¶ … Pre-School What Are the Benefits of Having Children Attend Pre-School Prior to Kindergarten?

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This report covers the benefit of sending children to pre-school before kindergarten. Literature review is used to explore the research existing in this field. It will help us to understand what effect pre-school has on children. Such programs are also discussed in the paper which is conducting training for preschoolers for their development. This paper not only covers that academic aspect but also sheds light on the benefits preschool education has on social and emotional aspects of children's life. After collecting this information, it will be collaborated with the findings of this research paper using different research technique. In the end, the paper will be concluded along with some suggestions.

Introduction

In this competitive world it is very important to train the children in such a way that they are not left behind. Study shows that with pre-school training, children show much developed skills of learning when they enter kindergarten. If a child is being read to at home, visits museums, learns how to play a game and reads along someone then it is more likely that his/her learning abilities are polished and ready for kindergarten (Stube & Patrick, 2010). Pre-school is a planned program for children before they start their formal education. It deals with the learning ability of a child. Children are trained in such a way that their learning abilities are enhanced. Specified techniques are used to improve the language skills and analytical skills. It also has a positive effect on the behavioral aspect of a child's personality.

Bridges (2008) found out from the research that involving parents is very critical for the success of pre-school training. Also, involvement of community can be very vital in the accomplishment of a successful preschool training center. Margetts (2007) likewise says that in a multicultural community, parents and community itself plays a very important role. This research also highlights diverse methods of implementing preschool programs in Australia and United States of America or any other diverse country. It I believed that a universal pre-school system can benefit everyone and provide equal opportunity to every student. But Bridges (2008) argues that it is a waste of resources because families who cannot afford will not have full access and unless it is designed to the top-notch quality it will result in a disaster.

Teachers play a vital role in the development of a pre-school child. It is essential to understand the culture, background and customs of the child. Training of the teacher is very essential. Not everyone can handle pre-school children. They need to be taught in a certain way so it has the greatest effect on the development of the child. Children should also be encouraged to ask as many questions as possible. It increases their cognitive skills (Persky & Golubchick, 1991). There are institutes as well as home care can be considered a part of pre-school training. The things that the child studies at the age of three form the basis of his/her academic life in the coming years. However, every child does not get equal pre-school training. Thus, results in different cognitive abilities regarding education. Pre-school education also helps the parents to determine any learning disabilities that might exist and can eliminate the chances of going to special education by effective pre-school education. This paper focuses on such benefits pre-school training has on the children before they join kindergarten.

Literature Review

Children who attend pre-school show higher math skills, language skills and have less behavioral problem (Bridges, 2008). Bridges (2008) also indicate that not all children have access to the pre-school and pre-kindergarten program. However, she argues that pre-school education is not a valid tool to measure the academic achievements made later in life. The researches earlier failed to consider the involvement of parents in the pre-school training. Research shows that pre-school is a sound investment not only in terms of children's development but also academically, socially and economically. Early education not only develops the skills but also enhance the ability to score well, less retention of grades and fewer chances of placement in a special education program. Also, research show that thee children have less tendency to create criminal or justice problems (Barnett...

Parents were of the view that children should be taught at home rather than preschool institutes by government. The role of government should be to reduce the tax for parents and leave the pre-kindergarten training to the parents. These programs can be expensive. However there is a need for these institutions that should provide preschool education to every child by devising a program which is cost effective and provides high quality (Bracey & Stellar, 2003). The study shows that the children who get preschool education have much developed cognitive and social skills. The research was conducted on children with different backgrounds, ethnic groups and had different native languages. Even then, the results showed that the children with pre-kindergarten education showed a lot of added skills, they were more confident and had quick ability to learn different things (Gormley, Gayer, Phillips, & Dawson, 2005).
Anderson, et. all (2003) stated that the most important skills required for children to develop in early age are knowledge, recognizing relations, self-regulation and develop specific skills. Early education results in developed social-emotional functioning of the children. They also said that it is essential or the preschool programs to promote the social skills. When children get social competencies in early age it enables them to contribute more in social service and also improves their relationship with parents. However, there is no evidence of such programs showing improvement in health of the children. Readiness and Early Activities for Children from the Heart (REACH) is a program designed to improve the children's readiness for school and improve their skills. It is a step taken by California State University along with Long Beach Unified School to enhance the social-emotional state of children along with more developed literacy. This is an example of how much these types of programs are important and beneficial that good organizations are willing to invest in them so that the children of their society can benefit (Stanley, 2004).

All three and four-year children are entitled to free education in England. The study shows that the children of age three are more suitable for preschool education. They learn more quickly about understanding the world and its physical beings. After three years, there is a negative effect on the learning ability of communication, language, mathematics and creativity (Hopkin, Stokes, & Wilkinson, 2009). Another research shows that 91% of children can be identified as good or poor reader if they had preschool training. The variables used to measure the ability to read were memory of remembering letters and sentences, speed of naming an object and orthographic test (Badian, 1994).

One of the major reasons against the development of preschools in United States is the thinking that these types of schools or institutes would only depict that the families have failed to raise and develop their child's personality (Bracey & Stellar, 2003). Government did not produce high quality day-care center due to this resistance to government's initiative which in return solidifies the belief of parents that preschool institutes provide low-quality of care. Thus only middle and upper class families can take advantage of the private programs offered by different organizations (Bracey & Stellar, 2003).

Teachers are the most important aspect of preschool training. It is essential for them to understand the culture, language, background and customs of the child. Training of the teacher is very essential for the development of every child in the program. Children need to be taught in a certain way with specific tools and techniques. Teachers need to make themself available for every child and attend their questions. Children should also be encouraged to ask as many questions as possible. It increases their cognitive skills (Persky & Golubchick, 1991). Apart for trained teachers, environment of the classroom also plays equally important role in the development and education of pre-school children.

Objective of Study

Pre-school education is a very important aspect of child's development. Many people are becoming aware of its importance but there are still some people with the belief that it is no more than a taxation scam by the government. This research studies the benefits pre-school education has on children before they start going to kindergarten.

Study Design

The study used for this research is non-experimental cross-sectional study design. Since the data will be collected only one time therefore it is the most appropriate approach. The objective of this methodology is to collect data from teachers and parents and other people about their opinion and experience about benefits of sending children to pre-school prior to kindergarten.

Sample Size

Town of Beaumont in Alberta Canada is considered as the population for this study. The population of Beaumont is around 13,000[footnoteRef:1]. Using Raosoft®[footnoteRef:2] sample size calculator, with an 8% margin error, size of the sample is 149. This sample population…