Kindergarten Readiness: The Social and Emotional

Perspective

November 9, 2010

Lauren Wiley, M.Ed.

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant

815-685-2150

wiley82@att.net

The Goodness of Fit

•The Child

• The Specific Program

•Where is the child at on the social and emotional developmental trajectory?

•In what context will the child have more opportunity to move forward on this trajectory?

Process of Evaluating Kindergarten Readiness –

Child’s Perspective• Observation

– Context as natural as possible– Involvement of significant others

• Inquiry– “Is this typical behavior?”– “When/With Whom do things seem to go

best?”• Determination of current

developmental level• Determine context for continued

development

We need to look at the child’s ability to:

• Engage with others

• Pay attention

• Store, retrieve and organize information

• Regulate emotions

• Grasp the idea that not all minds think and feel alike

The Seven Building Blocks of Development

• Taken from “Collaborative Intervention in Early Childhood” by Deborah Hirschland

• Based on three ideas that cross many theoretical frameworks

1. Developmental Pathways of children are individual in nature

2. Mastery in multiple areas of functioning is an important feature of successful growth

3. Vulnerabilities in one area of development often impact competency in another

Feeling Capable and

Confident

Changing Tracks and

Being Flexible

Regulating Feelings Regulating Energy

CommunicatingEffectively

Tuning In

Feeling Safely and

Warmly Connected

The Child

Building Block #1:Feeling Safely and Warmly

Connected

• Importance of attachment– Internal Memory and Explicit Memory– Internal Working Model

• Relational Disconnects and Repairs

• Circles of Communication

Building Block #2:Tuning In

• The Process of Attending– Pop Up– Tune in*– Take in– Pop Down

• Deconstruct ability to tune in– Competence in discriminating between what is

important and what is not important– Ability to sustain focus – Maintaining consistent mental alertness

Building Block #3:Communicating Effectively

• The Process of Communication– Intake – Receptive Communication– Reflection – Internal Processing– Output – Expressive Communication

• Importance of Scaffolding

Building Block #4:Regulating Energy

• Process of fostering skill in body-state regulation

• Influences:– Temperament– Sensory System Difficulties– Neurobiological and emotional

consequences of trauma, domestic violence

Building Block #5:Regulating Feelings

• One of the central developmental challenges

• Influences– Temperament– Effects of family or community life

• Reactions to “Leaning In” and “Leaning Out”

Building Block #6:Changing Tracks and Being

Flexible• Ability to hear and accept other’s thoughts

or ideas• Ability to switch from one activity to the

next with minimal difficulty• Influences– Few or inconsistent limits in home

environment– Exceptionally strong willed – temperament– Traumatic situations – grasping for control– Victim of bullying or excessive bossiness– Neuro-developmental profile

Building Block #7: Feeling Capable and Confident• Rests on the previous 6

• Experiences of mastery about behavior

• A feeling of resourcefulness, competence, and optimism

• Develops less from “being told” and more from direct experience

Process of Evaluating Kindergarten Readiness –

Program Perspective• Recognize where a child is at on the

developmental trajectory

• Identify the strengths and capacities the child possesses

• Identify the challenges the child faces in accomplishing developmental tasks

• Evaluate program readiness and capacity to accommodate the developmental needs of the child

To determine a child’s readiness for kindergarten, the child must be viewed interacting in and with his/her most natural environment and in the company of individuals with whom he has an existing significant relationship.

andThose individuals with whom the child

has a significant relationship must be actively involved in the assessment for readiness process

To determine a child’s readiness for a specific kindergarten program, the program must be evaluated to see if it offers a particular child opportunities for healthy development. If it does not, the question becomes, what will it take to build the existing program capacity to meet the needs of this child.

• Questions?