Laura Bornfreund opens her new book, “Rediscovering Kindergarten: Embracing Play & Joy in Kindergarten” by bringing readers inside her daughter Ainsley’s experience entering kindergarten in August 2017. The fact that Ainsley just started high school shows the long and thoroughgoing journey that the book represents.
Bornfreund — a senior fellow at New America, where she previously was director of early and elementary education policy — shines a light on academic pressure on young children. In her book, she digs into the history of kindergarten and how it’s changed, chronicles her visits to over 50 classrooms in 13 states, and speaks to education and policy experts about ideas for transforming kindergarten to prioritize how kids learn best.
Kindergarten is regarded as the connector between pre-K and early elementary grades, but Bornfreund views the entire journey from pre-K through third grade as critical for young children’s development.
In order for these years to lay a sturdy foundation for everything that follows, the kindergarten experience should prioritize play and relationship-building, including connections with peers and teachers. Over the years, however, kindergarten has become increasingly “schoolified,” according to Bornfreund, particularly in the aftermath of the No Child Left Behind Act, which became federal law in 2002. “The new emphasis on testing and accountability under the law put pressure on schools and teachers to achieve at higher levels for each child,” she wrote.
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