April 21, 2020 - 10 Facts About Kindergarten  

Today is National Kindergarten Day. 

In this episode we learned:

1.   Kindergarten means Garden of Children
2. The first Kindergarten in the US opened in 1856
3. One of the first Kindergarten schools was a “Play and Activity” Institute

Here are 10 educational facts about Kindergarten that you didn’t know, that you didn’t need to know:

1.  Kindergarten dates way back to 1779. 
   1. a couple of citizens in Strasbourg 
   2. provide learning and enrichment to the young children of workers. 
   3. The idea soon spread world-wide as cities and countries realized the importance of caring for the youngest members of their population.
2. There are about 3.5 million Kindergarten students each year. 
   1. Eleven of those states require districts to provide full-day kindergarten.
3. Full Day Kindergarten is a thing
   1. Kids see both academic and social-emotional gains, 
      1. especially when they are in low-income districts.
4. Ages in Kindergarten can range as much as 18 months. 
   1. four to six years old
   2. This holds true for developmental differences too, where the developmental age range can vary between three and eight years old mentally.
5. The behaviors of students in kindergarten has shown to indicate the learning outcomes of 1st and 2nd grade. 
   1. If they aren’t doing well, this is the time to address it. 
6.  Kindergarten means Garden of Children
   1. It comes from the german words:
      1. Kinder- children
      2. Garten- Garden
   2. It was coined by Friedrich Froebel
   3. Because kids are like tiny flowers and they are varied and need care 
7.  One of the first Kindergarten schools was a “Play and Activity” Institute
   1. It was opened by Friedrich Froebel
   2. It was supposed to be an experimental social experience for kids entering school
8.  The first Kindergarten in the US opened in 1856
   1. Almost 80 years after kindergarten started in Europe
   2. It opened in Wisconsin
9.  Kindergarten became publicly-funded in the late 1970s
   1. This is for 96% of the US
10. It wasn’t until the 1980s that kindergarten became universal in the US
    1. The main activities they teach and participate in are addition, subtraction, and recess