Kids Who Attend Preschool Do Better in Kindergarten

As a parent, you may be contemplating whether or not you should send your young child to preschool. Will it make a difference? Is preschool just glorified daycare or will my child actually learn something? Is early education necessary for proper academic growth? These questions may be flying through your head as summer approaches and you are now planning out what to do with your child come next school year.

While not mandatory, a recent study has shown that children who attend preschool perform BETTER than those that stay home with parents or relatives. A federal study released in 2013 showed that young children who were exposed to some preschool experience the year before kindergarten performed better on math and reading assessments than those children who were not.

Since preschool admission often requires some sort of tuition and generally isn’t free, many parents may think long and hard about what benefits attending preschool can actually bring their young child. Here at Kids ‘R’ Kids, we participate in and offer the largest FREE program in East Orlando, which is free for children who qualify.  If you are considering enrolling your child in a strong preschool program, consider the following:

• Developing Good Brain Architecture: “Children need to develop a healthy and strong brain architecture,” says Todd Grindal, an education expert at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. “The experiences kids have in the early years have profound effects on their futures,” he says. Considering a child’s brain grows to 90 percent of its adult size by age five, the first few years are critical.
• Higher Academic Achievement: Over the years, studies have shown that one benefit of preschool includes overall higher academic achievement and school success. Children who attend preschool are less likely to repeat a grade or require special education, not to mention they also have a higher high school graduation rate.
• School Readiness: Preschool also helps young children gain early literacy and math skills and offers improvements of social & emotional development.
• Better Social Progress: A research study performed by Nobel Laureate James Heckman has noted that early education has a long-term impact on social & emotional development, teaching kids how to appropriately & effectively interact with others. The tender years before kindergarten helps teach children the “soft” skills of life like focusing, keeping an open mind, and controlling tempers. These skills are something they will need to thrive throughout the rest of their life.

Early education can help determine the trajectory of success children will have later on down the road. Although attending preschool is not necessary, it’s has become clear that children will benefit from the educational and social experiences of a high-quality, center-based Pre-K program. If you want your child to be kindergarten ready, call us today to find out about all of the wonderful activities and classroom curriculum your child can experience at Kids ‘R’ Kids.