Each year, teachers screen the incoming Oak Park kindergartners to see if they're ready for school, but some of the children who are old enough for class may not be developmentally ready.

Instead of turning those students away, Oak Park Unified School District is starting a program to help those children learn at their own pace.

The Discovery Kindergarten Program will introduce students to kindergarten standards and curriculum but at a different speed than traditional kindergarten. At the end of the year the teacher will recommend either that the child should enter kindergarten or move on to first grade.

"It gives more options and meets the needs of students more effectively," said Laurel Ford, Oak Park's director of teaching and learning. "Students will have the opportunity to develop more social and communication skills at a pace that's not so hurried."

The program at the Red Oak Elementary School campus will be for children who turn 5 between July 1 and Dec. 2. The class will be limited to 20 students, will be based on California kindergarten standards and will be taught by a credentialed elementary school teacher. The hours will be the same as regular kindergarten, and after-school care will be available.

The parents of children who are identified as eligible for the program will be told at the end of the upcoming kindergarten screening.

"Parents have told us they have a dilemma because their child has to go back to preschool, which is expensive, or the child will start kindergarten and will be expected to have to repeat it, which is not the best thing pedagogically," Superintendent Tony Knight said. "We couldn't see any downside to offering this program. It makes a lot of sense."

Students from other Oak Park elementary school neighborhoods can also participate. After completing the program, those children will return to their neighborhood schools. Out-of-district residents can enroll, too. The following school year, those children may attend an Oak Park elementary school.

"There's a lot of pressure to put kids into kindergarten because of the economy or because of some stigma to holding their kids back," Knight said. "We don't want that to be the case. Kids grow at different paces, and we honor and recognize that. When they're ready, they're ready. We don't always know when that's going to happen."

Addressing learning issues early can make a big difference in a child's life, Knight said.

"If we get assistance for them early then we don't remediate forever, and we don't have to deal with the retention and self-esteem issues in the middle grades that I've seen," Knight said.

There will be an informational meeting from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Mon., April 6, at Brookside Elementary School, 165 N. Satinwood Ave. in Oak Park.

For more information, call (818) 735-3253.