The Los Angeles Times – Kurt Chirbas
“Some kids who skip kindergarten have to play catch-up when they enter first grade: to learn how to hold a pencil, count to 100 and begin tackling spelling. Educators and state lawmakers who want to close this achievement gap say it’s time to do away with optional kindergarten for California children. They are backing legislation to make it mandatory. “Kindergarten is what first grade used to be,” said Telma Bayona, administrator for child development and preschool at Compton Unified School District. Once intended as a soft entry into the school system, filled with finger painting and songs, kindergarten has become increasingly focused on academics, with more activity geared toward reading, writing and math concepts. Students without it can be lost once they reach the classroom, educators say. Sixteen other states and the District of Columbia require kindergarten, according to data from the Education Commission of the States, a research group that tracks education policy.”(more)