I had to write a paper for my Writing class, and had alot of fun actually researching it and finding out more information. I thought, hey why not post it so everyone else can read what information I found?! So, I am pushing my schoolwork on all of you :)
As a parent you want what is best for your child. You constantly question if what you are doing is going to cause long term effects. Are they getting enough vitamins? Are they getting enough exercise? Nothing, to me as a mother, is more important than the well being of my children. So when the idea of preschool came up my curiosity was piqued. I work outside the home, leaving my children with my mother all day. What kind of learning are they getting that will prepare them for higher learning? My oldest daughter McKayla is almost three; could I get her into one of those preschools and help her to be more prepared for school? What exactly do preschool teachers expect the children to learn? How much would it cost to send my daughter? And is preschool good for all children?
I started with the easy question: How much does it cost to send a child to preschool? I called a preschool right near my home to get prices on their programs. For a three year old they had two different programs they offered. One was a two day program on Tuesdays and Thursdays for about two hours a day and the cost was $90 a month. So, I figured out if my child had four weeks of classes twice a week, I was paying roughly $11.25 a day. Put in those numbers it didn’t seem unreasonable at all. The preschool also offered a three day program that was Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays also for about two hours a day. This one was a little more expensive at $120 a month. So, I broke it down again. Four weeks of classes, three days a week comes out to be about $10 a day. Even less than the first program cost, which is usually the case when it comes to things like this, you get more in the long run for a little more cost up front. This is only the cost of one program, but it didn’t seem unreasonable to me. A small cost to get my child a head start in life. I also talked to Terrie Dignam, a preschool teacher at the Gig Harbor Cooperative Preschool in Gig Harbor Washington and she says that there are many grant and scholarship programs for children in low income families. There are also Head Start programs that were created for lower income families. Originally Head Start was created for these low income families so that their children would be at the same readiness levels at the beginning of kindergarten as those in the higher classes. It was the first program of its kind for teaching children before elementary school. Then preschool started so that the upper class children would also have some pre-school learning.
Table 1 – In two informal polls, college students and mothers of three to six year olds were asked "Is preschool was worth the cost?" Can't get this chart to paste, but it was College students voted seven to one that it was worth it, and mom's of three to six year olds voted six to two.
In Table 1 you will see that most people agree that Preschool is really worth the cost. The fact that both college students with no children and mothers of three to six year olds agreed on this subject surprised me. It’s not something you often see.
How is preschool really going to prepare my child for higher learning? I asked Terrie to see what exactly they hope a child learns before leaving the preschool program. The main thing that she hoped the children would learn confidence and the ability to seek help when they need it. She also emphasized that she hoped a child would feel empowered with the “I can do it” attitude and are not only interested in school but excited to learn. As for the actual skills children need to learn the list is quite long: boys and girls should know how to write their name with a Capital and lower case letters, know their phone number, address, be able to listen and follow simple instructions, and have success in groups with basic social/emotional skills of waiting for a turn, resolving conflicts, raising their hand, listening to a book, and lining up. The final thing Terrie hopes the children learn is how to communicate their needs with either words or gestures and be confident in conflict resolution that will help them on the playground, in the classroom and at home. In talking with Terrie I feel a lot more confident that preschool will help my child be prepared for kindergarten in the social and mental aspects.
An article titled “The schooling practices that matter most” stated that “while there were impressive cognitive gains as a result of preschool participation, these gains level off and in most cases, completely ’wash out’ by the end of second grade.” While this site seems to say that most of the benefits of preschool are gone by second grade, it is talking about cognitive skills, meaning the knowledge that they learn. There are many long term benefits of preschool including fewer preschool graduates needed extra help with remedial classes or special education classes, fewer needed to repeat grades, fewer failing grades in later classes, less need to repeat grades in school, greater social and emotional maturity, more frequent GED or high school diploma completion, better attitudes toward school, greater academic motivation, on task behavior, capacity for independent work, and focus on homework.
Kindergarten teacher Ellie Morris commented that she “sees a very significant difference in children who have gone to preschool verses those who have not.” She also mentioned many of the things that Terrie hoped the children would learn, the preschool graduates are more able to follow verbal direction, listen quietly, and follow a routine better. As for the social skills, she says that many children who have had preschool learning deal with conflict better and have already learned the socially appropriate ways to interact such as sharing, and taking turns.
How do I know if the preschool is a good fit for my child? Terrie she said the most important thing to do when looking for a good preschool was to go and visit the school. Ask questions and observe the class at work. “You get a real good feel by seeing a class in action. Are kids laughing and engaged? Are they willingly moving around the room and trying new thing? Are the activities age appropriate with a combination of free time verses structured time? Are the adults trained and happy to be there? Do the kids seem to have a connection with the teacher? ” She commented that some other things to look at are the child to adult ratios, if the areas inside and out appears safe, if the school believes in a philosophy that works for your family, if the teacher is speaking appropriately to the children when giving directions, and are the expectations of the children realistic?
Overall, preschool really does have many benefits, and all of those are worth the expense that it requires. I want for my child to be more successful in her later years. Therefore, I need to find a way to pay for preschool or look to see if my family qualifies for Head Start. There are so many different programs and different places that offer preschool that it is much easier to find a perfect fit for your preschooler. I think for my child though and me preschool is really the right place for her. I believe in the system and its ability to prepare her for her higher learning.
