Some parents are concerned about whether their child is ready to start school and they start to seek advice from a range of professionals to support them in making a decision. Often the preschool or kindergarten teacher may raise concerns with the parents, because of observations of the child while in this setting.

For the majority of parents the idea of 'school readiness' is not an issue. Their child will be the 'age' specified by the education system, have been at preschool or kindergarten, will be curious and show an eagerness to learn, will have no social interaction difficulty with peers, and will be developing independent skills such as dressing and toileting that will increasingly allow them to function with a minimum of adult supervision. However, for some children parents will ask the question 'Is my child ready for school?'. The doubt in their minds may be due to a number of factors, including:

• The child may be chronologically young.
• The child may be perceived as 'immature'.
• The child may be physically small for their age and appear younger.
• There may be concerns about the child’s social skills and the way they interact with other children.
• A child’s language and communication skills are not as well developed.
• There may be delay in other skills such as gross or fine motor.
• There may be concerns about the child’s behaviour or they may become easily tired throughout the day.
• The parent may not be ready to let go of their child.

The challenge for professionals when discussing this issue with parents is to be able to provide a holistic view of the child, taking into account the family and school environment.

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Overweight and obesity have become by-products of the modern lifestyle and affect even the youngest in our population. Rates of overweight and obesity in children under five have doubled in the last decade and continues to increase. This was shown in statewide surveys among preschool children in South Australia, and more recently, in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) where 15% of 4-year-olds were overweight and 6% obese. Following current trends, in twenty years time, half of all young Australians will be overweight or obese. This has grave implications on the future health of this generation. 

The patterns for health and lifestyle are set in motion from a very early age. The preschool period offers a window of opportunity to influence the child’s environment and lifestyle behaviours before they become entrenched and much more difficult to reverse. Because parents still have a large amount of control over the child’s environment at this age, and exert much influence as role models, they can be very powerful partners in the fight against childhood obesity. Community Child Health Nurses and other health professionals have a unique opportunity to engage with young families at this important stage in life.