The Gesell Institute has given me the courage to continue to teach my children in my classroom what is developmentally appropriate for their age group. This is very hard as the new Kindergarten is the old first grade. Children have little or no time to play and socialize because academics and testing have become so important. Each day the children have time to play, socialize and work in small groups with hands on materials. They are able to practice concretely the skills they are learning and master these skills in their own time. They are so much happier.

We were so pleased to be asked to be a part of the GDO survey. The interns who came to our school were nothing less than professional . The children loved doing the assessment and the feedback was very positive.
I have always admired the Gesell Institute and their work with young children, not only as a teacher, but as a parent. In so many schools where Kindergarten has become the new first grade, the Gesell Institute has refused to hop on the bandwagon and respects the developmental age of the child. My hope is that more educators will see the great work the Gesell Institute has done and change policies so all children can succeed i school at their own rate and time.