Worrying: Teachers believe students are not arriving ready for first grade
Only 3% of teachers believe children are properly prepared for school, while 48% estimate they arrive insufficiently or not at all prepared. And what is the price parents pay for private lessons? Back to school project.
97% of teachers claim that students entering first grade arrive insufficiently prepared or not prepared at all — this is according to a survey among educators. According to the survey, only 3% of respondents believe that children arrive fully prepared for first grade. Almost half (49%) estimate that they arrive partially prepared, 37% claim they are not prepared enough, and 11% believe they are not prepared at all.
This is a survey conducted by CET (Center for Educational Technology) ahead of the start of the school year among 158 teachers and educators who teach or are expected to teach in first grades from various schools across the country, with the goal of understanding how prepared children are for the transition from kindergarten to school.
The answers received paint a clear picture of a gap between the requirements set by the new framework and the level of readiness of many children.
When asked who bears the responsibility for preparing for the transition, 77% replied that it is a joint and equal responsibility of the parents and the kindergarten staff, while only 4% believed that the first grade itself should accept the child in any state and adapt itself to him.
But when examining what readiness for first grade actually is, it turns out that in the eyes of the teachers it is much broader than familiarity with letters, writing, or arithmetic. 60% of them defined emotional and social skills, including emotional regulation, delayed gratification, and cooperation, as the most important basis for success.
Only 27% chose academic and cognitive skills. However, according to them, the difficulty does not stem from a lack of desire on the part of the parents, but mainly from a lack of tools and time. 54% of teachers noted that parents find it difficult to find time and patience for practice at home, 25% pointed to power struggles with the children, and 16% to a lack of knowledge about the right way to prepare them.
"We accompany hundreds of teachers and are closely familiar with the challenges they encounter in the classroom," says Irit Tovito, CEO of CET. "The survey highlighted the need for broader preparation that connects knowledge and academic skills with independence, confidence, and the ability to adapt to the new framework."
Against the backdrop of the findings and with the goal of strengthening children's readiness, CET recently developed a digital space for preparation for first grade, which combines practice in Hebrew and mathematics with the strengthening of emotional skills and independence, and offers parents and children a joint framework ahead of the transition to school.
Arithmetic lesson
In order for a child to enter first grade prepared, many parents use private lessons even before the first bell. A group meeting package or a digital course will cost parents between 300 and 1,500 shekels, while individual and focused accompaniment by a private teacher will climb to a range of 1,500 to 5,000 shekels for a series.
Data from the 'Limud Naim' website show that preparation lessons for first grade can reach a sum of 200 shekels per lesson. An online lesson from a beginner teacher will cost 100–130 shekels, an experienced teacher already charges 150–180 shekels. The central region is more expensive; a lesson from an experienced teacher in Gush Dan will reach a sum of 150–200 shekels, while a beginner teacher will charge 120–140 shekels.
In the southern region and Be'er Sheva, prices are lower; a beginner teacher will charge 90–100 shekels compared to 120–150 shekels for an experienced teacher. The most requested subjects are reading and writing, arithmetic, and learning skills.
"The demand for teachers for first-grade preparation starts to rise as early as June and reaches a peak in July-August. Parents want the child to arrive in September prepared and self-confident," explains Roi Naim, founder of the 'Limud Naim' website, which has a database of private teachers for all subjects: "It is interesting to see that unlike the general private lesson market, where more than half of the lessons have already moved online, in preparation for first grade the picture is completely opposite: about 90% of the lessons are face-to-face. At the age of five or six, the personal connection, the contact with the page and the pencil, and the teacher's ability to read the child up close simply cannot be replaced by a screen."
"It is important for me to emphasize to parents: the goal of the preparation is not to get ahead of the first-grade curriculum, but to build a foundation - familiarity with letters and numbers, learning and concentration skills, and above all, a positive learning experience. A child who arrives in first grade with confidence, curiosity, and a love for learning - that is the real achievement."
