Many Garrett Park parents might rightly view preschool as a convenient option to keep their children occupied and supervised while they work or run errands. However, preschool is also much more than just childcare. It is a crucial stage in a child’s life that can have lasting effects on their further development, as well as their future success. But it all depends on choosing the right preschool program for your family and your child.

What Makes Garrett Park preschool programs Standout?

The reason that Garrett Park preschool programs stand out from many other programs in the neighborhood, is that the center is more than just a “parking place” for kids in their care:

• Caring, experienced staff look after the children in their care
• Children are in a safe, secure, supervised environment
• The program offers healthy snacks while the kids attend the programs
• Their staff and the kids bond through a variety of activities and games, that keep the children engaged and alert

It is this caring environment that parents love, and children long to be part of. Parents know their children are safe and well looked after, while they carry on with their own work or personal lives. Children long to go back to the programs, because it’s a fun and exciting place for a young child to be in.

Transformative Preschool Elements

Preschool is not mandatory in many jurisdictions across the world. However, research has shown that it can provide significant benefits for children from different backgrounds and abilities. Some of the transformative advantages of preschool include:

• Cognitive development: Preschool exposes children to various activities and materials that stimulate their curiosity and creativity. They learn to explore, experiment, and solve problems through play and interaction. They also develop their language, literacy, and numeracy skills by listening to stories, singing songs, and playing games. For example, a preschool staff member might use puppets to tell a story and ask the children questions about the characters and the plot. Or, trained preschool aides might set up a pretend grocery store and let the children practice counting, sorting, and measuring items.
• Social and emotional development: Preschool is important for a child’s social and emotional development. According to studies[i], children learn a range of social and emotional skills in preschool. These include taking turns, and developing problem-solving skills. They also learn about showing affection spontaneously, developing friendships, showing interest in being part of a group, and becoming more independent. Preschool children undergo significant emotional development. The social skills children learn at this age pave the way for them to understand friendship, develop routines, and interpret various situations. Encouragement of this kind of learning sets children up for successful and healthy social interactions later in life[ii].
• Physical development: Preschool promotes children’s health and well-being by providing them with opportunities to exercise, play, rest, and eat healthy snacks. They learn to develop their fine and gross motor skills, as well as their sensory awareness and coordination. They also learn to practice good hygiene and nutrition habits. For example, a preschool teacher might organize a dance session or an obstacle course for the children to move their bodies and have fun. Or, a preschool teacher might teach the children how to wash their hands properly and why it is important to do so.
• School transition support: Preschool helps children transition to formal schooling by exposing them to a structured environment with rules and routines. They learn to follow directions, take turns, and share resources. They also learn to adapt to different expectations and challenges that they will face in kindergarten and beyond. For example, a preschool staffer might help the children practice writing their names or recognizing letters and numbers. Or, a preschool aide might arrange a field trip or a guest speaker for the children to learn about something new.

If you are a parent living in Garrett Park or its neighborhood, you can look forward to enrolling your child in high-quality preschool programs. These programs care for and support your child while you work or carry on with other personal engagements. But they also involve your child in transformational play-based activities that keep them healthy and engaged.

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Beyond “caring”: How Early Education Transforms Young Minds

High-quality child care programs are critical to society. They take child caring stress off working parents, who must work to support the family’s lifestyle. They offer eager parents, who have taken a break from work life, to get back into the workforce and contribute to society. And, they strengthen the workforce, giving employers a larger pool of talent to choose from.

Families, who benefit from a preschool program at Garrett Park, certainly owe the center a debt of gratitude. These programs contribute immensely to enriching the lives of parents, families, communities, and employers in the neighborhood. However, children in the care of these programs, are the ultimate beneficiaries, because they receive more than just “care”!

• Preschool is more than childcare because it offers a structured and stimulating environment where children can explore, discover and create. Trained and highly qualified staff know how to design and implement engaging and developmentally appropriate activities for the kids in their care. These activities foster children’s cognitive, language, social, emotional and physical growth. A play-based preschool curriculum, such as the Creative Curriculum®, is based on research and best practices that support children through early childhood development.
• Beyond spending time in a caring and safe place, preschool is more than childcare because it helps children develop a positive attitude towards learning and themselves. Preschool encourages children to be curious, confident and independent learners who can ask questions, solve problems and express their ideas.
• Unlike home-based child care, preschool also helps children develop self-regulation, cooperation and empathy skills that are essential for building healthy relationships with others. Preschool provides children with opportunities to interact with peers and adults from diverse backgrounds and cultures, which enhances their awareness and appreciation of diversity.

Viewed in that lens, preschool is more than childcare because it is an investment in our children’s future. By enrolling your child in a high-quality preschool program at Garrett Park, you are giving them the best possible start in life. You are also contributing to the well-being of your community and the world.

[i] Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in Preschool – Preschool.org

[ii] https://www.michigan.gov/mikidsmatter/parents/pre-k/social; https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/mar2018/promoting-social-and-emotional-health