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Preschool Pros and Cons
Does Your Child Need to Go?
By Kelly Burgess
In this environment, a tiny child learns quickly that to trust and follow their own instincts and impulses is wrong and should be ignored, says Keith. They are forced through persuasion, rewards and/or coercion to passively comply with an authority figure that, for the sake of time management and crowd control, does not have their best interests at heart.
To put the remarks of Keith and Myers in perspective, both women home-schooled their children, so the issue of kindergarten readiness, social or otherwise, was never a factor.
In the case of a family that is planning to home-school, preschool is probably not an issue. For a family that is not home-schooling, preschool is probably something that should be considered. If, after that consideration, the parents decide that preschool isn't right for their family, there is a lot parents can do to help prepare their child for kindergarten.
Myers suggests the Talaris Research Institute for guidelines on developmental issues both social and academic. Also, she notes that home-school groups can be great resources for social interaction for very young children even if they are not going to be home-schooled.
Keep in mind, too, that most preschools aren't five days a week, eight hours a day; they're just two or three hours a day, two or three days per week.
Dr. Heins says there's nothing wrong with even the most dedicated parent putting their child in preschool just to take a short break from the nonstop world of parenting. That can make the rest of your time together even more special and relaxed.