All About Pre-School!

A great way to give children a head start on the right foot is through Pre-School. Unfortunately, many children don’t make it to preschool because they don’t reach developmental readiness. Not all children who enter pre-school have the emotional intelligence to cope with the demands of the academic environment. Some need more time. But even if the child has not yet entered kindergarten, Pre-School can be an excellent opportunity to help him or her to become a well-adjusted pre-school student.

There are many ways to provide children with early childhood education. Some of the methods parents choose for their children will be very similar to those they use in preschool and early childhood education programs. Yet the effectiveness of those approaches varies greatly. Removing the distraction of television is one of the easiest ways to provide pre-school enrichment. Removing the constant stimulation that children get from the TV for any length of time can be nearly impossible.

Notable: Community service is a fundamental and inherent component of Preschool education just like it is in any other form of public schooling. Many organizations with which the preschooler has partnered throughout the early childhood education process offer services such as collecting toys, books, food or clothing to provide to low-income families. These charitable partners also provide tutoring support in the form of individualized instruction when needed. Many Head Start centers also partner with these charitable organizations to ensure that needy children receive a high-quality start to life through early childhood education.

Yet often, public preschool facilities are overbooked and underfunded leaving little time for enrichment. One solution for this is to work with local churches and synagogues to provide pre-school programs in public parks or junior high schools. Churches and synagogues have long-standing relationships with local elementary schools and many have long-standing relationships with the preschool community through long-time involvement in their youth ministries and preschool programs.

Yet, there is a growing trend among communities that seek to create preschools outside their traditional communities. Many of these communities have developed partnerships with other preschool providers that allow them to share in the cost of preschool development. In exchange for sharing some of the cost of preschool education, the communities receive direct support in the form of quality pre-school education and opportunities to gain entry into these quality preschools. This shared cost is often much less expensive than sharing costs with other communities of similar size and scope.

In summary, public preschools provide an exceptional opportunity for early childhood education. Yet their shortcomings and lack of resources make them less effective for serving all children. Parents must work within their budgets to find ways in which to supplement a public preschool program with a quality program of their own. For example, by starting the preschool program at home, families free themselves from the pressures of public preschool enrollment. By doing so they can focus on preparing their own child for kindergarten and enjoy the experience at home, rather than being distracted by fears about the safety of the pre-school. Private programs can also serve as an excellent source of extra support when it is time to add an older child to pre-school education.