My daughter has been in the Pre-K program for 2 years. We just recently registered her for kindergarten where she had the opportunity to sit down with one of the kindergarten teachers. The kindergarten teacher then came back and talked to my husband and me. The kindergarten teacher said there are normally several things they tell parents to work on during the summer with their child prior to them starting kindergarten. She went on to say that there is nothing we need to work on this summer with our daughter because she is already well prepared to start kindergarten.
The reason my daughter is so prepared to go to kindergarten is because of all she has learned in the past two years in the Pre-K program. The Pre-K program provides a wonderful foundation for academics but it also provides a safe environment to learn social skills and to build confidence and self-esteem. There was a time when I was nervous about my daughter transitioning into the kindergarten setting, but now I realize that my daughter has all the tools she needs to make that transition a success, and there is no doubt in my mind that if she was not a part of the Pre-K program for the past two years that she would not be as prepared and excited to start kindergarten.
