Preschool- and Kindergarten-Age Benefits
- Fulfill curiosity — something that is common in children as young as three years old, and which if fulfilled early can be sustained in later years, positively impacting academic performance
- Early learning positively affects brain structure
- Builds a desire to learn well past preschool age
- Additional daily or semi-daily physical activity that might not happen at home
- Headstart in emotional development. Getting praise early in life for accomplishments builds positive self-worth which can pay off academically.
- Headstart in social development. Manners and social protocols are learned through incidents, with an adult “correcting” behavior when necessary. Preschool gives children an early outlet to learn appropriate social behaviors and develop more effective interaction skills.
- Building of trust in other children and adults.
- Learning discipline and structure, balanced with fun.
- Encouragement of scribbling can lead to early learning of writing, which has the obvious academic benefits.
- Early introduction to letters and numbers improves foundational reading and math skills, respectively, both of which affect later academic success.
- Early introduction to math means time to absorb and understand by the time kindergarten comes around.
- Improved self-esteem.
- Readiness for kindergarten, etc.
- Improved scores in achievement tests.
- Less likely to be sad or unhappy, which can happen to children as young as three years, and which can then persist in near-future years.
- Confidence from familiarity, since at present, kindergarten curriculum may significantly overlap preschool activities.
- Become better readers
- Early successes in kindergarten and beyond. High-quality preschool education has been show to benefit both middle-income and low-income families, as well as improve overall academic achievement
