kindergarten teachers: advice please

Hi. My 3yr old turned 3 in March this year and commenced 3yr old kinder' then (with some orientation sessions prior to her start date). She is happy at kinder' and eagerly plays outside and is super keen and verbally interactive at all group sessions/reading etc i.e. when the teacher engages them as a group. Yet, she struggles significantly when it is time for unstructured play. She is wanting the duty parent or teacher to give more-or-less one-on-one with activities and evidently cries for me if left unattended for too long. She is showing signs of independant play now in these circumstances which is great. But, her teacher is really quite negative about her dependancy. I don't what to think about this. Does this indicate a lack of confidence or separation anxiety or a need for more engaged play? Please steer me to what is O.K. as I can't quite work out how different circumstances at kindergarten affect her confidence so markedly (& what to do about it). Thanks for any words of experience.

You must have finished the year by now, how did she go? It sounds like to me a normal part of emotional development. If she just turned 3 in march it means she would have been one of the youngest in the group. Most children will turn 4 throughout 3year old kinder, 5in the year of 4 year old kinder and then 6 the year they start school in prep. Some younger children just need a bit more time as they develop social/emotional skills. Being able to settle at an activity and direct yourself independently come with emotional maturity.Your teacher may have recommended another year of 3 year old kinder, to give your daughter the benefit of time and experieince for a confident start to school.(early childhood teacher)