How are kindergartens in America - ForumDaily
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How are kindergartens in America

The education system in the United States is significantly different from what we are used to at home. In America there is no long maternity leave, so babies are sent to kindergartens very early - sometimes from six weeks. Moreover, there is no division into nurseries and kindergartens. And from the age of five, a child must attend special groups at school (kindergarten). With a story about the preschool education system, ForumDaily begins a series of materials about education in the United States. We will show you all the pitfalls and share life hacks on how to give your child the best education.

Фото: Depositphotos

Child choice

Isabella Halperin from California has been looking for a kindergarten for her three-year-old daughter Charlene for quite a long time. I wanted it to be close to home and, most importantly, for the child to feel good in the garden. Their family is Russian-speaking, but for Isabella it was important that her daughter start learning English now, find friends and start talking. So she looked for a large non-religious American kindergarten.

Isabella started by reviewing kindergarten reviews on Yelp.

“I looked only at kindergartens with a five-star rating, read reviews on the Internet about those gardens that matched the rating and distance from home. If they were good, I went on a sightseeing tour. So I visited six or seven kindergartens. One of them even had video cameras so that parents could remotely watch what their child was doing at any time. I really liked this idea. But, unfortunately, there was no space in this garden,” says Isabella.

As a result, she found what she was looking for - a large American kindergarten close to home, which works according to the Montessori system. Before going to kindergarten, little Charlene learned how to say in English so that she wouldn't be pushed and that she needed to go to the toilet. Now she attends kindergarten two days a week for three hours.

Isabella Halperin, after a long search, found a garden for her daughter, who arranged it completely. Photos from the personal archive

Isabella Halperin, after a long search, found a garden for her daughter, who arranged it completely. Photos from the personal archive

Charlene's group includes 24 children from 3 to 5 years old. Children have their own schedule and snacks are provided. The child's day is divided into two parts - classes with teachers, during which children sit in a circle, sing songs, read, learn letters and numbers, and time for independent study, when the child chooses a toy or educational device to his liking. Isabella likes that in the garden there is a lot provided specifically for learning: along with toys, there are a lot of educational materials, and the list of activities even includes real geography - with maps and cardinal directions. Charlene liked most of all the lesson in which the children learned the states of bodies: liquid, solid, gaseous.

In the kindergarten is very clean, the kids themselves clean up after themselves, put everything in place. On the street, children are waited by safe and interesting playgrounds with slides and a sandbox.

True, Charlene did not get used to the kindergarten right away. At first, the language barrier had an effect - Isabella often noticed how her daughter stood apart from all the children and played with herself. But now Charlene has already gotten used to it: she is learning songs in English and is friends with an English-speaking girl.

What are the gardens in the US

In the US, you can pick up a kindergarten (day care) for every taste. First of all, they differ in size: there are small, so-called family, kindergartens (there can be only 5-6 children in them) and traditional large ones, where in the same group there are about 25 people.

Small kindergartens can even be located on the territory of a private house. Their activities are necessarily licensed.

The advantages of such kindergartens: there are few children, which means a more individual approach, a family atmosphere, relative cheapness, many of them are designed for a particular diaspora (for example, there are Russian, Chinese or French kindergartens). Disadvantages: as a rule, the academic program is weaker than in large kindergartens, in addition, the child may find it a little cramped - there is not enough space, few children, there is no varied communication.

Large gardens are located in buildings specially designed for this purpose. Accordingly, there are quite a lot of children there. As a rule, in such kindergartens children are accepted from the diapers - the baby can be left from six weeks. They sleep all day in special boxes. Parents must bring diapers, baby formula, blankets and everything else. Such an early age for accepting children is due to the fact that there is practically no maternity leave in the United States. You can forget about three years of child care, which everyone is accustomed to in post-Soviet countries. In the States, you need to go to work a month and a half after giving birth, and many American mothers make the choice in favor of work.

Maria Oksyuk, a psychologist by training, now works as a kindergarten teacher in California. In her group there are children one and a half years old. “They don’t need me, but their mother,” shares Maria. “As a mother, my heart just breaks when I see how difficult it is for such kids to stay all day in an unfamiliar environment. As a psychologist, I understand that if you send a child to kindergarten at such an early age, he will not form an attachment to his mother. In fact, it turns out that for the child the main adult becomes the teacher. This is probably the secret of such “detachment” of local adults, and the desire of teenagers to quickly leave their father’s house. For example, I see a two-year-old child, whom his mother brings at seven in the morning and picks up at half past eight in the evening. In the evening, he no longer runs joyfully towards her - on the contrary, he rushes away. This is a kind of “refusenik” syndrome.”

Maria Oksyuk, a psychologist by training, thinks that you shouldn't give your children to the kindergarten very small. Photos from the personal archive

Maria Oksyuk, a psychologist by training, thinks that you shouldn't give your children to the kindergarten very small. Photos from the personal archive

American gardens are not similar to ours when it comes to nutrition. Most kindergartens do not have traditional breakfasts, hot lunches and afternoon snacks. They are replaced either by food that parents give in a container, or by snacks - pizza, french fries and fruit. Some gardens, however, sometimes offer hot lunches as an option.

Also, in American kindergartens, children usually sleep not on beds, but on special mattresses that are placed on the floor. At the same time, children do not undress - it is believed that they should be prepared for various emergency situations and not waste time getting ready. Cots are provided only for the youngest. However, in small private kindergartens all children can be placed in beds.

In addition, in the United States are popular gardens, belonging to a religious community. There are, for example, gardens at Catholic churches, chabads at synagogues. As a rule, they are significantly cheaper than usual. But in order to give the child back there, you need to be in this religious community.

Yana Berger, a Russian-speaking immigrant from Israel, has three children. She sent her youngest son Aaron, two and a half years old, to the Chabad at the synagogue. This is a small family kindergarten in a small California town. “I visited a lot of gardens: Montessori, ordinary, and Russian, but I settled on Chabad. Firstly, it is not far from home, and secondly, I feel that the teachers here work not out of fear, but out of conscience. Aaron enjoys going to kindergarten, and in the evening the teachers tell me what an angel he is. Of course, a mother’s heart melts from such an attitude towards my child,” admits Yana.

In Chabad, children also sleep in clothes and shoes, and they are also forbidden to take off their shoes. “As they explained to me, if a child gets a splinter in his leg, no one has the right to remove it - this is considered a surgical intervention. Well, and because of the earthquakes that often happen in California, of course,” explains Yana.

Expensive pleasure

Whether or not to send a child to kindergarten is up to the parents; there are no special requirements at the legislative level.

Kindergartens in the United States are mostly private. However, for families with low income (for three people this is considered $ 19 790 per year) are provided and Free gardens under the “Head start” program. Even in small towns, you can find a free garden by contacting your local education department. True, even if you find one, this does not mean that you will be able to send your child there - as a rule, there are huge queues for free kindergartens. Children are accepted there from birth to age five.

If the family income per dollar is higher than the poverty level, the garden will have to fork out, and how.

Average cost a private kindergarten for children from six months to three years in the USA - just over $11,5 thousand per year, that is, about $1000 per month. Older children (3-5 years old) cost parents a little less: $4-9 thousand per year, that is, $300-800 per month.

But this, of course, is the “average temperature in the hospital.” The price varies depending on the age of the child, the number of hours he spends in the daycare, the type of daycare, and the state where you live.

The difference in the cost of the garden, according to According to The National Association of Children's Preschool Education, on average, can be quite substantial: from $ 5,5 thousand to $ 16,6 thousand per year. In some cities comes out even more expensive. For example, the cost of staying in kindergarten in Boston or San Francisco can reach 2200 $ per month. This is how it looks list of states with the most expensive gardens in descending order: Massachusetts, New York, Minnesota, Colorado, California, Illinois, Washington and Wisconsin. For comparison, the most inexpensive kindergartens are in Mississippi ($4,6 thousand per year), Kentucky ($6,5 thousand) and South Carolina ($5,8 thousand).

All information about cost of gardens in your area, please contact a specialized Child Care Resource and Referral agency.

But there is good news. The amount of payment for the garden can be deducted from taxes. If, during the year, parents who study full-time or work, have spent more than 3 thousand dollars per child or more than 6 thousand dollars for two or more children in a kindergarten, then they can return to 35% from the amount spent. That is, it turns out that in order to receive a tax benefit, a child only needs to go to kindergarten full-time for two or three months a year, or half a day for six months. It’s just important not to lose your monthly receipts.

American kindergartens also teach parents how to be organized. When a child enters kindergarten, the parent signs a contract, which stipulates, among other things, penalties for being late. And the fines are considerable - from 15-20 dollars for twenty minutes.

If 20-30 minutes after the end of the kindergarten’s working hours the child has not been picked up, and the parent cannot be reached by phone, the teachers call the police - a policeman arrives with a social worker. The consequences can be dire, including the court transfer of your child to another family. So don't be late.

Different learning systems

In American kindergartens, there are different training systems. In addition to the usual there are Waldorf gardens, Reggio Emilia gardens, Montessori gardens. As a rule, the specialization of the kindergarten does not affect the price, it is all about the preferred direction of development for your child.

Waldorf gardens

Waldorf system, based on the teachings of the Austrian Rudolf Steiner, provides an individual approach to raising a child. Children are taught, including their imagination and imitation craving, without using any tests at all.

This system is more suitable for children with artistic inclinations. The daily program of such a kindergarten includes a variety of artistic activities: drawing, modeling, music, puppet theater, production of small pieces, storytelling. The child is free to find the means for artistic expression. Among other things, Waldorf’s schools and kindergartens are also oriented towards religious Christian education.

Reggio Emilia Approach

Gardens of Reggio Emilia (the name comes from the Italian city of the same nameOroda, where the pedagogical system originated) The training system is based on a project approach. Children spend days and months exploring parts of the whole from different sides - for example, the sea is learned through the study of shells.

The system is based on such postulates as the control of the child himself for his learning and development, obtaining new knowledge through the study of objects and their movement in space, many ways of child self-realization (music, design, drawing, storytelling).

Reggio Emilia kindergartens are also distinguished by their original design. These kindergartens are as far in appearance as possible from what appears before your eyes when you hear the words “preschool.” Rather, it is a warm, welcoming home with all its smells and sounds, funny pictures and collages on the walls. Teachers in such kindergartens are not senior mentors, but co-authors and co-creators; they constantly learn together with the children, and sometimes from the children.

Montessori system

The most popular in the US was the Montessori system. It was invented by the Italian Maria Montessori about a hundred years ago and has not changed significantly since then. The essence of the method is to follow the individual physiological schedule of development of the brain of the child, throwing tasks to the child with an increasing level of complexity. From the middle of the zero, the Montessori learning principles were incorporated into the US state school curriculum.

In practice, in such a kindergarten, children from three to six years old are in the same room, playing and learning together. This is one of the main principles of Montessori - to imitate the village community. This is how the younger ones learn from the older ones, and the older ones get used to feeling responsible for their actions before the kids. In the morning, at the most productive time for children's development, several training sessions are held; the rest of the time, children play on their own with ordinary toys and educational aids.

Keep in mind that the Montessori trademark is not registered in the United States, as it is in Europe and Russia. This means that any garden can use the fashionable Montessori prefix in its name, having purchased specialized teaching aids, but at the same time be far from the principles of its ancestor. You can check whether a child care facility really works according to the Montessori system by asking the employees for an AMS (American Montessori Society) or AMI (Association Montessori International of the United States) license. If there is no such license, but you still like the kindergarten (cheap, close, nice teachers), don’t be upset: ask where the teachers trained, if they have an idea of ​​the method, and in general, if their eyes “light up.”

How to learn a second language in kindergarten

The United States is a multinational country, and children can benefit from this state of affairs already in early childhood. Increasingly, both native American parents and immigrants prefer to send their children to ethnically oriented kindergartens; for example, Russian-speaking immigrants often send their children to Russian gardens. A child who finds himself in a different language environment from a young age has every chance of growing up as a bilingual - a person whose native languages ​​are two or three. For example, Forum Daily previously reported, how in the US can you teach a child the Russian language. In addition, the study of a foreign language, albeit in a game situational form, gives a powerful impetus to the development of the brain, stimulates the child to actively explore the world in all its diversity.

Children's ability to grasp language on the fly has given rise to many bilingual kindergartens. The “popular” foreign languages ​​in the United States are Chinese and Spanish. Accordingly, kindergartens with these languages ​​of instruction are also in high demand. Thus, Chinese, a very difficult tonal language to learn, is surprisingly easy for children. Classes are taught by native Chinese speakers, children are sung songs and read fairy tales in Chinese. Normal non-game communication is usually in English. And it doesn’t matter if the baby doesn’t understand either one or the other - he won’t confuse the languages, but will learn both over time.

Фото: Depositphotos

Russian-speaking Yana Diener from California sent her four-year-old daughter to a Chinese kindergarten full day. “My daughter is always happy to go there in the morning and never wants to go home. We are very pleased: she is always clean, dry, fed and happy. And although my daughter’s main language is Russian, she already speaks Chinese,” says Yana. Yana gives her daughter food to kindergarten with her.

“A Chinese kindergarten costs us $1300 a month. In our region, typical American gardens cost $1500-1700 per month. So there are also savings,” shares Yana.

Whom do we leave children for

Early childhood education in the United States is a large piece of the labor market. By According to In 2012, 2,3 million people were employed in the care and education of children under five years of age. About half of them work in kindergartens, the rest are nannies, as well as relatives and friends who are paid to look after children.

According to the National Kindergarten Association, many kindergarten workers do not have specialized education, only slightly more than half of them graduated from any college. In fairness it is worth mentioning that their work is paid accordingly. average salary kindergarten worker 10 $ per hour. In essence, a penny.

Infographic_translation

On her first try, Veronica Ent failed to find a good kindergarten in San Francisco for her two-year-old daughter, although there were no special requirements. “We were looking for a regular neighborhood kindergarten not far from home. But during the search, I was horrified: the teachers had neither education nor normal English. Licenses - it’s unclear what they are. In a word, it’s difficult to find something of high quality, and the waiting lists for the gardens don’t end,” Victoria is indignant. As a result, she hired a nanny, but she still plans to send her child to kindergarten starting with the new school year.

In principle, care and supervision in American kindergartens is not bad: up to one year there is one teacher for three children, from one to two years there is one teacher for four children, and from two years to the senior group there is one teacher for six children.

An alternative to gardens can be a qualified nanny. However, this is not the most budget option. Depending on the duties performed (cooking, transporting in sections, developing classes), the nanny's hour of work is 12-20 $. Add the cost of sections and circles. Saving does not work, but the child receives individual care.

Food for brain

When giving children to the garden, parents count not only on their socialization, but also on intellectual development and preparation for school. results researchheld in 2012 by psychology doctor Elliott Tucker-Drob from the University of Texas, talks about the positive impact of gardens on the mental development of babies.

The psychologist studied 600 pairs of twins. Initial intelligence testing was performed at age two. It was studied whether the children attended kindergarten, how mentally stimulating the mother’s communication with the children was, and their socioeconomic status and race were also analyzed. Final testing in reading and mathematics was administered at age 5 years. Because they were comparing twins who had the same set of genes and grew up together, Dr. Tucker-Drob was able to isolate the influence of the child's environment on the test results.

The report states that a poor home environment affects the mental abilities of children who have not visited the gardens, much more than the children who attended the gardens. In other words, a bad home situation becomes much less of a problem for a child if he goes into the garden. And even if the family is very poor, a poor garden is better than nothing. If everything is good at home, then it does not matter for the child’s ability to learn whether he attends a kindergarten or not.

Of course, for working parents, a garden is a great option. Children go there with pleasure, make new friends, learn foreign languages ​​and explore the world while playing. And for non-working mothers, a garden is a couple of hours of relaxation, an opportunity to pamper yourself, while being sure that the child is also happy. And often only the financial side is decisive in the question of whether or not to send a child to kindergarten in America.

Read also on ForumDaily:

How to get an education in the USA and how much it costs

How to pass TOEFL in the USA

Immigration to the USA: five stories of people who won the green card

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