A report given to the Springfield School Board says a lot of smart children show up for kindergarten every year but their poor social skills get in the way of learning. The report calls on the community to develop emotional and social skills of children before they get to kindergarten.
The Mayor’s Commission for Children was made up of 16 early-childhood professionals. It surveyed children in almost 200 kindergarten classes in schools in the Springfield, Branson, Nixa, and Ozark districts.
The report says about 20 percent of the children in kindergarten last year were not ready to be there.