The Benefits of Preschool

The Benefits of Preschool

The Benefits of Preschool

Statics from the US Census Bureau reveal that just under half of all 3-4 year old children attended preschool in 2013. This is the also the same year that most school districts across the country adapted to a full day of kindergarten, rather than a half day. This means that children now will be expected to handle a 6 hour day of learning and, consequently; for those children who do not attend preschool this could be a real challenge. Preschool not only helps a child with social and emotional skills, it also provides a strong foundation for academic learning. It gives them an opportunity to become familiar with routine in a structured learning environment and can help make the transition to a full day of kindergarten even easier. Yet, there are still some parents who feel -- for many reasons, preschool is unnecessary and choose not to send them.

One reason may be that some parents think preschool is just an overpriced daycare and are not aware that they are, in fact; two separate programs. Preschool is an early childhood education program for children 3 – 5 years in age --although some schools may enroll children as young as 2. They attend only a few days a week for 2-3 hours a day, and while the focus of preschool is mainly about socialization and play, there is an academic element as well.

A Day care center, in contrast; is typically a full day program-- up to 10 hours and accepts children from infancy to 12 years of age. They provide supervised activities for a child, but usually these activities are not academically focused. This is not to say that if a working parent has their child in daycare, they cannot also be enrolled in a preschool program.

Some daycare center...

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...e and important introduction to the notion of schooling. Children are intellectually stimulated though play and play-like activates, rather than formal instruction. When a child listens to poetry and songs, they are learning to grasp phonics. The play that takes place with water, sand, and containers form the groundwork for understanding basic math concepts. Matching, sequencing, and one on one communication are all actives that are done over and over in preschool settings, and help children prepare to learn academics. Watching other children pursue a challenging tasks is also helpful. Children not see use parents as role models but also other children. They are often more inclined to do something another child is doing, then what an adult shows them. The presence of other children and a wide variety of material are big advantages of leaning academics in preschool.