To preschool or not to preschool: that is the question

This content has been compensated as part of an Early Childhood Education promotion for Pittsburgh Public Schools. However, all opinions remain my own. #ppsafterschool

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I will admit, I am in a (seeming) rare group of people that has been hesitant to jump into the preschool world.

I share the following to note why our decision was difficult, not to push mommy wars of "my child can do this....." I hope you understand. :)  

My oldest knew all his letters & sounds at 18 months and has always loved to learn. So by casual interactions, we learned. Now at age 4, he can write all his letters, read a clock, read small words, trace, cut, color in the lines, do simple math and all sorts of fun things! He has tons of social opportunities through church, friends, neighbors, playdates, and multiple other functions. So we had to question...do we need to send him to preschool? We finally decided yes. We know he would be able to have some new opportunities to learn in a fun environment. We found a school with 3 day/half day preschool and think that will be a good fit for our family. He is so excited and I know he is going to love having so many fun opportunities to learn new things!

The Pittsburgh Public Schools Early Childhood Education Department provides children, ages birth to five, with a comprehensive, educational program designed to reinforce and respond to the unique strengths and needs of the individual child. Supportive learning environments are fostered to stimulate a child's social, emotional, cognitive and physical growth. Community partnerships are cultivated to build a core network of support services and resources for children and families. We equip children with the necessary educational skills and social tools to provide a seamless transition to kindergarten and beyond. Most Early Childhood Programs are available at no cost to Pittsburgh residents in various neighborhoods across the City.

3 primary goals at Pittsburgh Public Schools:

• To accelerate student achievement
• To eliminate racial disparities in achievement; and
• To become a District of first choice.

 Some advantages for sending your child to preschool:

• Be ready for K5 at the same level as all the other kids who have attended preschool
• Give them a learning advantage
• Learning in a new way 
• Becoming more independent

So maybe you're still on the fence....do we send them? at 3? at 4? It's a big decision, but preschool has a lot of great benefits! Check out many great options through Pittsburgh Public School Early Childhood Education!