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Pre-kindergarten (also called Pre-K or PK) is a classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool or within a reception year in elementary school. Pre-kindergartens play an important role in early childhood education. They have existed in the US since 1922, normally run by private organizations. The U.S. Head Start Program, the country's first federally funded pre-kindergarten program, was founded in 1965. This attempts to prepare children (especially disadvantaged children) to succeed in school. ==Terminology== The term "pre-kindergarten" is often used interchangeably with the concepts of "day care," and "child care;" however, these other early childhood settings focus their goal on substitutionary care for children while their legal parents/guardians are absent as opposed to pre-K's focus on skill building. They could involve academic training, or they could involve solely socializing activities. Pre-kindergartens, though, differentiate themselves by ''equally'' focusing on building a child's (1) social development, (2) physical development, (3) emotional development, and (4) cognitive development. They commonly follow a set of organization-created teaching standards in shaping curriculum and instructional activities/goals. The term "preschool" more accurately approximates the name "pre-kindergarten," for both focus on harvesting the same four child development areas in subject-directed fashion. The term "preschool" often refers to such schools that are owned and operated as private or parochial schools. Pre-kindergartens refer to such school classrooms that function within a public school under the supervision of a public school administrator and funded completely by state or federally allocated funds, and private donations. Most school districts describe Pre-Kindergarten as "an early learning program to prepare children for kindergarten who are identified as at risk." Pre-kindergarten provides learning to children who are 4 years old on or before September 1. Pre-kindergarten for three-year-olds provides learning to children who are 3 on or before September 1. Most programs are 3 hours but extended day is offered in some schools. "K-2" is often (and controversially) used interchangeably with "pre-kindergarten." Although early childhood education experts criticize the use of the term as a way to rationalize utilizing a kindergarten model and teaching kindergarten skills in pre-kindergarten classes, public school districts continue to incorporate the term as a way to integrate pre-kindergarten into the stable of accountability under the No Child Left Behind Act. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pre-kindergarten」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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