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
•Where is the child
at on the social and
emotional
developmental
trajectory?
• The Specific
Program
•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 Safely
and
Warmly Connected
Feeling Capable
and
Confident
Changing Tracks
and
Being Flexible
Tuning In
The Child
Regulating Feelings
Communicating
Effectively
Regulating Energy
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.
and
Those 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?