The Child Care Business Owner Institute

Promoting Academic Success in Preschool by Debra Johnson

Running a childcare business is a tremendous responsibility as teachers and directors are responsible for every facet of a child’s life, from keeping the children safe and healthy to ensuring that they receive the best education.

Additionally, research supports the idea that a quality preschool program will have a strong effect upon a child’s future academic success. Therefore, it is imperative that childcare businesses make every effort to provide a quality education for the children in their care while also keeping the children engaged in enjoyable activities.

 The following ideas can be implemented into any preschool program in order to promote literacy, mathematical knowledge, and social and emotional awareness.

1. Select a curriculum-The best preschool programs utilize a curriculum that is research-based and includes a variety of lessons that cover a broad range of subjects. When teachers have a curriculum to follow, then their lesson plans will be directed and focused.

2. Use assessment tools-Children enter a preschool program with a variety of different levels of skills. It can often be difficult to determine where a child is at by observation alone. While informal observations can be helpful, a childcare business should also include proven assessment methods in their curriculum in order to identify problems and plan for individualization.

3. Encourage diversity-Our society is becoming increasingly global. Therefore, it is important for children to learn to respect and understand cultures that may have traditions that are different from their beliefs. Books, music and toys can all be found that can be used to emphasize diversity within a childcare business.

4. Focus on literacy-Learning to read is a vital part of a child’s education. At the preschool level, positive experiences with reading can enable children to become successful later in life. Therefore, reading out loud to the children should be done every day. Additionally, books should be available to the children no matter where they are in the center.

5. Plan outdoor activities-Outside time is always an exciting opportunity for children to enjoy some freedom from their routine as they build their gross motor skills. However, it is also important to plan for outdoor activities that will support a child’s development. Science, math and literacy activities can all be incorporated into an outdoor time.

6. Encourage parental involvement-When a child’s parents are involved in their education, then they are more likely to experience success. Preschool is a great time to begin to introduce parents to how they can help support their child’s educators. In order to do this, parents should be invited to become involved in parent meetings, conferences and by volunteering their skills in the classroom.

A childcare business can promote a child’s academic success by including a quality preschool program in their center. By using a research-based curriculum that will enable them to plan activities that will support every academic domain, educators can begin to work alongside parents to build a child’s skills for their future success.

About the Author:This guest post is contributed by Debra Johnson, blogger and editor of Liveinnanny.com.She welcomes your comments at her email Id: – jdebra84 @ gmail.com.

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