The younger children s admiration and questions are powerful stimuli for the older ones to learn more. Overall, the multiage environment increases the amount of spontaneous, informal learning that is the primary mode of learning for young children. Most children find they fit into the broader range of ages in a multiage kindergarten. Because most children spend two years in the multiage classroom, there is no retention onus. The time spent in the same classroom with the same teacher provides continuity and growth in many areas.
Teachers can do a better job of encouraging and supporting each individual s development.
Children move at a pace they set themselves. While most of the children in a multiage kindergarten class will stay for two years, there is also the opportunity for very advanced children to move up into first grade after one year, if they are truly ready. The flexibility of a two-year kindergarten, plus the advantages gained by mixing ages, make it a model worth considering as parents and educators alike struggle with the crucial issue of school readiness. Mary Koenig Green is the director of the Morningside Community School, which is offering a new multiage kindergarten program for the 2001-02 school year.