with /d/ to make dig.

• Numbers:  Having children be able to count is a very important component of kindergarten readiness.  Being able to count from 1 to 10 and identify numbers 1 to 5 helps children immensely when starting school.  

• Colors and Shapes:  Each day JEC students will be given exposure to the primary colors, and basic shapes (triangles, circles, ovals, squares and rectangles) to give them a jump start in this part of the learning process.

• Writing & Fine Motor:  Children should be ready to write when entering Kindergarten as well.  We strive to ensure that kids are given many opportunities to use scissors, hold pencils correctly, work on art projects and complete simple puzzles to increase their fine motor abilities.  It is our hope that children leave the JEC knowing how to print their first (and possibly last) name and draw simple shapes.

• Gross Motor:  Kids need to move.   Daily gross motor movement helps kids have fun while learning to follow direction.   JEC children have plenty of free and directed Gross Motor time during which they are encouraged to jump, hop, march, balance, clap, walk backward, climb, skip, throw balls and, of course, run.  Learning gross motor skills helps children build confidence and awareness of their own personal space.

• Important Information For Kids To Know: Kids ages 3 and up will be given the opportunity to learn the following in their classrooms.  Not all kids will memorize each item on the list, but continued exposure to this information will make learning easier down the road.

• Body Parts
• Own First and Last Name
• Parents’ Names
• Phone Number
• Address
• Days of the week
• Months of the year
• Age/Birthdate
• Difference between:
• Day/Night
• Seasons
• Big/Little
• Long/Short
• Up/Down
• In/Out
• Front/Back
• Over/Under
• Hot/Cold
• Empty/Full
• More/Less
• Fast/Slow
• Top/Bottom
• Inside/Outside
• Happy/Sad

• Responsibility:  Children will understand the concept of responsibility.   JEC kids will take responsibility each day by keeping their cubbies neat, putting toys away, letting teachers know when they need to use the restroom and cleaning up after they eat and take naps.   They will also learn that they are responsible for treating others respectfully and according to the class rules.   Taking part in group activities and learning to compromise is also a sign of developing emotional competence.   Just as important is being able to take direction and work independently.  

With the understanding that children develop at a different pace,  each child will be given the encouragement and support needed to continually move forward.   No child will be forced to accomplish a task they are not able to achieve developmentally and no child will ever be held back from progressing.  It is important to note that during these formative years, the JEC believes that play is a child’s most important work!

(The above documented was adapted from materials published and distributed by the Anchorage School District, Scholastic Teacher’s Resources and various educational websites.)