Why Kindergarten Education Is Important For Your Child!

A case for kindergartens

Here in the UAE, the government has made preschool (kindergarten stage) education compulsory for all children at the age of 3, and with good reason. 

There’s long been a misconception in the global community that skipping kindergarten has no effect on a child’s academic or professional career at the later stages of their lives, but new research has proven these naysayers otherwise. 

The research, published as an article in the New York Times back in 2010, studied the importance of kindergarten in a child’s mental and social growth. 

The great thing about this research was that, unlike previous studies which were mostly based on test scores and high-school grades, this one looked at the issue from a more holistic point-of-view. A greater focus was placed on factors like the child’s health and eventual earnings when they reached adult life.

There were three very interesting findings.

Firstly, children who attended kindergarten were more likely to maintain marital relationships, had a higher percentage of those who attended college,earned more throughout their professional careers, and had set retirement plans as compared to similar students who didn’t. 

Secondly, the study proved that the quality of preschool teaching had a direct impact on the long-term academic and professional success of each student. Contrary to the earlier belief that the effects of kindergarten education faded out over time, the new research showed a positive correlation between kindergartens and higher test scores. 

Finally, a third finding (less scientifically measurable)was that children learned very important values over their preschool years. This early stage of education built the students’ confidence and instilled a love and appreciation for learning as a whole.The students were also taught important life skills, such as discipline, patience, motivation, and persistence. 

The researchers working on the study estimated that with all things considered (higher income, better quality of life, improved mental and physical health, etc.) exceptional kindergarten teachers were worth $320,000 a year, and the figure would continue to rise as more benefits were realised in later stages of life. 

A few significant inferences can be drawn from this study.

While quality kindergarten education might not be enough on its own to account for bad schooling or poor study environments, it does have significant gains when students enter their professional lives. 

Preschool equips students with the necessary tools and skills they’ll need to overcome the challenges faced at school, and a solid foundation is built from there. 

Of course, external factors will play a major role in the eventual transition to adult life, but quality kindergarten schools in Sharjah suddenly take on a much more important role for your child than we originally thought.

Why Kindergarten – Three great reasons

Leaving aside contradicting research studies for a while, there are plenty of proven benefits of sending your child to preschool. Here are three of the most important:

Mental Growth

During the first four years of a child’s growth, brain development is at its highest. Vital neural connections are being formed that will help the child perform basic tasks later in life, and this is the stage where they’re most eager to learn new skills and acquire useful information.

At this age, the brain is practically a sponge, absorbing and storing as much data as it can. It’s vital to put them in a quality academic setting as soon as possible to ensure that mental growth proceeds as it should, and they get an early start in building a successful career.

Structured learning

The learning structure used at good kindergarten schools in Sharjah is just as important as the students’ mental growth. When young children are placed in a structured, loving environment that uses colours, shapes, sounds textures, and books to teach them basic skills, they learn to be part of a routine and look forward to each new activity.

Learning to identify and become comfortable with familiarity is one of the biggest reasons why pre-school is so important for a child’s growth. It prepares them for the tougher studies ahead and makes the transition to full-time schooling much easier.

Social skills

Instead of focusing on academics, preschools primarily impart the necessary social skills children will need in life to be able to communicate their ideas effectively and comfortably. 

Every kindergarten teacher and parent you’ll talk to at this stage will say the same thing: 

Children need to be taught how to talk, when to talk, how to respect others, to accept people from different backgrounds, to admit when they’re wrong and apologise, when to say please and thank you, to help each other, and how to be compassionate.

Remember: at the end of the day, it won’t matter how good your child is at studies if they struggle to get along with others or can’t articulate their thoughts as they’d like to.