Have you ever wondered about the The Importance Of Preschool? For many parents, preschool is the beginning of their long journey to find the best education for their children. What many parents don’t know is that the choice of preschool lays much of the foundation for the future academic success of their child.
According to the Even Start Study1, “school difficulties in childhood are precursors to dropping out of school. For example, personal factors such as language disorders, attention deficits, and difficulties in recognizing and using the sounds of spoken words at school entry (i.e., at ages 5 or 6) are predictors of academic difficulties and, ultimately, of premature departure from school.”
Over the next weeks, we will explore in a three part series “Creating The Foundations For Life-Long Success In Preschool” how preschool helps to build a child’s sense of independence and confidence, social and life skills to build resilience as well as which kind of academic curriculum and learning environment sets your child up for success.
Today, we will start looking at the needs of the individual child and how his or her preschool environment can help him or her better adjust to whatever life will throw at them by building social skills, leveraging routines and responsibilities as well as nurturing the needs of each child.
The Importance Of Preschool – Creating A Safe & Nurturing Environment To Build Social Skills
Picking the right environment in which your children will spend the majority of their day is crucial. You want to pick a preschool that is providing a safe, nurturing space and instills in them the character traits that will make them resilient, self-reliant and productive members of society later on.
Learning basic social skills, such as polite manners, tidiness, recognizing when their name is called, and the ability to ask for help or follow instructions are vital.
Our pre-K and Junior Kindergarten teachers always seek opportunities to personally model these skills for the children, as well as teach them by encouraging the children throughout the day.
The Importance Of Preschool- Learning Responsibility & Routines
Routines are an important part of every child’s day as they give them a sense of security and help them develop self-discipline. They also hone their ability to take instructions and teach responsibility.
At Cedar Hill Prep, we have a daily routine that allows our students to mentally adjust for what is coming next. It lets them enjoy the here and now and then easily move on to the next part of their day. For example, all students unpack their lunch bags and folders, hang up their jackets and put away their things neatly. Throughout the day there will be more opportunities to take responsibility, like during snack time as a snack helper or during daily activities.
The Importance Of Preschool – Foster The Unique Needs Of The Individual Child
One of the biggest benefits of a private school over a public school is that private schools are not bound by rigid schedules and standardized tests that assume all students learn at the same pace. Some children will be able to write their names by the time they are five, while others have a hard time to tracing them.
Our teachers don’t push children who are not ready, but nurture those that show interest by encouraging them to write their names and trace their letters, or by sitting with them individually.
The curriculum is customized to each child’s individual strengths and weaknesses depending on their learning type (e.g., visual learner). The teachers will also find different ways to teach essential skills. For instance, if it is too hard for a child to cut paper correctly with scissors, the child can cut playdough first. If they have not yet mastered the fine motor skills to hold a pencil correctly, they can write with chalk.
In addition, assistant teachers are always on hand to shadow children who are struggling with a certain task and offer assistance where needed. There is also the option for additional tutoring as well as lots of individual attention and follow-up in the hour before class officially starts.
The Importance Of Preschool – Conclusion
Finding the right preschool for your child is incredibly important as it sets the foundation for future academic success. Look for an educational program that builds social skills, individual responsibility and fosters the unique needs of your child.
- St. Pierre R, Swartz J, Murray S, Deck D, Nickel P. National evaluation of the Even Start family literacy program: Report on effectiveness. Cambridge, MA: Abt Associates Inc.; 1993.
