When I was around five months pregnant with my oldest son, I made a decision to leave the toxic agency life and work with a smaller agency that was ethically and morally sound. They had a Creative Representative position available, and it was commission-based, which also meant that I was able to work from my home office unless I was meeting with clients or attending networking events.
After my son was born, during the daytime, my mom would come to spend time with her baby grandson while I worked. On Thursdays, or as they became “Grandma Day,” my ex-mother-in-law would come to care for my son as I worked, whether in the home or meeting with clients. In the evenings, while attending networking events, my ex-husband was home to care for our baby so I could go to work.
It was a wonderful arrangement, and I loved being able to at least be in the home with my baby even though I was working because sending my babies to daycare was not an option for me. I wanted to be present during those formative years as my mom would say, “Enjoy this time, honey, because you will blink, and they’ll be off to school.” Boy, was she right!
Three years and nine months after my oldest son was born, we had another son. When my youngest baby was around nine months old, it was time for his big brother, who was now four years old, to go to preschool. Here are the reasons why we sent him to preschool before kindergarten, even though the law doesn’t require parents to send their children to school until first grade:
- Socialization
- Get used to being outside the home, not with Mama or the grandmas
- Motor skills
- Emotional development
- Language development
- Boosts literacy and math skills
- Prepares them for kindergarten
- Learning to make choices on their own
- Opportunities for play
- Creativity
- Independence
- Self-confidence
- Cognitive skills
- Encouraging curiosity
- Flexible routine
- Learning to share
- Encourages physical development
According to The National Institute of Health’s research on whether preschool really makes a difference, “Families who combined home and center care appeared to be meeting their priorities for both getting their child ready for school and having a familiar caregiver who shared their background and beliefs. Perceived good child care choices in the community also associated with combining care versus using only home-based child care. Children who attended centers, alone or in combination with home-based child care, averaged higher reading and math scores than children cared for in homes, either by parents or in non-parental arrangements,”.
Furthermore, The College of Education News at North Carolina State reports that, “Early childhood is a critical time when a child’s brain is highly impacted by the contexts and environments that surround them. It is for that reason that NC State College of Education Assistant Professor Michael Little, Ph.D., says a preschool education is important for all students who are able to attend.
‘Oftentimes, when children attend high-quality and effective Pre-K programs, they get a really great boost in early skills that set them up for success in elementary school,’ said Little, who studies policies and programs that seek to improve early educational outcomes for students with a focus on connections between preschool and early elementary grades,”.
*Note: All content within this article is meant for informational purposes only and is in no way a replacement for professional advice or support. Seek immediate and appropriate care from a professional when necessary.
Why public television is important for preschoolers
My mother, like me, stayed home during my formative years. She knew the value of a good education and taught me a lot before sending me to preschool. However, like my sons, I didn’t necessarily need preschool for intellectual reasons but mostly needed it for socialization purposes without our moms or family caregivers.
Even though I was teaching my sons a lot at home, another reason why they and I were intellectually ready for preschool was that we were “PBS Kids.” We learned a lot from shows like:
- Sesame Street
- Curious George
- Mister Rogers Neighborhood
- Clifford the Big Red Dog
- Arthur
- Maya and Miguel
- Reading Rainbow
- The Berenstain Bears
- Martha Speaks
- Magic School Bus
- Thomas and Friends
- Bob the Builder
- The Electric Company
The Child Mind Institute says, “Learning for young children is driven by human interactions, explains Shelley Pasnik, director of the Center for Children & Technology… Pasnik’s research has shown that when kids watch shows like PBS’s Peg + Cat, which teaches early math skills, with parents or caregivers they retain significantly more than when they watch alone. ‘The more parents were involved and used the strategies, the more likely kids were going to experience the benefits of the media,’ she notes.
Watching media together also gives parent and child a shared language with which to communicate when they’re not watching, explains Matt Rouse, PhD, a clinical psychologist. ‘By really being involved you can get more mileage out of those lessons and adapt and use it in everyday life.’
It’s the same reason why psychologists doing cognitive behavioral training with young children include parents. ‘We have parents join our sessions so that they’re using the same terms for things,’ says Dr. Rouse. ‘Then they can use that language outside in the world so that everything comes together more seamlessly.’”.
Benefits of watching public television for child
Watching PBS benefited children like myself and my sons by providing educational content that supported our development in various areas like literacy, math, science, social studies, critical thinking, and social skills. And because it is often presented in an engaging and age-appropriate manner, while also promoting positive values and diverse perspectives, children tend to retain a lot of what they learned.
For example, as a Michigander, we get to view the Canadian PBS too, which meant by the time I entered preschool, I could count to ten in English, Spanish, and French. Let’s not forget Sesame Streets: The Count, who was my first math teacher. “One bat, two bats, three bats, four bats, ahh ahh ahh!”
Does preschool really make a difference?
In conclusion, preschool can significantly influence a child’s development, offering benefits in socialization, cognitive skills, and emotional growth. While parents play a pivotal role at home, preschool provides a structured environment that fosters independence and foundational learning, preparing children for future academic success.