Kindergarten Q&A: Rick and Otto

If you enjoyed the Kindergarten Q&A with Anna and Elsa, read on for another interview, this time with Rick Reed and his son Otto, who graduated from CCC last year. Lay your kindergarten fears to rest, Rick says, "It's all going to work out fine." Meanwhile, Otto shares a somewhat contrasting perspective...

Where is your child attending school?
Rick: St. Paul’s in Oakland.

School choice is often a personal one, but do you have anything you'd like to share about why you chose your school?
When we were choosing CCC, it just felt right the minute we walked through the gate. All the rational ideas about what we were looking for were trumped by the “this is it” feeling. We looked at multiple options for kindergartens. St. Paul’s was the last place we looked. Until we walked in the door, no place had that “this is it” feeling like CCC.

Of course, just because the place felt good to us, didn’t mean Otto would like it, but, so far, so good.

How is your child's transition to kindergarten going? Any surprises?
It’s a really long day—8:30 in the morning until 2:30 in the afternoon. There’s no napping! As working parents, we were counting on having Otto in aftercare. Aftercare was wonderful at CCC! But to our surprise, Otto has been too tired, and because the aftercare at his new school is for kids from K–8th grade, the little kids don’t get enough structured attention. The most challenging part is we miss Auden and the CCC aftercare.

How do you think your time at CCC helped prepare you and your child for kindergarten (and beyond)?
In terms of his parents, all the opportunities for participation in class gave us a window into the world of our kids. What a relief to see the range of different behaviors and how Otto fits. We also learned ways of talking with Otto (what’s your plan?), and of understanding his nature by watching how he approached his first weeks as a Front Yarder (he’s very slow to warm-up to new situations).

In terms of Otto, he really went from a feral beast to semi-civilized. He also made enduring friendships at CCC and to this day talks about his CCC buddies.

Any words of advice for current backyard families gearing up for kindergarten?
I can’t say that every family will have the Eureka! feeling we had when we toured St. Paul’s. But in talking with so many of the BY kids from Otto’s class, whether they are going to Cragmont, Thousand Oaks, Jefferson, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X or Park Day, they all report REALLY LIKING their new schools. So, I’d say as rationally challenging as it is for us parents to pick the “right school,” our kids are amazingly flexible and are likely to thrive wherever they land.

So, relax! It’s all going to work out fine.


Q&A with Otto:

What do you remember most about being at CCC?
Making tin foil swords with Teo.

What is something cool about being in kindergarten?
I haven’t decided on that yet.

How is kindergarten different from being at CCC?
(Unlike CCC), they make you do things in kindergarten and I don’t like it.

Kindergarten Q&A: Anna and Elsa

For Back Yard families, attention is turning to life beyond CCC. Kindergarten is on the horizon. Between all the conversations, school tours, information nights, open houses and online reviews, this can be a confusing and even anxiety-provoking time. Not to mention the fact that our little ones are - gasp! - growing up.

Fortunately, we have a great resource to guide the way: our CCC alums! In coming weeks, we'll be hearing from parents and kids who have made the transition from CCC to elementary school. Sure it's a big world out there, but they say it's not so scary.

First up, a Q&A with Anna Rainier and her daughter Elsa, who graduated from CCC last year:

Where is your child attending school?
Anna: Oxford Elementary School.

School choice is often a personal one, but do you have anything you'd like to share about why you chose your school?
I picked it because it is one of the smaller schools and I like the location. I also took my time to visit all the schools in the Central Zone (the zone we are in) and from all those visits I liked Cragmont and Oxford the best. What made me decide in the end was the size (Oxford being smaller), Janet Levenson, the principal who is such an awesome person, and they have a teacher's aid in each of the kindergarten classrooms. I also had in mind that if Elsa wanted to do after school at CCC, Oxford was a good choice. Elsa's kindergarten teacher walks her over when class is done at 1:20.

How is your child's transition to kindergarten going? Any surprises?
At this point Elsa has transitioned and is very happy to be a kindergartner. In the beginning it was really rough though, and she did not want to go to school. Every morning was a struggle with lots of "pep" talk to get there on time (which is 8am at Oxford). She also kept asking why can I not be at CCC? What was and still is difficult for me is the emphasis on academics and therefore less attention to conflict resolution, social skills and building of a community. They are after all just 5 (or some just 4) years old and need a lot of help to grow.

How do you think your time at CCC helped prepare you and your child for kindergarten (and beyond)?
All the talking and checking in with your friends that the teachers and parents do at CCC prepare the children to deal with conflicts by themselves. CCC kids know how to communicate and are not afraid to ask for what they need. Elsa already knows most of the parents and she sees them as someone to go to for support.

Any words of advice for current backyard families gearing up for kindergarten?
Take a deep breath and keep repeating: Everything will be just fine...


Q&A with Elsa:

What do you remember most about being at CCC?
Allyssa and Lara.

What is something cool about being in kindergarten?
Having a really nice teacher, Ms. Henderson. It is cool to learn how to write and read.

How is kindergarten different from being at CCC?
It is a much bigger school but the classroom is smaller. And you have to wear shoes.

Berkeley Kindergarten Info Session

To parents interested in the Berkeley public schools,
You may want to attend the following event:

Berkeley Public Education Foundation:
Kindergarten Information Event
Berkeley Public Education Foundation will be hosting a free informational session on November 15, from 4 to 6 PM to introduce pre-school parents to Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) kindergartens, and provide an overview of the registration and placement processes. Melisandra Leonardos from BUSD's Admissions Office will present and respond to questions. Location: Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda, Berkeley. Please RSVP with your name and the number attending to bpef@berkeley.k12.ca.us, or 510-644-6244. (Note: This is not an event geared to children, but children are welcome to accompany you if needed. No childcare is
provided.)