The Importance of Early Childhood Education

Early Childhood Education emphasizes a holistic approach focusing on the child’s physical, emotional, social as well as cognitive development. The objective of Early Childhood Education is to nurture the children for their physical and mental development and to prepare them for schooling with right attitudes and habits.  Early years are crucial in the formation of intelligence, personality and social behavior.  Children are born with physical, social and psychological capacities, which allow them to communicate, learn and develop. If these capacities are not recognized and supported, they will never be developed.  Preschool is not just finger-painting and snack time. It teaches children more than just colors and the letters of the alphabet. The impact of attending preschool prepares children both socially and academically for the next 13 years.

Social Skills

Sending your child to preschool helps them greatly in the development of social skills. It might not seem like a big deal, but once your child is in kindergarten and interacting with other kids all day long it will become evident why social skills are so important. Enrolling your child in preschool will allow your child to make friends, learn how to share, learn how to interact with others, learn to follow directions, and become a social butterfly.

No Separation Anxiety

Children who attend preschool get over their separation anxiety earlier or at least reduce it significantly. If your child is accustomed to being with you all day long every day and you just all of a sudden drop them off at school for an entire day they may have some serious crying and tantrum fits and a big case of separation anxiety. However, if your child attends preschool and gradually learns that when you drop them off that you will return they will understand that they are not being abandoned and that they can have fun at school.

Basic Knowledge

A good way to prepare your child for kindergarten is through preschool. Most preschools teach the basics like the alphabet, numbers, colors, days of the week, and more. Kids who don’t go to preschool will still learn in kindergarten, its just that their learning curve wont be as accelerated as those children who attended preschool.

Development Enrichment

Preschool gives children the opportunity to participate in activities they wouldn’t normally get to do at home such as arts and crafts, science activities, sand and water play and music and movement. These types of activities can enrich kids’ lives, enhance their development and provide them with tons of fun things to do during the day.

Self-Management Skills

Children who participate in preschool are more developed in areas such as listening, following directions, problem-solving, and joining in activities.  This allows kindergarten teachers more time to work directly with children and less time on classroom management.  When it’s time to head off to kindergarten, children who’ve attended preschool tend to be more emotionally prepared because they’re already accustomed to a certain level of structure as well as being away from home.

Self-Confidence

Beyond basic learning, your child will also learn self-help skills.  They will learn how to be somewhat self-sufficient and learn how to accomplish tasks (like using the bathroom, wiping their nose, using utensils, putting on own shoes/coat, etc.) by themselves.  If your child has these skills and the basic knowledge when they enter kindergarten, they will have more confidence and be able to learn faster. This is really important and your child is the one who will benefit.

A quality preschool experience almost always creates a smooth transition into Kindergarten.