Every parent wants what’s best for her young child, but parents are often in the dark about the skills their child needs before they enter kindergarten. Today, more than ever, the pressure is on... Read more >>

All teachers leave a lasting impression on you—good or bad—whether you know it or not, and almost all of them teach you some valuable life lessons. There’s the third-grade teacher... Read more >>

A small part of me just died. I have been through death, betrayal, divorce, drug addiction, and breakups that have left me in the fetal position. I have seen the events of 9/11 and Haiti and Katrina... Read more >>

When I read “Kindergarten Cram,” a New York Times op-ed by Peggy Orenstein, I completely empathized with the author’s plight. Orenstein laments how hard it was for her to find a... Read more >>

Do you have a child starting a preschool or Kindergarten this fall? Here are five tips how you can get your child ready for entering school world. 1. Crafts and drawing, cutting, gluing, and... Read more >>

Dear Polka Dots, I have a crush on you. It started the summer before I was about to go to Kindergarten. The same summer the girl who lived in two houses fell off the high dive at the pool and... Read more >>

Question: I need advice and info about learning. What should my daughter be learning right now at age four, and what is she capable of? Reading? Writing? Imaginative play? What brain developmental... Read more >>

Today is the last day of a good run. Sure, there is the weekend, but Saturday and Sunday don’t count on our calendar of summer. Those days are always different. Those days always have their own... Read more >>

Introduce and practice these skills at home over the summer to be ready for Kindergarten:  Share, take turns and listen quietly Wait patiently and use words to communicate... Read more >>

My son has had so many firsts in his short life, it hardly seems fair. He was born in California and when he was almost two we moved to Atlanta for only two short years before moving to London. He had... Read more >>