You might think your 3-4 year-old is too young for school, but think again. High-quality preschool is designed to set up your children for future academic, emotional and social success. If you’ve been considering enrolling your child in The Newcastle School’s preschool or early preschool program, read about the many benefits they will receive.

An opportunity for growth and nurtured curiosity

Preschool is, for many children, their first experience in a structured setting with teachers and groups of other children. This is an opportunity to learn how to share, follow instructions and begin the foundation for learning in elementary school. In addition, preschool teachers encourage children’s curiosity by planning activities that allow them to use their imagination, which is not only key during playtime, but essential to the learning process. Games like pretend grocery store strengthen social and cognitive skills, as they assign roles to each child and give them all responsibilities.

Preparation for kindergarten

Kindergarten is becoming more and more academic, so parents now look to preschool to set their child on the path to success in school. Parents might worry that an intense focus on pre-math and pre-literacy skills invades play time and encourages a child to grow up quickly. When you choose a high quality preschool program like ours at The Newcastle School, you will not be forced to choose between protecting childhood and preparing your child for school. High-quality childhood education programs will always offer both. The staff at our school and other high-caliber preschools understands the ways children develop and learn. They will organize space, time and activities that match children’s social, emotional, cognitive and physical capabilities.

Promotes social and emotional development

In order to learn effectively, a young child needs to feel cared for and secure. Teaching a child to spend time away from parents at a young age will help them build trusting relationships with adults outside the family. High-quality programs nurture warm relationships among children, teachers and parents. Children need consistency in care between home and school. Teachers in high-quality preschools value parents as the experts on their children. They strive to respect and understand parents’ child-rearing style and goals.

Kids need to learn how to socialize with others at a young age, as well as develop emotional control. Teachers can help children learn how to make friends, share and manage feelings of anger and frustration. A good teacher will not automatically step in to resolve conflicts for children. They will first allow the child try and work out the issue on their own, whether they’re fighting over a toy with another student or frustrated about a project, and intervene when it becomes appropriate.

Children learn self-sufficiency

As children learn to take care of themselves and help others, their sense of competence and self-worth will grow. Teachers will give your child the chance to help out in the classroom by setting the table at snack time or feeding the class pet. Children will also learn to listen to their peers while they’re speaking and help them out with classroom chores.

Promotes language and cognitive skills

Language skills are nurtured in a language-rich environment when a child attends preschool. Between age 3 and 5, a child’s vocabulary grows from 900 to 2,500 words and sentences become longer and more complex. Teachers will help children enhance their language skills by asking them questions, having conversations and introducing new vocabulary during activities. Cognitive skills are strengthened during engaging, hands-on activities that require observation, questions and problem solving. Preschool teachers know that children’s explanations of why things happen may not involve direct cause and effect, and will encourage them to explain things in their own creative ways.