Kindergarten in Collier County has seen a significant transformation over the years. What was once a half-day focused on social skills, play, and creativity has evolved into a full-day program centered around academic achievement. This shift reflects broader trends in early education across Florida, sparking conversations among local educators, parents, and child development experts.
Decades ago kindergarten was half a day. The focus was almost entirely on play, learning to take turns, and getting along with others. The children sang the ABC song and learned some numbers, but most of the day was filled with music, art projects, and playing.
By the early 2000s most kindergartens were full day. Children had some reading, writing, and math lessons, but there was still a lot of playground time. There was a toy kitchen, dress-up box, trucks and trains, arts and crafts, and time for singing and dancing. There were even some class pets.
Today’s kindergarten looks more like a first or second grade classroom. It is almost entirely academic. The toys and play kitchen are gone. Kindergarten students are expected to learn to read, write, and do math. They move from one academic activity to the next.
A shifting focus
Kindergarten has evolved significantly, shifting from a focus on play and social-emotional development to a more academically demanding environment. National studies show that this shift is driven by increased expectations for early literacy, a greater emphasis on standards-based education, and a push for more standardized testing. But local experts say there is another reason.
“Part of it is society; with the rise of working parents, kids are in pre-k earlier in life,” said Jennifer Kincaid, executive director of elementary programs for Collier County Public Schools. “It makes sense that there is a progression. The move from play-based to academic has been a natural evolution as more kids have shifted to a school environment earlier in life.”
Kincaid said this ensures children are ready for the rigors of upper elementary school. “Early learning is critical to school success.”
Too early?
Opponents say 5-year-olds just aren’t ready for the rigorous academic curriculum.
“Play is the work of a child. It is their language, how they communicate with others, and how they navigate the environment,” said Patty DeVost, a licensed clinical social worker with Patty’s Place Concierge youth mental health care, based in Cape Coral.
DeVost said children that age are not ready to sit in a seat that long.
“They need to learn how to listen to a story, play with clay, and have movement, dance, and sensory activities – touch, feel, smell, and getting outside and playing,” she said.
Kindergarten academics have led to more stress and more discipline problems, DeVost explained. “Those kids who are jiggly, who need to move, are often mislabeled as ADHD at very young ages.”
Teachers also are concerned about the changes. Retired teacher Faith Siwiec started teaching kindergarten in Collier County 25 years ago.
“It was more of a play-based day,” she said. “We did centers, we did shared reading. Yes, we taught them how to write their name, and they did have to know 20 sight words, but it was more teaching them social skills.”
Over the years she watched things change.
“About 10 years ago they … made more academic,” Siwiec said. “We did some testing back then, but there was no standardized testing in kindergarten and no testing on laptops. There is so much pressure now. Kindergarten is more like first or second grade right now.”
Cassy Eaton taught kindergarten in Collier County for many years starting in 2006 before moving up to first and then second grade.
“There was a lot more time for play,” she recalled. “Now there is zero wiggle room. You don’t have time to relax and lay down with a book. We had a lot more time for kids to be kids. And now it is rigorous.”
Mixed emotions
Parents have mixed feelings about kindergarten curriculum.
Julia Camacho’s daughter just finished kindergarten at Bonita Springs Elementary School. She is the youngest of Camacho’s seven children, so the mother has seen the changes since her oldest, who is now 19, first went to school.
“I feel like pre-k is like kindergarten and kindergarten is like first grade now,” Camacho said. “They have all this homework now. It’s not a bad thing, but I don’t think they need to put that pressure on them that young.”
Camacho’s daughter was frustrated with the 20 minutes of homework each night.
“She would get upset and say, ‘I already did this at school.’,” Camacho explained. “Repetition is great, but at least for kindergarten, they shouldn’t give them homework.”
She said her daughter did love kindergarten, but she believes the 20 minutes of recess each day and the PE that they have twice a week is not enough.
Natasha Hipwell’s daughter is starting kindergarten this month at Corkscrew Elementary School, and she is a bit worried about the schedule.
“I know a lot of families are going into homeschooling because it is hard,” Hipwell said. “Five-year-olds … don’t want to sit down. And they don’t want to focus on something for more than 20 minutes at a time.”
Hipwell’s daughter did attend pre-k and loved the play-based atmosphere. She believes young children need more of that in kindergarten.
“I would love [a] more play-based and hands-on [environment],” Hipwell stressed. “Sure, there are times you have to sit down at a desk and do things, but there is a better way to do things. Kids get so built up with energy. They just need to release it.”
Ariel Saida’s son finished kindergarten in May at the Community School of Naples.
“CSN is very academic and I knew that going in,” Saida said. “The first week was very difficult. My kid said the day was so long. But I do like the fact that he is reading fluently, he has great math skills, and he writes like a second grader. As much as I like that for kindergarten, pre-k should still be play based. It makes sense in kindergarten for it to be more academic.”
Kincaid said they try to make the academics appropriate for the little kids.
“There is still a lot of opportunity to have physical activity in pursuit of academics,” she explained. “There are lots of opportunities for movement.”
Kincaid said math manipulatives and white boards make academics more engaging for the kindergarten students. All students have related arts every day, getting active during physical education, art, music, and technology. Most kindergarten teachers read a story to their students after lunch.
Getting ready
She also offers advice for parents to help them get their child ready for the kindergarten curriculum.
“A lot of it is giving kids access to have an opportunity to write, to hold a crayon, to hold a pencil, to write a thank you note for a gift,” Kincaid said. “Have books in the home, [so that kids can] see their parents reading. If you don’t have access to books, tell family stories. Talking with them a lot is one of the best things. Children who speak in sentences have a lot more success.”
Kincaid advises parents to help children learn how to attempt new tasks without getting frustrated, to take turns and share, to ask for help, and to follow directions.
“Some kids are ready and some kids aren’t as ready,” Kincaid admitted. “Kindergarten teachers are aware of the needs that kids have and are rock stars at meeting their needs. That kindergarten year can be challenging. School is here to be a partnership to build those skills for the kids.”
A History of Kindergarten
- Kindergarten was created in Germany by Frederick Froebel.
- The kindergarten method introduced the novel idea that children learn through playing, which stood in stark contrast to the rote student instruction practiced across grade levels during the mid-19th century.
- The first kindergartens in the United States were established for middle- or upper-class white children. Free or charity kindergartens for children from working-class and immigrant families followed.
- In 1873, St. Louis, Missouri, became the first city to successfully incorporate kindergarten into the public education system. Kindergarten was about children learning through play: story time, building with blocks, drawing, singing, and playing.
- The number of children attending kindergarten increased more than five-fold from 1892 to 1912, from 65,296 to 353,546 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
- In 1950, only 16 percent of the 5-year-olds in the country attended kindergarten. By 1970, about 72 percent of the 5-year-olds in the United States were enrolled in kindergarten.
- The federal Head Start program was established in 1965 for children living below the poverty level.
- Florida was one of the first states in the country to offer free pre-kindergarten for all 4-year-olds regardless of family income. The Florida Voluntary Pre-K Program, which began in 2005, is a free, state-funded educational initiative that provides 540 hours of instruction, 3.5 hours per day for 180 days.
- As of 2020, children in 45 states must be at least 5 years old by a cut-off date in September and at least nine states have moved that date even earlier in the summer.