Cheryl Caldwell, Executive Director of Early Childhood Education, issued a general response to many queries and e-mails she received about the proposed change in the eligibility date for kindergarten. Following is the text of her reply:

Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to write both for and against the proposed change in kindergarten entrance age. Obviously this is a topic that is of great interest and concern to you. While each email is different, there were several repeated concerns that I thought I could discuss in greater detail in an attachment.

First, there seems to be a perception that the decision to move the date was a budget decision. This is not how the discussion started. In fact, while the proposal would generate more revenue, it would also generate more expense. In many cases it might necessitate adding a teacher and lowering class size in some schools. I can’t stress too much that this is not a budget driven proposal.

The discussion started when Early Childhood Education (ECE) classes had to be reduced because of legislative cuts, and tuition-based ECE was introduced because of district budget reductions. The concept was that at least some children, those whose birthdays fell between September 16 and November 15, would not have to wait to begin school. They would have the opportunity to start at an earlier age to attain the language, motor and emotional skills they might lack, rather than having the gap in skills continue to grow. Brain research tells us that the earlier children get the stimulation that they need, the more likely that they will not have long-term deficits in their cognitive, language and social/emotional abilities. This proposal sought to have a group of children able to enter school earlier despite the drastic cuts that have been made to early childhood and full day kindergarten programs.

The other concern expressed most often was that children so young are not ready for kindergarten. There is no question that it is important that preschool and kindergarten children receive instruction that is appropriate for their developmental level. There is also no question that the pressure to reach academic literacy objectives with kindergarten students is increasing, not only in Denver but across the country. The challenge here is an instructional one. We must be sure that our preschool and kindergarten teachers are well grounded in appropriate developmental practices. We must also be sure that our expectations for these children are appropriate for their developmental levels. We must assure that teachers in early education have the background and skills to provide experiences for children that are appropriate and foster success. We need to be sure that teachers know that children will reach each developmental level at paces that vary widely from child to child. We must be sure that our expectations remain high for every child, while recognizing the broad range of developmental differences in preschool and kindergarten children. We are committed to assuring that all preschool and kindergarten teachers gain increasing knowledge in these important areas.

During this summer, the Early Education Department will be working with the Curriculum Department to develop models for appropriate classroom practices for children in preschool and kindergarten classes. We will focus our staff development efforts in 2003-2004 on assuring that preschool and kindergarten teachers understand the range of skills with which their students may come to school and developing the skills to individualize for the needs of each child. There are many outstanding preschool and kindergarten teachers in the district who already possess knowledge and skills to give every child success in these early school experiences. We will use their knowledge and experience to help all teachers gain these skills.

We understand that this is not an easy task. The curriculum and standards that the district currently has in place are particularly appropriate, however, for this task. The Speaking and Listening component of The New Standards, combined with the Principles of Learning, and Content-Focused Coaching elements are specifically focused on developing the cognitive, language and learning interaction experiences that are ideal in the development of a young child’s potential. If you would like more in-depth information about any of these components of our program, we would be happy to provide it. It is our task and commitment to assure that these are appropriately applied at the preschool and kindergarten levels.

The departments of Early Education and Curriculum and Instruction, along with the rest of the district staff, are committed to helping each child in DPS preschool and kindergarten programs have a successful early experience that leads to success in later school years. We welcome information that will help us reach that goal. Please feel free to make us aware of experiences that young children may have that do not match our goals. We welcome the opportunity to work with the community to assure that all children enter first grade ready for success in the rest of their school career.

Please continue this dialogue, if you wish, at cheryl_caldwell@dpsk12.org. Thanks again for your interest and concern in Denver Public Schools.