Why Is Pre-K Education Important?

It Provides Social Experience

• A child who attends weekly play dates, spends his weekend afternoons in gymnastics classes and is constantly surrounded by siblings and friends might not need the social benefits of preschool. A child who doesn't have these experiences, however, could arrive at kindergarten with no idea how to share a toy or form a friendship with another student. Preschool gives little ones an environment in which to learn the mechanics of social interaction. They spend a great deal of time working in groups, engaging in side-by-side play and jockeying for turns with art supplies and favorite puzzles. And since most classes are fairly small and are staffed with more than one teacher, a preschooler should have plenty of adult support when learning to share with and behave around other children.

It Teaches Pre-Literacy and Pre-Math Skills

• Kindergartners are expected to hit the ground running. While your child probably won't be expected to know how to form all his letters, his teacher will expect him to have some knowledge of the alphabet. One kindergarten teacher told Scholastic.com that her students need to know how to hold a pencil by the first week of school or they'll fall behind. In preschool, children learn how to use a writing instrument correctly and learn to recognize and attempt forming the letters of the alphabet, both critical skills to have when it's time to learn to write. In preschool, children also learn to recognize numbers and should get experience working with patterns and exploring concepts like addition and subtraction, knowledge that is useful when they start learning math in elementary school.

It Teaches Children How to Learn

• With a large group of friends and parents who work on letters and numbers at home, the average 5-year-old could skip preschool and walk into kindergarten mostly prepared for the year ahead. One thing that kids can't learn at home, however, is how to be a student. In preschool, a child learns how to thrive as one member of a class. He learns that he can't always talk when he wants to, and that he has to wait his turn to be line leader or snack helper. He should learn to sit still and listen to instructions and how to speak to teachers with respect. Preschool also teaches children what it means to learn new things, and should instill in them a love of learning, says PBS.org. In a positive preschool setting, your child should develop a sense of pride in learning new things and mastering new skills.

Research Supports Its Benefits

• Some studies have found a link between quality preschool education and success later on. One study, published in "Science" in 2011, studied more than 1,500 inner-city Chicago students from preschool to age 28. The study participants who had attended preschool were less likely to have drug problems or go to jail and more likely to attend a four-year college than those who hadn't gone to preschool. Another study, carried out at Harvard University and published in "Child Development" in 2013, studied Boston preschoolers in a high-quality pre-kindergarten program. Study participants made major gains in kindergarten readiness that the study's lead author, Christina Weiland, told "Time" magazine were ̶0;above and beyond the effects of just getting older." It's impossible to predict whether attending preschool will affect your child's life at 15 or 30, but the right program could have a powerful impact.