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Watch VideoPreschool program requires IQ tests
Bea Karnes
IQ tests are generally reserved for kids over the age of five or so. Now, a Washington state preschool is geared toward young kids considered "gifted." The school is called BK Play. They have other programs but are starting a gifted academy this fall.
They believe early intervention will help gifted kids reach their potential. Just like any preschooler, they have an affinity for toys and will flop on the floor without notice, but the parents of these little ones say they've known there was something special going on in their heads.
It's the first preschool in Washington state to require IQ testing for children under the age of four-and-a-half. "Some people said, 'Oh let them be children'," said Dr. Meera Shin. Shin says IQ testing on a two and a half year old may sound strange, but she says children with a higher-than-average IQ need special attention, much like those with learning disabilities. "You want them to be tested right now and have the appropriate education right now," said Shin.
Some parents were excited for their children to take the test, others were reluctant. "We suspected he had some gifts and some challenges and it really just confirmed those in concrete numbers, so it was actually enlightening," said Laura Lim, a mother of one of the children who will be attending BK Play.
The "BK" in BK Play stands for bilingual kids because they offer foreign language to their young students. Their gifted program will be offered in the fall for preschoolers up to the second grade.
