1. HUNTSVILLE CITY SCHOOLS SCHOOL READINESS 2014 – 2015 “follow the yellow brick road to school readiness”

2. WHAT IS SCHOOL READINESS? The concept of school readiness typically refers to the child’s attainment of a certain set of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive skills needed to learn, work, and function successfully in school. (Rafoth, Buchenauer, Crissman, & Halko, 2014)

3. School Readiness Characteristics Ability to follow structured daily routines. Ability to dress independently. Ability to work independently with supervision. Ability to listen and pay attention to what someone else is saying. Ability to get along with and cooperate with other children. Ability to play with other children. Ability to follow simple rules. (Rafoth, Buchenauer, Crissman, & Halko, 2014)

4. School Readiness Characteristics cont’d Ability to work with puzzles, scissors, coloring, paints, etc. Ability to write their own name or to acquire the skill with instruction. Ability to count or acquire the skill with instruction. Ability to recite the alphabet (or quickly learn with instruction). Ability to identify both shapes and colors. Ability to identify sound units in words and to recognize rhyme. (Rafoth, Buchenauer, Crissman, & Halko, 2014)

5. Parent/Family Involvement There are several factors that influence school readiness Low family economic risk: poor school readiness often revolves around poverty Stable Family Structure: Often, children from homes with two parents have stronger readiness skills than those from single parent homes Enriched home environment: Children from more structured homes, such as where parents converse with them, discipline them appropriately and often, read to them, and teach them self-discipline usually have stronger readiness skills. (Rafoth, Buchenauer, Crissman, & Halko, 2014)

6. How can Parents help? Read books to and with children Spend time with children Create routines Encourage and answer questions from children Engage informal reading and counting activities Familiarize children with the world around them Promote play that helps to develop skills Engage children in playgroups Encourage responsibility (Rafoth, Buchenauer, Crissman, & Halko, 2014)

7. Parents facilitating Phonological Awareness Parents can assist with phonological awareness by: Reading nursery rhymes, singing songs, and clapping Play games with rhyming words Demonstrate blending sounds Play initial sound games (first letters of words) Clap out word sounds (Ex. C-A-T) (Rafoth, Buchenauer, Crissman, & Halko, 2014)

8. Parents facilitating Comprehension Parents can assist in building comprehension by: Reading short, high interest stories over and over Predicting stories from the titles Asking simple questions while reading Allowing children to retell stories Allow children to tell their own stories (Rafoth, Buchenauer, Crissman, & Halko, 2014)

9. Parents facilitating Print Awareness Parents can assist with print awareness by: Teach difference in pictures and print Help children recognize environmental print (landmarks: stop signs; Walmart; McDonald’s Teach students to understand words are read left to right Teach students to understand text is read from top to bottom Teach about white space between words Teach students the difference between letters and words (Rafoth, Buchenauer, Crissman, & Halko, 2014)

10. References Rafoth, M.A., Buchenauer, E.L., Crissman, K.K. & Halko, J.K. (2014).School readiness-preparing children for kindergarten and beyond: information for parents. National Association of School Psychologists. Retrieved from: http://www.nasponline.org/resources/handouts/.