| The purpose of kindergarten changed from a foundational development to preparing children for an accountability-based education system. Mandated curriculum in kindergarten does not always align with the philosophical beliefs of kindergarten teachers. It is not known how kindergarten teachers in the southern region of Alabama balance the curriculum to include both developmentally appropriate practices and standards based instruction. This study was framed by the concepts of effective early childhood instruction presented by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The position statement of the NAEYC promotes a curriculum that addresses development in social, emotional, physical, language, and cognitive domains. This descriptive, qualitative case study explored how kindergarten curricula changed in light of federal education policies from 1999 to 2015, as well as how teachers dealt with rigorous kindergarten academic expectations. Through interviews and an online survey conducted with 16 seasoned kindergarten teachers from the southern region of Alabama, it was determined that teachers felt they could provide a balanced curriculum if they 1) increased rigor and expectations, 2) adjusted the daily routine to accommodate curricular changes, and 3) were trusted as early childhood professionals. The findings indicated a dramatic increase in the amount of literacy and numeracy standards. The findings also indicated that most kindergarten teachers are resistant to the curricular change, due in part to the loss of time for developmental centers and play-based activities known to be keystones of early childhood education. This results of this study indicated a need to restore developmentally appropriate practices in kindergarten. Keywords: developmentally appropriate practice, kindergarten curriculum. |
