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Why is Participation in a Pre-K Classes Program Important?
Home » Early Learning » Importance of Pre-K Classes » Why is Participation in a Pre-K Classes Program Important?Posted by Your Guide on March 15, 2006 5:34 PM
Pre-K Programs have been proven repeatedly to provide a strong foundation for later learning. Children in low-income, at risk areas have been shown to enter kindergarten at the same readiness level as their more affluent peers when the children have been involved in a strong Pre-K program.
Pre-K programs are designed to prepare children for kindergarten, no matter what their economic situation and the skills are the same no matter what your background. Pre-K programs stress early math and early reading skills such as counting, sorting, grouping, problem solving and participation in story time and creative thinking. Pre-K programs also stress group participation and manners, such as waiting your turn for the water fountain and sharing toys with classmates.
Because Pre-K programs are based on the skills 3 and 4-year-old children are ready to learn, the children thrive as they intuitively accept the learning they intuitively know they need. Children who are able to be at home with an attentive parent can develop many of the academic skills necessary for later development, but many learning opportunities for sharing, problem solving and group interaction skills must be learned in a group. If a child is not part of a large family, those opportunities may be limited, making the kindergarten transition more difficult.
Not only does a strong Pre-K program prepare a child for the early years of formal education, but participation in a Pre-K classroom can prevent learning problems in later years by providing strong academic skills as soon as the child is ready to receive them. If the basic skills are not mastered in their early years, children continue to struggle, falling farther and farther behind as their peers move forward.
There is a strong correlation between participation in strong Preschool and Pre-K programs and graduation rates. Children who are provided a strong foundation early in life, are able to build on that foundation for their entire life.
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