Preschool and Kindergarten - Age Benefits

• Fulfill curiosity - something that is common in children as young as three years old, and which if fulfilled early can be sustained in later years, positively impacting academic performance.
• Early learning positively affects brain structure.
• Builds a desire to learn well past preschool age.
• Additional daily or semi-daily physical activity that might not happen at home.
• Headstart in emotional development:

Getting praise early in life for accomplishments builds positive self-worth which can pay off academically.

• Headstart in social development: Manners and social protocols are learned through incidents, with an adult “correcting” behavior when necessary.
• Preschool gives children an early outlet to learn appropriate social behaviors and develop more effective interaction skills.
• Building of trust in other children and adults.
• Learning discipline and structure, balanced with fun.
• Encouragement of scribbling can lead to early learning of writing, which has the obvious academic benefits.
• Early introduction to letters and numbers improves foundational reading and math skills, respectively, both of which affect later academic success.
• Early introduction to math means time to absorb and understand by the time kindergarten comes around.
• Improved self-esteem.
• Readiness for kindergarten, etc.

• Less likely to be sad or unhappy, which can happen to children as young as three years, and which can then persist in near-future years.
• Confidence from familiarity, since at present, kindergarten curriculum may significantly overlap preschool activities.
• Become better readers.
• Early successes in kindergarten and beyond.
• High-quality preschool education has been show to benefit both middle-income and low-income families, as well as improve overall academic achievement.