Kindergarten - in Different Countries - United States

United States

In the United States, kindergartens are usually part of the K-12 educational system. It is only one school-year. Children usually attend kindergarten around age 5 to 6. Kindergarten is considered the first year of formal education, although the child may have gone to preschool or Pre-K (formerly nursery school). While kindergarten was viewed as a separate part of the elementary program, it is now fully integrated into the school system and is a full participant in schooling, except that in many places it is only offered for half-a-day. Depending on the state, children may be required to attend their kindergarten year because compulsory schooling laws in many states begin at age 5. In other states, compulsory laws begin at 6 or 7, although these states still offer free kindergarten. In practice, 43 states require their school districts to offer a kindergarten year.

"High/Scope Learning" is a style of learning that is used in many kindergartens in the United States. This learning style is very interactive and requires a great deal of the children and the teacher. It employs a "plan, do, review" approach which enables children to take responsibility for their learning. First the children "plan" their activities. The teacher provides choices of activities for the children which are age-appropriate and initiate learning, whether through problem solving, reading, language, mathematics, manipulatives, etc. This planning takes place, usually, when the children walk in the classroom. Then they "do" their activity. Some of these activities include such things as a water table, building blocks, a creative dance area, "dress up" area, a reading area, and a drawing table. The majority of the children's time is spent in this "do" activity. The last part of this approach is the review part. This is where the children and the teacher go over what they have done that day. This can be done in a large group, especially if there is a theme for the day that is used in all activities, or individually. The children discuss what they did and how they liked it and what they learned from it. This high/scope learning has grown in popularity and is accepted largely because it allows for the children to be responsible for their own learning.

Compulsory schooling laws were adopted before the widespread provision of kindergarten or preschool. In some states, it is not required for children to attend kindergarten. Mandatory age of enrollment varies by state between 5 and 8. Generally, in all states, a child may begin kindergarten in the fall term only if age 5 by a state-set date, usually in the summer or fall. If they are older than 5 in a non-mandatory state, then they will be directly placed into first grade for compulsory education, even if they have not attended kindergarten.