Why Preschool Matters
Preschool provides a foundation for learning – both socially and academically – that will help your child succeed in elementary school. Here are a few more reasons why preschool is beneficial for your child.
1. Preschool is an opportunity for growth – Children love to learn. For many children, preschool is their first experience in a school-like setting with teachers and groups of children. It’s an opportunity to learn to share, follow instructions, and begin the foundation for future learning.
2. Preschool prepares children for kindergarten – Education enables children to know and understand themselves and the world around them. As kindergarten becomes more academic, many parents look to preschool to launch their child on a path to success in school. It is essential to find a balanced program that brings together academics and play, which is at the heart of how children learn. A high-quality early childhood education program that incorporates phonics, foreign language, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math), along with character development will inspire and nurture each child’s desire to learn.
3. Children get to make choices – An enriched preschool learning environment fosters curiosity, encourages inquiry, and provides children with choices. Opportunities to explore help children discover and learn through a multitude of hands-on activities. Teachers facilitate cooperative learning and help children engage with their peers to develop socially and emotionally.
4. Children learn to take care of themselves and others – Children’s sense of competence and self-worth grow as they learn to take care of themselves and help others. Teaching responsibility along with social skills is as important as learning phonics and early math concepts. Teachers appeal to a young child’s desire to engage in “real work” by offering him chances to help, for example, by setting the table at snack time, being a line leader, or helper of the day.
Teachers at Stratford School provide a warm, caring, joyful environment that encourages preschoolers’ natural curiosity, and instills confidence in their innate abilities. By balancing traditional instruction in phonics and math with art and music, the Stratford preschool curriculum teaches 21st century skills of communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. The open, caring, family-oriented atmosphere at Stratford School helps preschoolers feel safe – physically and emotionally – and nurtures the whole child, both mind and heart.
Visit Stratford School at 2046 Allen Avenue in Altadena. You can contact them directly at (626) 794-1000, or stop by for their Open House on Saturday, November 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. For more information visit their website at www.stratfordschools.com.
