We’ve all heard conflicting evidence about the importance of preschool and accounts from friends and family about what they feel on the subject. At the end of the day, there are a thousand potential reasons for why you can keep your child out of preschool; today, we’ll give you a few good reasons why you should consider sending your child to the right preschool and how it can benefit them in the long run.
Don’t Deprive Your Child of Early Engagement
You love your child and you love spending time with them even more. We know too well the feeling that lives in your chest saying that he or she “just isn’t ready yet” and “next year will be better,” but the reality is that your child has a lot to gain from engagement with peers at a young age – and that isn’t something they can get from you alone.
Looking Beyond Kindergarten Starts Before Kindergarten
If you’re looking at kindergarten as your child’s big debut, you may find that your child gets off on the wrong foot with academics. While kindergarten programs are designed to serve as an introduction to education, we have found that students that started in pre-k or preschool adapt much faster to the structure of a classroom. Many parents think that by teaching their children elements of the kindergarten curriculum ahead of time (tying shoes, reading, etc.), they are setting them up with an advantage in the classroom, when really, exposure to the learning environment and peer elements of the classroom experience is the truest advantage they could have. After kindergarten, they’ll be off to a true primary school, where the habits they have begun prior suddenly manifest in terms of classroom behavior, engagement, interest, and even perceived intelligence.
Peer-to-Peer
No matter how hard you try, you can never be your child’s age again. In fact, you’ll never be able to understand how your mind once worked or how their brain now interprets the world around them; once we are beyond a developmental stage, it is impossible to truly comprehend how someone in a former stage of brain development rationalizes. This is why older brothers and sisters are often so annoyed by their younger siblings, and may even resolutely say “I just can’t understand them,” or frustratedly ask “why don’t they understand?” Likewise, you cannot give your child the peer-to-peer experience they can receive by interacting and learning from other people in their own age group. You may be shocked to find that your often misbehaving child that fights with their siblings is found to be a kind, caring individual for peers in their preschool class; this isn’t uncommon, as understanding is a powerful motivator for both moral and intellectual development.
Social Exposure
Learning how to communicate with you as a parent is a valuable skill, but one your child will grow and evolve over time, regardless of whether or not they skip preschool; interacting with teachers and other students, however, is a more finely-tuned skill that often requires more time to nurture in a healthy way. Everything about the preschool environment is geared toward getting even the most introverted children to interact and share experiences with others in an atmosphere designed to promote early childhood education. This cultivated culture of social exposure can do wonders for child’s ability to interact with others outside of your family and even bring a better line of communication into your relationship with them as well.
Setting Them Up For Success
While there are countless benefits your child can receive from their time at preschool, the largest is simply setting them up for success in kindergarten. While the curriculum of a kindergarten class brings important skills into your child’s life, the most important aspect of the program is to get your child acquainted with the feeling of academic accomplishment and success. Attending preschool in anticipation of kindergarten is a fantastic way to prepare your child for the environment of the classroom and sharing that space with their peers and teachers, all of which can help them to focus on the curriculum and learning experience itself. With the goal of an enriching kindergarten experience in mind, our preschool teachers focus on building your child a solid foundation for the future.
Preschool at The Apple Hill Academy
For families in the Howell and Freehold areas, The Apple Hill Academy serves as a leader in local early childhood education. Each of our teachers is solely focused on providing an enriching experience for your child in a safe, positive environment. Schedule a meeting with either of our early childhood education centers to see our state-of-the-art classrooms and get a chance to meet the dedicated teachers that will help to develop your child’s growing mind.
