Should Kindergartners Be Worried About College?

Kindergartners, its time to put down the coloring books and start making plans for college and setting career goals — at least according to the Arizona Department of Education. 

The department recently released this checklist, which will follow kids from kindergarten through high school. As kindergartners get ready to move to first grade, they'll be asked to complete this list, which includes things like checking out college scholarships, reading "picture books about careers" and attending "a community event on a college campus." 

"I'm only laughing because I have a kindergartner, and he can't even tie his shoes, so the idea that he's going to go to community colleges to talk about campus events seems a little unlikely," said an NBC anchor. 

Yeah, that seems to be the basic consensus because, you know, a lot kids in college don't even know what they want to be when they grow up. In kindergarden, my lifetime career goal was to be a waitress or a Spice Girl.

So back to Arizona's new checklist. Shouldn't 6 and 7 year olds just be worried about coloring inside the lines and eating their vegetables? 

The checklist is part of the Common Core State Standards.

"We live in the age of high-speed information and our children's education needs to keep up."

The initiative says it aims to get kids ready for college and careers by focusing on "core concepts and procedures starting in the early grades, which gives teachers the time needed to teach them and gives students the time needed to master them."

​But organizations, like Defending the Early Years, report such pressures can actually do more harm than good: "When children are taught things they are not ready to learn it can create feels of confusion and anxiety and inadequacy." 

Not only that, but the time needed to implement such programs can take away from activities including recess, naps and snack time. So, if your kid just wants to be a kid, Chuck E. Cheese's might the best bet.

This video includes images from Getty Images.