The Power of Preschool
What school offers your child — it’s more than you might think.
Parents often wonder: Why should my child go to preschool? What will he learn in preschool that he can't learn at home?
You are your child's first teacher! Preschool experiences enhance what you are already doing to help your child learn at home.
Preschool is not only wonderful preparation for elementary school; it's a place where young children can meet and interact, feel safe away from Mom and Dad, learn, and have fun! A quality preschool stimulates your child's imagination and physical, social, and emotional development, and provides opportunities for intellectual exploration.
In preschool, your child learns to relate to adults outside his or her own family and develop independence. Playing in a group provides your child with opportunities to learn how to share, take turns, cooperate, and solve problems. Playing with materials and participating in activities that are designed or selected especially for young children, helps your child develop early reading, writing, science, art, math, and other skills. These activities broaden your child's experiences and are springboards for later learning.
Children benefit when they venture outside their home environments and into new territory. In the "outside world," they can encounter new people, have new experiences, and learn new things. As children begin to explore the world away from mom or dad, they begin to develop a budding sense of competence and independence. Preschool is designed to offer your child these opportunities in a secure, predictable environment, guided by an adult who is not only familiar and nurturing, but is also trained in helping young children learn.
Ellen Booth Church is a former professor of early childhood education, an education consultant and author.
