For NYC residents, the decision to send a toddler to a preschool can be a difficult one. Today, many parents face significant pressure from friends, family, society and fellow parents regarding their kids’ enrollment in a Pre-K. New York libraries and Internet resources abound in literature written on the subject, but we’ll try to give our point of view.
Parents who decide on sending their children to childcare in Brooklyn are sometimes concerned about whether their child will be ready for kindergarten following a preschool education in NYC childcare or daycare. At Bambi Day Care Centers, we are noting an increased pressure by parents to teach preschool children how to count, name letters, make letter sounds, and even learn to read.
It should be noted though that whereas preschool education skills are undoubtedly impressive and a part of our daycare program, they are not the most vitally important skills needed for kindergarten. Anyway, children will learn letters and numbers easily in kindergarten or 1st grade.
So, what should preschool education emphasize on?
We strongly believe that in our day care centers NY children should learn important items that will help them develop a strong knowledge basis needed for academic success:
• A set of self-management and attitudinal skills that include persistence, comprehension monitoring and attention management.
• Problem-solving skills.
• A strong knowledge base sufficient to support drawing inferences, comprehension and making predictions.
Having mastered these cognitive foundations in preschool, Brooklyn kids will be more prepared to conquer the demands placed on them by NYC schools. Preschoolers will also think of themselves as independent and capable learners. Teachers find it easier to teach children who possess a strong preschool education background in listening comprehension, language skills, positive attitude towards learning and attention management skills.
Despite some parents feel that preschool isn’t needed as a first step in their children’s education, the majority of parents send their children to preschool. New York is a busy city and for most parents preschool is almost an inevitable option since they can’t afford to stay at home with their kids for long periods of time. But even for a stay-at-home parent, sending a child to preschool for a couple of hours two or three days a week gives the parent some time to herself or to spend with younger children in the home. Preschool is definitely a good choice if your kid has a way too much imagination and energy for you to keep up with. Hotheaded children can often benefit greatly from the preschool structure, even if they attend it only a few days a week. Preschool can help channel their energy if you’re at a loss to do it.
There’s no doubt that preschools help to gradually wean kids away from the parents — that may be beneficial with the rise of all-day kindergarten. A move from being all day at home with mom to suddenly being 6½ hours a day in school may be a harsh transition without the help of at least a short period of part-time preschool. New York should leran from the experience of Georgia, where the mandatory preschool programs for 4-year-old children have been adopted already, and California, New Jersey and Massachusetts are in close pursuit. There is definitely a sound reason in enforcing a universal preschool program in New York State. For example, a recent study indicates that children who attended a Pre-K program are 32% less likely to be arrested as a juvenile, about 30% more likely to graduate from high school, and 40% less likely to repeat a grade.
So, what would be the right choice for your child? As Thomas Andrews, a former New York private school teacher says, among other influences the primary consideration should be your kid. “It is only natural for parents to feel like they don’t want to short change their child by not giving them an opportunity to learn”.
The most important part of preschool, as cited by many preschool proponents, is social interaction and development. Parents of children in preschool as well as New York early childhood educators argue that the social skills children learn while enrolled assist them in negotiation, dealing with conflict, sharing, compromise and problem solving.
As with any social environment, whether a neighborhood playground or a preschool program, children are exposed to both positive and negative behavioural patterns when grouped with their peers. Being encouraged by other children to participate in play, learning to share, and even hearing another children say “thank you”, “excuse me” or “please” are all positive behaviours your kid will experience daily in a preschool program.
On the other hand, children will inevitably be exposed to behavioural patterns that are the opposite of their dispositions. Therefore parents should choose a preschool in New York carefully and make inquiries as to the accreditation of the program and education of the teachers.
If a preschool in Brooklyn sounds like the perfect opportunity to give your kid an enriching experience away from home, you still should plan ahead and learn as much as you can regarding your child’s education. Take the time to explore several different preschool programs in Brooklyn, and, of course, take into consideration the tips we published in our previous blog post.