What will the school look for? After all, your little one is only 5 years old and has no experience with interviews.
Should Junior read, write, multiply? The neighbor's kid is a musical prodigy—should your child take music lessons? To help prepare for the personal interview, we talked to Iolani School's associate admissions director Kelly Monaco.
“There are mainly two kinds of testing: readiness and aptitude,” says Monaco.
Readiness looks at skills and behaviors that kindergartners are expected to have. No school expects your child to read Dickens or even Dr. Seuss.
“At Iolani, we look at the child's ability to listen to directions and focus. We also take note of pro-social behavior like sharing or listening to others,” she says.
Aptitude assessments gauge a child's learning potential and problem-solving abilities. This method assesses your child's verbal skills and ability to focus. Be sure your child is comfortable speaking with an adult for this one-on-one testing.
Regardless of the type of assessments, we've compiled some tips to help your child prepare for the interview.
12 Tips to Help Ease the Interview Process
- Read to your child, as this helps build imagination and vocabulary.
- Ask lots of questions and let your child respond to build communication skills.
- Be sure to explain to your child what will happen during the interview. Try to avoid the word “test” as your child may have heard his or her older siblings complain about hard tests, warns HAIS associate director Roberta O. Bishop.
- Don't overdress your child in uncomfortable shoes or clothes for the personal interview. Opt for something familiar; dress as if for a school day, says Monaco.
- As much as possible, have your child get a good night's sleep.
- The day of the interview, be sure your child eats a good breakfast.
- Your attitude the morning of the interview will affect your child's stress level, so make it a fun adventure. Keep your anxiety in check and do not worry your child.
- Prepare your child—and yourself—for the possibility of rejection. Keep your disappointment in perspective. “Too may parents see a private-school acceptance as ‘winning' and conversely a rejection as ‘losing,'” says Monaco. This kind of thinking can be harmful. There are many different roads to success and a kindergarten rejection is not likely to dictate your child's future.
- If significant changes (i.e., family emergencies, unexpected events) occur, contact the admissions office.
- Tutoring for kindergarten is not recommended; instead, focus on home development, says Monaco.
- Be clear on your own family values and do not let the admissions process drive what you do as a family, says Monaco.
- You should not have to pay for reference reports or recommendation letters, says Monaco.
