Hello FasTracKids Students and Parents,

This is Franco – director of the New York City FasTracKids region. I just found this article about a research study that has explored whether or not kindergarten is the new first grade.

Some interesting takes from the article is that yes, in fact, kindergarten is very much the new first grade!

This study also found that it is vitally important for children to have high quality early childhood education prior to kindergarten.

As you know, FasTracKids and Eye Level provide the highest quality research-based early childhood programs on Earth! Before, during, and after your child graduates kindergarten.

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Please see the most important parts of the article sited below:

That’s the big finding from researchers at the University of Virginia who compared kindergarten and first-grade classrooms between 1998 and 2010, and found that over the 12-year period, kindergarten classes have become startlingly like first grade.

What the study does emphasize, she says, is the need for high quality early childhood education prior to kindergarten.

“This really makes the case for how kids cannot be expected to be ready for kindergarten and first grade without an early education experience, especially low-income and minority students,” says Perry. “They need to be more prepared.”

Data from the study also revealed that the findings were more pronounced at schools that serve predominantly low-income and minority students, particularly with respect to teacher expectations and didactic instruction.

“The achievement gap and opportunity gap has been a common theme for many, many years now,” Perry says. “And kids who have quality early learning do better than those who don’t, especially as kindergarten is getting more competitive.”

To read the full article, click here.

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