Considerations Concerning Kindergarten Education: A Kindergarten Report and Position Paper.

This committee report and position paper recommends that a system of state public kindergartens should be established in Mississippi. Justification for public kindergartens is based on two major premises: (1) a belief that every child can benefit from quality kindergartens as they are described in this paper, and (2) a belief that kindergartens based on a child development philosophy could influence the traditional primary schools to provide more appropriate experiences for six-, seven-, and eight-year-olds. Specific recommendations for implementing public kindergartens are suggested: (1) passage of enabling legislation, (2) appropriation of funds for a selected number of kindergarten programs, (3) designation of responsibility for selection of initial kindergarten programs to the State Department of Education, and (4) appointment of a Supervisor of Early Childhood Education to act as kindergarten consultant to school districts. Appendixes include a listing of the kindergarten legislation from every state through 1974, and an outline of proposed kindergarten legislation in Mississippi from 1971 through 1974.