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The ABCs of Preschool

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Roughly half of Americans send their 3- to 5-year-olds to preschool. Many parents have their sights set on academic preparation for formal school years. Once kindergarten was the warm-up zone for elementary school and beyond, but now families are seeking earlier interventions and head starts with the hope that an extra year or two of structured learning will make a difference in test scores down the road—or, at the very least, help Little Jimmy or Suzie feel less trepidation about separation anxiety upon entering elementary school. Still others view preschool with less lofty ambitions: Preschool is a place for social interactions among peers. It’s an opportunity to learn to share, stand in line, take your turn and generally learn how to get along with others. Still others look at it as a way to provide structure for a child’s week while providing parental space to work, run errands or fulfill any number of other responsibilities parenting requires sans-kids.

Preschool 101

Not all preschools are equal, and it’s important that you know what you’re looking for. Many public and private schools offer preschool programs, and church and independent preschools abound as well. Just as programs vary, so do price tags. Preschool can cost a pretty penny but can be done on the cheap as well. And as the expression declares, not all classrooms have four walls. A growing trend, nature schools are making their way to the United State, providing rich learning opportunities that take place largely outdoors. Some parents recognize intuitively that they are drawn to a particular learning model, such as Reggio-Emilio, Montessori or Waldorf, which helps narrow the field.

You’ll consider other factors too. Classroom size is important—the smaller the ratio of students to teacher the better. Proximity to your home or workplace is worth weighing too. Also consider the quality of the instructors. How many have early childhood education degrees and long-term experience? And does the program have low teacher turnover?  Scheduling flexibility is another factor to look at. Does the preschool offer options for half- or full-day attendance or schedules of two to five days a week?

For Olathe mom Emily Hunt, proximity was of prime concern. “We wanted something close to our home that was focused more on social interaction and not academic goals,” she comments. Landing at a local Baptist church preschool program, the Hunt crew couldn’t be happier. Both of her children, six years apart, had similar experiences with continuity of care (both had the same director and two of the same teachers). 

For Spring Hill mom Emily Murphy, finding the right preschool for her 3-year-old was akin to interviewing a job candidate. After extensive research, she limited the field to a handful of local preschools, which she then toured. “I asked about curriculum used, what their communication stream was like between parent and teacher, as well as how they handled discipline. It was important to me that no question was too small, and I didn’t feel rushed in the process,” she says. Ultimately, Murphy landed on a program whose director was well-versed in resources that Murphy found helpful as a parent, such as The Whole Brained Child. The icing on the cake was having a local friend whose child was also attending the same class as her son.

Preschool at Home

Just as there are many reasons why parents opt to sign their children up for preschool, so there are equally as many reasons why families opt out. Some of these reasons include financial restrictions, scheduling challenges, health concerns (preschool brings with it a myriad of germs and illness) or simply wanting children to have the freedom of unstructured play within a fleetingly short season of childhood.

For Jaimi of TheStay-at-HomeMomSurvivalGuide.com, flexibility was a key motivation to do preschool at home with her 4-year-old daughter. “I loved that preschool at home was flexible. There was no driving to drop off and then back to pick up. If we had a playdate or appointment in the morning, we could do our preschool time in the afternoon. We also had the ability to cut the activity time short or extend it based on my child’s interest and my time,” she says.

Learning takes place organically within the home and doesn’t particularly need to have an expensive program to go with it. Sorting, for instance, can be figured out by putting away clean utensils or sorting laundry by types (whites, darks, delicates, etc.). Nature walks, playdates, reading hour at the library and field trips enhance the work done at home. Simple rhythms like reading together at bedtime or starting the day with a simple calendar routine (singing days of the week or months of the year, for instance) can establish a sense of structure to a day. And don’t forget the most important part of all: play.

Mr. Rogers said, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” Psychoanalyst Erica Komisar asserts that when we push structured seatwork too early, it backfires, causing children to harbor resentment toward the learning experience. Pushing left-brain cognitive learning before securing social emotional bonds is akin to putting shoes on before socks.

Consider these statistics from Purposeful Play by Kristine Mraz:

So pass on the flashcards and instead focus on open-ended toys like train tracks, wooden blocks, felt finger puppets, playsilks, rag dolls, Duplo Legos or Magna-Tiles. If you’re looking for a program, you can start by finding free printables or curated book lists on Pinterest then simply check recommended books out from your local library. Or consider using pre-built thematic preschool units your library has already compiled, including books, audiobooks, CDs and DVDs on topics ranging from weather to transportation to getting a cold). Looking for thoughtful resources, arts, crafts, songs and more? Consider these resources available for purchase:

Five in a Row (a resource made by KC natives Steve and Jane Lambert)

Peaceful Preschool by Jennifer Pepito

Let Them Be Little by Little House Learning Co.

Sonlight Homeschool Curriculum

Timberdoodle

Lauren Greenlee is a boymom of four children ranging from toddler to teenagers. She writes from her Olathe home.

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