New kindergarten lets kids still be kids

Strict state and federal standards have begun to change the face of kindergarten in American schools. But at a new kindergarten program at Charlottesville’s Congregation Beth Israel Preschool, playtime is still paramount.

The private preschool on Jefferson Street is piloting a different kind of kindergarten program this year, focusing on creativity and critical thinking.

“We think the critical thing is learning how to learn,” said Ellen Dietrick, director of the CBI Preschool. “That’s going to serve them well.”

The program was created this year partly because a Jewish day school closed and Dietrick said parents were looking for an alternative.

“I fully support the public schools and think they are one of the bestresources in our community,” she said. “We opened the kindergarten class simply to give families another option.”

But with public school instruction becoming increasingly rigid, teachers and parents attested that some children may simply not be ready for the more regimented curriculum.

“At age 5, kids are still really young,” Dietrick said. “We feel like they learn best through play.”

Albemarle County resident Allyson Shames said her son, Aaron Argo, needs substantial outdoor time like any 5-year-old. Aaron is in his fourth year at CBI.

“Once you start kindergarten, whether you’re private school or public, that’s pretty much gone,” she said. “I wasn’t ready for him to be done with that.”

Anne Schwartz, who teaches the program’s five children — all boys this year — said the biggest difference is the amount of time that can be spent on each activity. Every day, between writing and math lessons, CBI’s kindergartners spend one hour at the nearby McGuffey Park, exploring the city, running along the park’s new water wall and playing with super hero toys in the grass.

“We’re just trying to get at them in a different way,” she said.

But an hour of recess and classes of five people are not luxuries that public school teachers have. Plus, Schwartz noted that choice usually comes at a price — CBI’s kindergarten tuition is $7,500 annually.

“It’s a lot of pressure,” said Schwartz, referring to the benchmarks imposed by Virginia Standards of Learning and the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Schwartz has three children, and two of them have been enrolled in the city school system since kindergarten.

Gertrude Ivory, Charlottesville schools’ associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said its curriculum has become more academically rigorous and does not allow for as much instructor flexibility in terms of subject choice.

“Now the state says we have to teach these things,” Ivory said.

Shames, who used to be a public school teacher, said stretched resources make it exceedingly difficult to tailor curricula for every student.

“It’s just impossible for any school to meet the needs of every single child that walks in their door,” Shames said. “When you have a class of 20 and one or two teachers, it’s just harder.”

Though kindergartners in Virginia public schools do not take SOL exams, the state has benchmarks for kindergarten instruction and achievement. Ivory said the types of social play that used to be a key component of kindergarten — such as block stations and housekeeping centers — are now mainly reserved for pre-kindergarten instruction.

“That is minimal compared to where it was before,” she said. Ivory said those activities have been replaced with stations geared toward literacy work and writing.

But, she said, many children participate in preschool programs and obtain the necessary socialization skills there to succeed in elementary school.

“By the time they get to school they’re really beyond that,” Ivory said.

CBI still conforms to certain academic standards, especially as many of its students continue on to public schools in Charlottesville or Albemarle County. Schwartz said the school uses PALS assessments — a literacy screening tool — as a standard for reading and the standardized Everyday Mathematics curriculum to evaluate math skills.

“We want them to be at a level where they’re comfortable and ready to be with those kids,” Dietrick said. “It’s more how we do it.”

Shames said she does not doubt that Aaron will be ready for elementary school once he leaves CBI next year. The biggest challenge, she said, is retaining that treasured playtime when children most need it.

“For Aaron, this was just an extra year to be a little kid,” Shames said.