The Benefits of Preschool for Your Child
My son “missed the cutoff” for kindergarten in our town. He had to be 5 years old by September 1st to start kindergarten. His birthday is early September. If we do the elementary school math, this means he missed kindergarten by a few days! At first I was discouraged, and thought I might even challenge the school district on this rule and try to get him in to kindergarten that year. I am so glad I didn’t!
My son was lucky to have attended a great preschool. He started at age 3 in a two day a week/three hours per day program. This schedule was just enough to begin to get him accustomed to the structure and expectations of a group setting. He was able to interact with a wider range of children in his age group. He was able to participate in a variety of activities, both indoors and outdoors.
At age 4 the program was 3 days a week/three hours per day. This gradual increase in the time at school was again, age-appropriate. Fortunately, his school had a “Pre-K” program for the kids who would turn 5, but would “miss their cutoff” for kindergarten. This Pre-K program was 5 days a week/three hours per day (more time that he would spend in kindergarten the following year!) While the schedule was at least as much as a half-day kindergarten, he did not need to ride a bus, did not need to carry his own snack, and was again in a small class room setting with children who were already familiar to him. He had a great teacher who really prepared the kids for “big-kid” school, by working on reading, writing, math, and even science!
Looking back, I think that extra year of preschool really helped my son to be ready for kindergarten. The program provided the social and academic skills training and the gradual “step up” that he needed. Even if your kids do not need to attend day care, I would recommend a preschool program for the social and academic experiences that are offered. If your child is on the cusp with regards to the age cutoff, and you have the option of a pre-k program I would recommend this as well.