American School Series:What to expect from Kindergarten

I may be the only one but the American school system seems daunting to me. I can imagine it is overwhelming for parents who did not grow up in America to know how to help their child through school. A big difference between other education systems is parental involvement. However in America, the teacher is the parents partner and it is not just enough to make sure that your child gets to and from a good school and they do their homework. Parents have to be so much more involved in their children's learning and the choices they make will affect the quality of education that their child gets.

I never went to Kindergarten so it is a pretty foreign concept to me. I started school when I was 3 years old and was in nursery school until I was five. It seems to me that kindergarten and preschool are what other countries call nursery school. With the advent of preschool, children have learned a lot by the time they get to kindergarten. It is important to prepare your child for kindergarten to make sure they do not fall behind. In most states children go to kindergarten when they are five years old. There are state-specific rules that dictate when the child should have turned 5. In some schools, getting admitted is serious business and some private schools have long wait lists. Depending on what you want for your child, do your research 2-3 years before your child is scheduled to start so that you know how to prepare. Click here for a great article on important readiness skills.

Here are some great videos on how to prepare your child for this important life change.

If you moved to the US after preschool age, you can click on this ehow website to get resources on how to prepare your child at home.