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Vital psycho-social skills are developing in children of this age. Skills that need socialization to achieve. A properly ran preschool would boost a child's self esteem upon entering kindergarten. Social skills leading to proper peer relationships should have been learned in preschool, again giving the child a better ability to adapt to "not being with mom" than a child with out the preschool experience.

Many parents have issues with a child of this age "not cooperating" at home when they attempt to "preschool" their child on academics. Issues not seen when the child has peers doing the same projects.

Many parents have trouble finding the time and the energy to "preschool" their children. Having the work a child rebells from doing for a parent, done in preschool, allows the parent time to praise the child for a job well done and encourage the child to "show me how you did that." A positive way to build a good self esteem as well as make a potentially bad situation a good one for all.

As the mother of five children, not all my kids have had the opportunity to attend a preschool. In fact only the oldest two, who I was on state assistance with had the opportunity. We never made enough money to pay for it with the others and we made to much to "qualify" for head start.

I do not know the demographics on this program ran by the government but I do know I learned a lot from the three years my boys were in Head Start. The program we were in required the parents to put in "hours" each month for enrollment. These hours could be in the class room or via evening "parenting classes" offered by the program.

These classes included free day care and an evening meal. Incentives I will admit. But only at first. I soon began to crave the information they gave me. Information on sibling rivalry, avoiding confrontation with your child, and positive parenting skills I still use today.

In the class room I learned what a child of this age is capable of doing. This allowed me to implement class room techniques in my home.

A van picked up my son and returned him in the after noon. Parents put in hours on the van too. One morning my son refused to put his clothes on for school. He did not want to go. I was pulling my hair out trying to get myself and his baby brother ready for day care and work, he was screaming and wailing so loud we did not hear the bus honk. She heard us though. Having a parent on board she was free to come to the door. Upon seeing her my son shut up. She told him he had two minutes to get his clothes on or she was taking him like he was. They had a things to do that day and she had no extra time to spare. Asking me for a bag she began to gather his clothes. He sat there and looked at her. I wanted to cry.

Two minutes later she reached down, took his hand and pulled him to his feet. Picking up the bag she walked my son from my home in his cow boy boots and under shorts to the bus. She handed him the bag after buckling him in he was dressed before they reached the next stop. Never again did he pull that stunt. I cried all day feeling horrible. He forgot about it by the time he remembered they had a field trip that day.

Preschool...prepares more than just a child for a positive academic career. Properly ran, it prepares a parent for a life time of lessons needed to be learned.

Learn more about this author, Shana Baxter.
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