Ask any kindergarten teacher to point out which of their students attended preschool and which did not, and most will know right off the bat.
    
Preschool matters, since the first five years of a child’s life are a crucial developmental period. A wide body of research has found that children who are stimulated during these years and attend a high-quality preschool are more prepared for formal reading and math, and are more likely to have the social skills they need for kindergarten.
    
“One of the primary reasons for putting children in preschool is socialization and interaction with peers and adults other than family members,” says Cathy Wietstock, manager of Early Childhood Education for the Orange County Department of Education. “We need to provide children with opportunities to separate and become resilient.”

Call it kindergarten prep school
Rae Douglas, director of the academic-minded preschool at the Fairmont Private School’s Citron campus in Anaheim, says a focus on preparing children for kindergarten is critical. Preschoolers get a head start on academic skills, such as early reading and math, and, equally important, they learn to share, solve problems, ask questions and communicate with others.

Indeed, more than nine out of 10 kindergarten teachers throughout California believe it is important for children to attend preschool before kindergarten, according to a 2005 statewide poll of California public school kindergarten teachers. The poll, conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, was initiated by the advocacy group Preschool California (preschoolcalifornia.org), which  supported a failed ballot initiative in 2006 to provide free preschool to all 4-year-olds in California whose parents chose to enroll them.

The poll found that:
> Ninety-five percent of teachers said children who attended preschool are better prepared to start kindergarten and are more ready to learn.
> Eighty-eight percent said they spent extra time working on basic skills with the children who did not have the benefit of preschool, which resulted in these teachers having less time to spend with more advanced students.
> Ninety-three percent said they could tell, without looking at student records, which children in their classrooms had attended preschool, based on their behavior and skills.
    
The benefits of preschool
Preschool California cites scores of studies that tout the benefits of preschool. Among the findings are that children who attend quality preschools are:

> More likely to graduate from high school and attend college
> Less likely to be placed in special education classes or be held back a grade
> Less likely to need public assistance as adults
> Less likely to be arrested, involved in drugs or crime, or incarcerated
> More likely to be employed
> More likely to earn a higher income
> More likely to lead healthy lives

Tips on choosing a quality preschool
These guidelines – developed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (naeyc.org), a children’s educational advocacy group – can help parents identify high-quality preschools:

> Curriculum: It should include a variety of activities appropriate for the children’s ages and needs.
> Staff: Ask what degrees and training the teachers have and how long teachers have been with the program or school. Teachers who stay in the program longer are more able to establish bonds with the children.
> Family ties: Make sure that you can visit your child during the day.
> Facilities: Make sure the school is licensed by the state, which means it follows state and federal requirements regarding health and safety issues. Facilities should be well-maintained, indoors and out. There should be lots of toys. Find out about policies and practices that help keep children safe from preventable ill-nesses and injuries.
> Child-teacher ratio: There should be at least one adult for every 10 4-year-olds; Preschool California says effective pre-K
programs should have at least one teacher and one assistant teacher and no more than 20 children per class.

Amy Bentley is a contributing writer.


Preschool free of charge

Eight years ago, the Nuview School District founded California’s first – and only – free district-wide preschool. Nuview is a low-income district, and 50 percent of the population is Latino. Most children enter the preschool without former knowledge of the English language.
    
The program began under the guidance of Superintendent Jay Hoffman, who has created other Nuview programs, such as adult education and subsidized childcare.
    
The preschool is funded by First 5 California, a cigarette tax that is financing the California Children and Families Commission. It also receives funding from private investors. The most prominent benefactors are Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda; the couple donated half a million dollars.
    
The Nuview district mainly promotes literacy for both child and parent. Fully licensed and credentialed teachers staff the preschool program, and while children are learning in the classroom, parents can take adult literacy classes offered at the school.
    
The preschool was designed specifically to accommodate 4-year-olds.
Its amenities include a garden that the children tend, a tiny stream to play in, a trolley, books, arts and crafts supplies and low-level windows.
    
Hoffman says, “By the time our preschoolers start kindergarten, they know their numbers and their alphabet and, most importantly, they are confident. This has made a huge improvement in the
success of the child’s overall education.”
    
It is most suiting that the district is called Nuview, because this “new view” of education proves how important preschool education is. And even though Nuview is but a tiny district, its cost-free preschool may be ahead of its time. Perhaps, someday, free preschool won’t just exist in the small community of Nuevo, but in all of California. n

Kathleen Crain is a staff writer.