Baby to Big Kid: How Preschool Prepares Your Child for Kindergarten

Baby to Big Kid: How Preschool Prepares Your Child for Kindergarten


For years, research has revealed that children benefit from quality education in the early stages of their lives. When it comes to learning, the sooner the better! This helps prepare the child for important educational transitions like moving from preschool to kindergarten.

 

As a parent it can be hard to consider taking your child to a preschool instead of providing them with an at-home education, whether it’s provided by you or a family member. However, in the long run there are many benefits of allowing a trained, certified teacher to educate your preschooler.

 

How Preschool Prepares Your Child For Kindergarten

 

Introduction to Schooling

Preschool is a cross between structured education and playtime. Therefore it provides your child with an easy introduction to the notion of schooling. With a young child it is important to ease them into such a transition, as they can become upset and experience anxieties like separation anxiety. Helping them become properly acclimated can create positive feelings towards leaving mom and dad for a day at school.

 

Meeting Milestones

There are certain milestones children are expected to achieve before they transition into kindergarten. Most importantly kindergarten age children should be able to speak clearly, recognize letters, numbers and patterns, understand questions and be able to tell stories, comprehend time and basic math, and possess certain fine motor skills like picking up a pencil and making marks on a piece of paper.

 

The great thing about preschool is that the teachers are trained to spot children that are falling behind in a specific arena. It is not always obvious so this becomes especially important. In addition, the teachers are also trained to evaluate and assist children that may be behind.

 

Little Lukes has an in-house team including early childhood teachers, special education teachers, speech therapists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists, who can help spot potential issues early.

 

Head Start

Children are supposed to already have rudimentary knowledge before they enter the classroom. What about beyond the expectation? Because your child will be taught by certified teachers, they may advance further then they would with an at-home education. Studies show that children who attend a quality pre-kindergarten program tend to have better cognitive and social development.

 

Socialization

One of the more noticeable advantages of enrolling your child in a quality preschool program is the amount of socialization they will receive. Socialization is not only important for developing your child’s interactive skills, but it also gives your child more opportunities to learn and grow. Children are like sponges; they soak up what is happening around them. Therefore don’t just learn from their parents and teachers, they also learn and collaborate with other children their age.

 

Little Lukes Educational Preschool

 

Little Lukes is a leading Syracuse and Oswego County education provider with five inclusion preschool locations. The early education program includes credentialed and caring staff that specializes in comprehensive infant, toddler and pre-kindergarten development. Additional services include pediatric speech therapy, pediatric physical therapy and pediatric occupational therapy. Preschool locations include Dewitt (East Syracuse), Baldwinsville (Radisson), Oswego, Fulton, and Pulaski.

 

For information about Little Lukes, please contact us at www.littlelukes.com/contact.html