Q: Why are the early years important?
A: During the first three years of life the brain grows at an amazing rate: to 80% of its adult size and forms connections. By the time a child is three, the brain has formed about 1000 trillion connections; about twice as many as adults have. As a child matures, the brain streamlines the connections, gradually becoming more powerful and efficient. These connections are critical to a child's healthy growth and development.
Neuroscientific research indicates that early experiences both good and bad have a great effect on the brain's development and ability to form and maintain these critical connections. Researchers confirm that the way parents and caregivers interact with and the experiences provided for a young child have a big impact on the child's emotional development, learning abilities, and ultimately, success in school and later in life.

Q: What factors contribute to a child's healthy growth and development?
A: The child's family and the community play a vital role in helping to create an environment that promotes early learning. A comprehensive approach recognizes the following factors contribute to a child's school readiness:

1. Capable Parents. Parents have the knowledge, skills and resources to provide anenvironment and experiences that meet their children's basic health, safety, physical,emotional andintellectual needs.

2. Quality Early Childhood Programs. Families have access to affordable, high-quality early childhood programs.

3. Accessible, Quality Health Care. Families have access to quality health services that promote the healthy growth and development of children. If you and your children do not have health care, click here!

4. Family Economic Self-sufficiency. Communities have viable employment opportunities and training to support family economic needs.

5. Safe Communities. Communities are safe and orderly environments for children.

Q: What do we mean by School Readiness?
A: The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) defines "school readiness" as the stage of human development that enables a child to engage in, and benefit from, primary learning experiences. As a result of family support and relationships with friends and members of the community, a young child who is school ready has reached certain levels of physical well-being and motor development; acquired social and emotional capabilities; and attained language and comprehension skills, coupled with general knowledge. Such attributes help children enter a classroom ready to work.

Q: What are the Domains of Learning?
A. To do well in school, children need to be supported and nurtured in all areas of development. According to many experts, these areas of development or Domains of Learning are:

• Social and Emotional Development: the way in which the child gets along with others, handles his emotions, and expresses himself.
• Physical Development: possessing muscle control and coordination; having basic physical needs met, including food, clothing, shelter, and frequent health and dental care.
• Language and Literacy: the way in which a child learns to express needs and wants by talking, understanding others through listening, and has the skills for reading and writing.
• Cognition and General Knowledge in subjects such as
• Mathematical Thinking: logical thinking, noticing relationships, and solving problems.
• Scientific Reasoning: wondering about things and asking questions, investigating answers to questions, and collecting information.
• Social Studies: the study of peoplehow they live today and in the past, how they work, get along with others, solve problems, affect, and are affected by their surroundings.
• The Arts: dance, dramatics, music, and art.

Q: What is the Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR)?
A: The Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR) is an assessment and instructional system designed to provide parents, early childhood providers and teachers with a common understanding of what children know and are able to do upon entering school.

The MMSR is important because it provides a common goal and language of how parents, teachers, and providers can support young children's learning. MMSR incorporates research-based instruction, effective communication among teachers, parents, and early childhood providers and age-appropriate assessment of children's learning. Teachers and providers receive on-going staff development to implement these practices.

Q: What should children know and be able to do when they enter kindergarten?
A: A student who is fully ready for school consistently demonstrates proficient skills, behaviors, and abilities in the following areas:

• Social and personal development
• Physical development
• Language and literacy
• Mathematical thinking
• Scientific thinking
• Social studies
• the Arts

Samples of the skills needed to work successfully in kindergarten are listed below.

Social and Emotional Development

• Shows initiative and self-direction (for example, tries a new piece of playground equipment after watching other children
• Follows classroom rules and routines (for example, raises hand before speaking after hearing a general reminder from the teacher or takes completed assignment to finished work basket)
• Uses classroom materials purposefully and respectfully (for example, if accidentally tears a page of a book, the student helps the teacher repair it)
• Interacts easily with one or more children (for example, talks, giggles and shares markers with other children in the arts center or asks another child, What's your name? and use the name in a conversation)

Physical Development and Health

• Moves with balance and control (for example, moves smoothly around the classroom with out bumping into objects or imitates correctly a variety of stretching, bending, or twisting motions during a group exercise)
• Uses eye-hand coordination to perform tasks (for example, works with blocks to copy an intricate pattern from a picture or uses a ruler to draw a frame around a drawing)
• Performs self-care tasks competently (for example, zips own jacked and buttons shirt may still have difficulty with shoe laces or gets a tissue for a runny nose, uses it effectively, and throws it away)
• Shows beginning understanding of and follows health and safety rules (for example, contributes appropriate ideas to a class list on healthy snacks, coughs and states Oops, I forgot to cover my mouth! or picks up a toy from the floor and states, Someone could trip on this.)

Language and Literacy

• Gains meaning by listening (for example, states, Are apples healthy after listening to the nurse talk about healthy foods)
• Demonstrates beginning phonemic awareness (for example, claps syllables for one/two-syllable names or offers box to rhyme with fox, but offers skunk to rhyme with squirrel or)
• Speaks clearly and conveys ideas effectively (for example, uses simple but complete sentences, such as I want to find a worm when getting ready to go outside)
• Shows some understanding of concepts about print (for example, notices print and asks, What does this say?)
• Comprehends and responds to fiction and non-fiction text (for example, during snack time says to a friend, You're hungry just like the very hungry caterpillar! or gets a book from the book corner to find out what to feed a ladybug)
• Uses letter-like shapes, symbols, letters, and words to convey meaning (for example, covers a sheet of paper with letter-like symbols, able to write own name, or asks the teacher how to spell DOG, but writes DOC as the letters are spoken)

Mathematical Thinking

• Begins to use and explain strategies to solve mathematical problems (for example, asks, Will there be enough ice cream? during the fall festival)
• Shows understanding of number and quantity (for example, counts the number of girls in the classroom and supplies this information to the teacher)
• Recognizes, duplicates, and extends patterns (for example, identifies stripes when looking at wallpaper or strings beads following a pattern)
• Recognizes and describes some attributes of shapes (finds three different sized rectangles and states, these are all rectangles.

Scientific Thinking

• Seeks information through observation, exploration, and descriptive investigations (ask why questions)
• Uses simple tools and equipment to extend the senses and gather data (for example, looks at skin with a magnifier and states, I never knew my skin had lines.)
• Identifies, describes and compares properties of objects (for example, sorts a group of objects based on where they can be found beach or city)
• Observes and describes characteristics, basic needs and life cycles of living things (for example, says, I'm getting bigger when looking at baby pictures)

Social Studies

• Identifies similarities and differences in people's characteristics, habits, and living patterns (for example, looks at a book about people from many parts of the world and talks about differences n hair, clothing, and gender)
• Describes some people's jobs and what is required to perform them (for example, makes a booklet about Jobs and draws pictures representing some details about three jobs)
• Begins to be aware of technology and how it affects life (for example, looks at a book of inventions and names some of the machines/tools pictured)
• Demonstrates awareness of the reasons for rules (for example, checks classroom job chart and proceeds to empty the pencil sharpener)

The Arts

• Participates in group music experiences (for example, sings or chats along during group music activities)
• Participates in creative movement, dance, and drama (for example, imitates animal movements during a group activity or dances to music, changing motions when the mood or tempo changes)
• Uses a variety of art materials to explore and express ideas and emotions (for example, uses clay, paint or markers with a purpose in mind)
• Responds to artistic creations or events (for example, says to a classmate, You're a good painer!)

To obtain additional examples, visit the mdk12 Web site.


Q: How is a child's school readiness assessed?
A: The State of Maryland uses The Work Sampling System TM (WSS) to assess and document kindergarten children's skills, knowledge, behavior, and academic accomplishments in a variety of subject areas.

Trained teachers and early childhood providers observe students, document children's learning and rate each child's growth and progress using developmental guidelines, work samples, and checklists. The ratings are:

• Fully Ready: Student consistently demonstrates the skills, behaviors, and abilities, which are needed to meet kindergarten expectations successfully.
• Approaching Readiness: Student inconsistently demonstrates the skills, behaviors, and abilities, which are needed to meet kindergarten expectations successfully and requires targeted instructional support in specific areas.
• Developing Readiness: Student does not demonstrate the skills, behaviors, and abilities, which are needed to meet kindergarten expectations successfully and requires considerable instructional support in several areas.

Typically, students' skills and abilities are evaluated two or three times per year, but must be evaluated during the first few weeks of the kindergarten year. Assessment information is shared with parents and reported to teachers of the next grade level. In addition, the fall ratings are reported to the Maryland General Assembly on the level of school readiness statewide.