You’ve gone through the infant stage; the staying-up-all-night stage. You’ve gotten through your baby learning how to walk. You think to yourself, Did I have the safest gates? Did my child have the right shoes? Through the years, you’ll find yourself questioning almost everything you do as a caregiver, wondering if the decisions you made were the right ones. Why should preschool be any different?
Parents question whether to send their child to preschool due to various reasons; whether it be their worry of separation, the maturity level of their child, or even thinking they can teach their child better in a home setting. Whatever the case may be, know that your child can only benefit from being enrolled in the right preschool program.
Here are eight reasons why preschool is important:
- Preschool provides a foundation for the love of learning. The young child’s mind retains so much more information than you would believe. The 3-to-6 year old brain acts as a sponge, absorbing everything around them. To your preschooler, the song they sang in circle time this morning was so much fun but they didn’t just enjoy singing a song, they learned their days of the week by learning through play. Children are naturally curious, wanting to learn all the things you do. Our teachers are equipped with the tools and knowledge necessary to provide your child with an everlasting love for learning.
- Preschool develops emotional and social skills.. When children are in a preschool environment, they gain the tools needed to help them master kindness, respect, and how to socially interact with other children. They will learn how to compromise and socialize by building confidence and problem-solving skills. Your child will know at an early age how to do simple tasks for themselves and how to build relationships outside of your family. They will experience a more diverse learning environment and adopt the social skills necessary for a successful school experience.
- Preschool prepares your child for Kindergarten. Our preschool teachers understand the different ways children learn and develop. They are able to organize activities appropriate for your child’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical abilities. They are gradually introduced to the structure in elementary school without a negative impact. Simple tasks like raising their hand to ask a question or cleaning up an activity when they are complete are skills introduced and practiced at their own pace.
- Preschool nurtures creativity and curiosity. The preschool environment is developed to nurture your child’s active imagination and encourage exploration in their activities. Our teachers provide the tools required to develop new ideas and encourage their curiosity instead of constantly correcting. Preschool is a time for play and exploration of one’s mind.
- Preschoolers are taught how to take care of themselves and their peers. In preschool, children are encouraged to build a strong social and academic foundation from the start. Your child’s sense of competence and self worth grow as they learn to take care of themselves and others. Teachers assign meaningful yet simple tasks for children to do throughout the day to fulfill their desire of helping others and learning self help skills. Through this, they are taught self worth and are able to build confidence knowing they can perform simple tasks on their own.
- Preschool develops motor skills. As your preschooler grows, their physical coordination develops, allowing them to explore the environment around them. Your little one has the opportunity to run, jump, climb, and play throughout the day, further developing gross motor skills. Activities such as bead stringing, cutting with scissors, and coloring are also offered to develop fine motor skills before moving into kindergarten, as well as hand-eye coordination and balance building movements.
- Preschool builds a foundation for math and literacy skills. To prepare your child’s curious mind for the academic demands of kindergarten, many activities and games are implemented into their daily schedule. Singing the ABC’s while pointing to pictures and words build your child’s awareness of the connections between letters and sounds. Matching games, sorting, and counting in various activities encourage children to notice patterns, problem solve, and plan ahead. Our teachers are encouraged to not teach math and language problems as individual exercises but rather to implement them into activities that are interesting and meaningful to their preschoolers.
- Preschool programs offer support for parents. Enrolling your child in a preschool program isn’t only beneficial to them but to you as well. It gives you the time needed to perform everyday tasks, pursue interests, or even just relax. As a parent, you need time for yourself. Your child also requires time away from parents and home to learn about new things and people. They learn trust and independence, further helping you at home, giving you a much needed break to do something for yourself.