In the article “Not kidding around” by Kurt Chirbas, he debates whether it should be mandatory for children to go to kindergarten or not. Chirbas writes that kindergarten is now becoming more academically focused instead of a soft entry school. He states that this would help low-income students gain an upper hand in schools, which could eventually lead to a better economy for the state. Furthermore, Chirbis also addresses the issue with parents not taking kindergarten seriously. He says that many parents would keep their children home for minor things like stomach aches and bad weather. Later he talks about school handing out umbrellas and school-based health centers in order to fix this situation. In the article, two parents are interviewed about their children either in or going into kindergarten. They say that they couldn’t imagine their children going into the first grade without the social and educational values learned in kindergarten.…show more content… I do not go to a very large school so getting to know everyone is important, which is why kindergarten helped me so much. I was able to meet new people in the area and develop social skills that helped me through first grade. Kindergarten needs to be a mandatory thing in today’s schools. Look at how much more attached kids today are getting to their parents. Kindergarten helps children gain their independence from them. If they are held back and forced to stay at home with their parents, then they are more likely to become socially awkward and dependent on parents. This is a time for a child to finally get away from home and experience the world outside of his or her