7 Reasons Every Child Should Go To Preschool

In recent years, about 50% of three- to five-year-olds have been enrolled in preschool. At Children's Developmental Services, our goal is to raise these numbers so that more children can receive a preschool education.

Why is preschool a good idea for all children? Why should even parents who have enrolled their young ones in daycare consider a preschool program, as well? How do preschools contribute to the village it takes to raise a child?

We're here to explain the benefits of attending preschool that often can't be recreated at home or in a daycare setting. All parents hope to set their children up for success, and preschool is one important way to do so.

Read on for the seven reasons that every child should go to preschool.

1. Developing Social-Emotional Skills

By age three, many children are starting to test out their language skills as well as their social-emotional skills. This is a crucial time to practice safe and monitored interaction with peers, which is exactly what happens in a preschool setting.

With the supervision of educators, preschoolers can play together, learn together, and work on recognizing social cues. They practice sharing, compromising, and teamwork, which are all fundamental life skills. 

2. Encouraging Curiosity

As a parent, you know that as language skills increase, the questions start to come out. Why is the sky blue? Why do birds fly when the dog stays on the ground?

As a parent juggling multiple responsibilities at all hours, it's not always easy to keep up with your youngster's curiosity. However, that curiosity is the link between the brain's reward center and learning. At preschool, we foster that sense of curiosity so that your child never stops seeking the answers that will drive them to learn (and you won't have to try to answer every question that they have).

3. Boosting Cognitive Development

Children who are between the ages of three and five are working on developing some serious cognitive skills. This is the time when many children are starting to retain all sorts of useful information about letters, shapes, colors, and numbers. They're also developing the motor skills that will help them to tie their shoes, button their shirts, and put away their toys.

Not developing these skills around this age range doesn't mean that your child never will. However, it does mean that they will need some time to catch up and may fall behind for a bit. The preschool environment fosters the development of these important skills to ensure that every child is getting all set up for the next few years.

4. Creating Structure

To an outside eye, a preschool may seem like a chaotic place: children are playing, reading books, painting pictures, and singing songs. However, any preschool educator can tell you that the preschool classroom runs on structure. Sure, there is flexibility to account for different needs and difficult days, but ultimately, the structure remains intact from day to day.

Structure is an important part of childhood development. Children thrive when they know what will happen next and how their day will go. Preschool provides that safety net so that it is easier for children to stay focused, engaged, and happy to learn.

5. Increasing Chances of Early Intervention

At Children's Developmental Services, we don't just offer preschool classes. We also offer early intervention programs for young children who have disabilities or require extra learning assistance. Early intervention programs are an important part of accomodating disabilities and ensuring that all children are given the opportunity to learn in a way that works for them.

What does this have to do with preschool? Many disabilities, including autism and ADHD, don't become apparent until around preschool age. When your child is working with early education specialists, you increase the chances that someone will take note of any signs or noteworthy developmental delays so that your child can get the diagnosis and accommodations they need from the start.

6. Instilling a Love for Learning

Oftentimes, when you survey older students about their interest in learning, something becomes apparent. The students who enjoy school and value learning opportunities are the ones that have stayed on track throughout their educational experience. The students who come to dislike school are, more often than not, the ones who fell behind and weren't given the resources to catch back up.

As we mentioned already, working toward those early learning milestones can decrease the chances of falling behind in elementary school. The longer a student stays on track, the more likely they are to continue to find joy in learning. When that spark of curiosity never goes dim, neither does the excitement for learning.

7. Preparing for Kindergarten

All in all, choosing a preschool for your child means that you're setting them up to succeed in Kindergarten and beyond. In addition to the learning opportunities preschool provides, you also prepare your child for the transition to elementary school.

To thrive in a kindergarten classroom, children must be prepared to use social-emotional skills, embrace lessons that test their cognitive development, and work within a structure. Oftentimes, children who have already adjusted to a preschool environment have a much easier time adapting to kindergarten.

Consider Our Campbell County Preschool for Your Child's Development

About half of today's three- to five-year-olds are attending preschool, and we want to see those numbers rise. As you can see, there are tons of compelling benefits of attending preschool. Now, it's time to consider your options.

If you're looking for a preschool in Campbell County, Wyoming, we urge you to consider Children's Developmental Services. Our educators have great training and experience and we're prepared to meet your child where they are. Give your child a head start and contact us to set up a consultation.