Why Preschool is Important Now More Than Ever

We live in a highly modernized world! Everything is really fast and vast, the amount of development we’ve had in the past century could outweigh the development we’ve added in five or six centuries.

Education has come a long way too, so for kids to cope up with it, they need a really strong foundation.

This has made preschool a necessity more than an option.

Research has shown that much of what you need to succeed in life is established before you enter kindergarten.

During that time, the human brain undergoes rapid development; it’s a period when a child builds cognitive skills — the foundation for reading, math, science and academics — as well as character skills, social-emotional growth, gross-motor skills and executive functioning, which includes everything from impulse control to problem-solving.

Early education can play a critical role during this important developmental period.

Research linking early intervention to both cognitive and socio-emotional gains has fuelled the proliferation of early childhood programs since the early part of the twentieth century.

The last four decades, in particular, have produced many new practices and principles for use in the classroom with young children, as well as countless books, videos, and activities to enrich the home environment.

Several states have announced plans to implement universal preschool programs.

In what aspects do children grow when they attend preschool?

The approach is taken to build a strong foundation for a child’s emotional, social, physical and mental development, which will prepare them for a lifetime.

Early childhood educators are trained in identifying areas where support is needed for each child and building programs and activities around these.

Their peers are also extremely important in this regard, as preschoolers are usually helpful, cooperative and inclusive.

For many children, preschool is their first experience in a structured setting with teachers and groups of children.

It’s an opportunity to learn to share, follow instructions, and begin the foundation for learning that will occur in elementary school.

Children’s sense of competence and self-worth grow as they learn to take care of themselves and help others.

Teachers appeal to a young child’s desire to engage in “real work” by offering him chances to help out in the classroom, for example, by setting the table at snack time or feeding the classroom hamster.

Children are expected to wash their hands before snack time, keep personal belongings in their “cubby,” and put away toys before moving to a new activity.

It’s important that early childhood educators and parents work together to develop resilience in children as early as possible.

By creating a consistent, secure and fair social environment, with clear expectations and predictable consequences, children can develop skills in managing themselves and their emotions.

Valuing difference and diversity are crucial to a child’s early development.

Early childhood education serves to guide children to appreciate and accept differences and become well-rounded contributors to society.

It is important that children understand that everyone is unique and special in their own way with their own culture, beliefs, and ethnicity.

Young children show growing interest in pre-math and pre-literacy skills. They are curious and observant, and they want to be competent in the skills that their families and society value — such as reading the instructions for assembling a toy or selecting the correct bills or coins to pay for a purchase.

To prepare children for the academic demands of kindergarten, teachers offer a wide variety of games and activities that help children acquire the pre-math and literacy skills.

Young children are not like other students. Their needs are unique, and you must be aware of this.

It is important to understand that you could be one of the first adults a young child has interacted with outside of his or her own family.

The separation from their parents, in the beginning, can be difficult, and a teacher must help them through this transition.

A child can become very attached to you as a “substitute” for their parents, or they may shun you completely. Great teachers are adaptable to the emotional reactions of their students.

And when it comes to your students’ interactions with other children, this can be one of the first times they interact with children their age.

A teacher’s role often becomes that of mediator when children have problems sharing or learning how to get along.

Thus, there is no alternative for preschools if you want your child to have the best start in life