Deciding whether or not to send their children to preschool is a huge decision for parents.  Many thoughts go through parents’ heads:  Is it too early to send my child to school?  Will my child be safe? What if my child does not enjoy it?

There is consistent evidence that children who have participated in high-quality preschool education gain significant long-term benefits (Farrar, et al, 2007). For many children, preschool is their first experience in a structured setting with teachers and other children. It’s an opportunity to learn to share, follow instructions and begin the foundation for learning.

Here are some benefits of preschool:

• You child will learn basic knowledge in a shorter amount of time. In preschool, children are given the basic foundation for learning new things and are inspired to learn throughout their life.  Your child will start to learn basic math and reading which will set the foundation for your child’s education.  Children are exposed to letters by singing songs, to numbers through counting blocks, to language skills during story time, to colors through painting and so many more fun activities.  These activities may look to be all fun and games, but your child is learning so much in the process of having fun.  These activities increase children’s knowledge in a stress-free environment. Children are naturally curious and preschool engages their curiosity.  
  

• Social interaction will be easier in the future.  Going to preschool will cause them to experience the process of making friends and interacting with teachers.   Children will get used to playing with kids their own age.  This social interaction will set the foundation for making friends in elementary school.   Children gain experience sharing, taking turns, following directions, and cooperating with their peers.

• Your child will experience a variety of different activities.  Children will be exposed to activities they probably would not do at home.  Children can paint, sing, participate in music activities, go on the playground, draw, etc. The more your child plays and explores, the more he’ll learn. At preschool, the opportunities for discovery are limitless.

• Children learn more efficiently at a young age.  The first 2000 days are the most important in the child’s life.   Children are born with billions of brain cells but unless we interact with them and develop activities that encourage the synaptic connections between those cells, they actually die off. The more your child learns now, the better she will do in the future.

• There is a correlation between high quality preschool education and higher income later in life.  Raj Chetty, Harvard Economist, finds that adults who had high quality early childhood education have higher incomes in adulthood.