You’re about to take your child to one of the local day care centers. Yet, you might not have asked yourself one critical question: at what age can my child start preschool? The best age for your child to start preschool is between three and five years. As such, there is no specific rule on when to start the journey. Instead, you could adopt an average of three to four years old.
As you think about at what age does a child go to preschool, consider the role of the teachers. These teachers are willing to admit any child who is over 2.5 years to preschool. It allows them to prepare the child sufficiently for their primary education. Child care for teachers is a role they are willing to embrace. They boast incredible skills to help groom and feed these children.
Whenever you wonder at what age can child start preschool, you need to consider whether they are ready too. Unless your child is prepared for the transition, the experience will be traumatic. It would be best to initiate the child into high-quality child-care environments. Do this until they are comfortable to go on alone. This move will make them fall in love with preschool sooner.
Sending a child off to school on their own for the first time can be a scary experience for parents, and often times this can keep them from starting their child’s education in preschool. Many parents might think their children are too small or not yet prepared to be away from them yet, but it is important to weigh preschool advantages versus disadvantages before making any final decisions. After a little research, parents are likely to find that the advantage of preschool education far outweighs the disadvantages. Some of the many benefits of starting a child’s education experience in preschool include:
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- Better Prepared – One major advantage of preschool education is that it is a great preparation for the longer, more structured environment that children will face the following year in kindergarten. Preschool introduces young children to a classroom setting and learning activities that they likely haven’t seen before. Getting a jump start on education can also help children qualify for elementary school enrichment programs that will further supplement their education down the road. If parents are still debating private versus public schools for the following year, a preschool education can help them pass entrance exams that are often required for private elementary schools. Preschool opens the doors to a vast number of opportunities.
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- Valuable Social Experience – Preschool also provides children with an invaluable social experience. Not only does preschool give them a chance to build friendships that will likely stay with them throughout the rest of their school years, but it also teaches them how to interact with others in an appropriate manner. Children have to learn to share with others and how to express their feelings in a healthy way. Most preschool teachers have a background in early childhood education and are therefore able to help children along with their natural social progression.
- Child Care Service – Another advantage of preschool education is that it doubles as a child care service for parents. Many parents take a lot of time off after their child is born, and putting them in preschool allows them to go back to work sooner. They don’t need to worry about finding a sitter while they are working, and they don’t have to worry about finding a back up if the teacher is sick because a substitute will immediately be called to fill in. Even for parents who don’t work, it frees them up to have time to themselves and to get errands done that can be difficult with a child.
As scary as it can be for a parent to leave their child for the first time, preschool provides an invaluable experience to children and better prepares them for the future. Helpful info also found here.