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