Genius By Age 5, Heart Attack By Age 10?

“If you start school when you’re 3, by the time you’re 18 you’ve got to be exhausted.” — Barbara Rainville, Maple Landmark

Across the country, teachers and concerned parents are pushing for universal preschool programs requiring all children to attend at least some form of pre-kindergarten schooling. But what does preparing children for kindergarten really mean?

TDmonthly spoke to Barbara Gilmour, creator of Tanner's Manners: Be a "Kool Kind Kid," (ToyDirectory) which includes a music CD and curriculum materials. She said, "One of the most important components of kindergarten readiness is a child's ability to get along with others. They need to know how to listen, take turns, share and take direction. Many children enter kindergarten unequipped for these necessary behavior components and the teacher has to spend valuable learning time teaching basic social and behavior skills.”

But, according to Jackie Batista, Osmosis (ToyShow) president, much more is needed. “Can a child follow two-step direction? Be able to tell you a story with a beginning/middle/end? Be able to write his/her name? Know colors/shapes/count to 20? If your kids are not there, they’ll feel behind the curve.”

Which brings us to what may be the true push behind the recent kindergarten readiness trend: parents’ fear of failing to provide their children with the necessary skills to compete in a high-pressure learning environment.

“Kindergarten feels more like first grade these days and what we as parents really need to do is nurture confidence!” explained Mary Ryan Karges, director of sales and marketing for Moonjar (ToyDirectory).

Susan Jarema, founder of Googol Learning, believes that while "kindergarten in the most part is a social adjustment — learning how to follow rules and get along with others," she added that "parents who focus extra on reading and math skills will help their children become more confident and be ahead in later grades.”

Kate Beale, mother and vice presidentof Soaring Star Productions, LLC (ToyShow), explained that “parents are getting more involved now than ever before in their children’s education.”

Still, some parents may be taking the trend too far: “It does seem to be that parents like to say ‘my kid can count, can yours?,’” according to Jill Denlea, director of marketing for The Brainy Baby Co (ToyShow).

“Yet, all children can read by the third grade. All children learn how to walk — you can’t tell which one did at 10 months and which one did at 12 months,” said Esther Novis, founder of The Young Scientists Club.

International Governmental Pressures

These days, the pressure goes well beyond the neighborhood. Carolyn Hurst, president, Barker Creek Publishing Inc., noted that “there’s a huge push nationally to get the U.S. up to par with the rest of the industrialized world.”

“Because of overall educational standards throughout the world, we test lower than countries in Europe. That’s why we’re starting them earlier; it’s the first step,” said Jonathan Zimlin, marketing director for Baby Bumblebee (ToyShow).

Deborah Manchester, PhD, president and CEO of Zula USA LLC, added, “I have a friend in Asia that said by age 3 to 3 ½, they’re speaking three languages.”

Additionally, much emphasis has been put on the No Child Left Behind Act. "It focuses on academic readiness, rather than on the social and emotional readiness that used to be stressed at that age. Which is why we make sure to keep the social, emotional, and, most of all, creative aspects alive in our products!" said Shari Kaufman, president and publisher of innovativeKids.

Sam Reich-Dagnen, principal and co-founder of Braincandy, agreed that though the intention of the policy is to help “everyone to start with a level playing field,” she and her program encourage “children to learn about themselves and how they're connected to the world before they learn more traditional academic skills.”

Still, “those without that [academic] opportunity fall through the gap,” countered LaQuiera Gantt, director of sales and marketing, Reveal Entertainment (ToyDirectory).

Others agree that early learning years are incredibly important. Vanessa Trien, a Music Together teacher and creator of the children’s album, “Hot Air Balloon,” said research has shown that “every child has musical aptitude and that 0- to 3-year-old kids, given the opportunity to be exposed to musical experiences and others modeling musical behavior, have the ability to reach a level of musical competency."

Francois Thibaut, founder of The Language Workshop for Children and producer of The Professor Toto Language Education Series (ToyDirectory), stressed that “there is a window of opportunity within the first three years of a child’s life.” For instance, “learning Chinese is as easy as English.”

Toro Luby, owner and president of Bulls-Eye Creative (ToyShow),agreed.“We flaunt proudly that our product is multi-lingual in content.”

"Yet, [The government] is realizing we have a lot of kids without English as a first language. Those preschoolers need to have a basic command of the English language, or they will be automatically behind on their first day of kindergarten — and throw a spanner in the works of a stressed out teacher trying to get them up to par with the rest of the class according to the No Child Left Behind requirements,” said Sally Hanan, owner of Eager Mind (ToyShow).

Or, Be Creative, Take It Easy

However, some manufacturers take another view. They think all this concern is unnecessary, and possibly even counter-productive.

“If you start school when you’re 3, by the time you’re 18 you’ve got to be exhausted,” said Barbara Rainville, marketing manager, Maple Landmark (ToyDirectory). “I think we’re killing our kids. They need to learn who they are and find out what they want to do, but they can’t because we’re always telling them what to do,”

“A whole business has grown up around convincing parents that if your kid doesn’t succeed at an early age, he/she won’t be successful later in life. The reality is it’s probably not true,” added Mary Ann LoFrumento, MD, pediatrician and author of the Simply Parenting (ToyDirectory) series of books and DVDs and founder of Halo Productions.“I’m trying to give the message of ‘just relax,’ but I’m fighting the tide.”

Nancy Poffenberger, president of Fun Publishing, would agree: “Success breeds success … too much pressure isn’t helpful. You need to build their confidence and then they’ll be successful.”

At the heart of the issue are the children. Toy manufacturers, parents, educators and legislators would agree — this is what kindergarten readiness has been about the whole time: Making sure kids are feeling confident enough to get the most out of their education, and life, from day one.

“For kids, they need to feel like it’s fun to be learning because then they’re attentive to it, open to it,” said Becky Geis, owner of Speed Spell (ToyDirectory).

“With our books, they get information on what to expect [in kindergarten], what teachers will present, and we tell them how much fun school will be,” said Jason M. Wells, publicity and marketing director for Abrams Books for Young Readers and Amulet Books, noting that for a lot of kids, kindergarten is scary. Making that experience less traumatic is what a good toy does and what parents and educators want: happy healthy children ready to embark on a bright future.