


They teach social skills through daily interactions, mentoring, and even direct teaching, when appropriate.

A quality pre-k or preschool education requires nurturing teachers who create safe environments where children can thrive. Social-emotional growth: Relationships are at the heart of successful classrooms, regardless of the age or stage. A typical day includes rich opportunities for pretend play, music, art, science, reading, and math activities. At these ages, children learn best through hands-on experiences, learning, and exploring. Meaningful learning: Both preschool and pre-kindergarten classrooms in a high-quality program emphasize an emergent curriculum and approach: playful learning that is driven by the children’s interests and based on sound, age-appropriate practices. In this article, we cover the similarities and differences between preschool and pre-kindergarten to help you choose a program that’s right for your child. A quality early childhood education is about providing a well-rounded curriculum that fosters whole-child growth and encourages children to communicate, collaborate, create, and think critically-skills children need that researchers have identified as essential for success in the 21st century.īoth preschool and pre-k curriculums address children’s needs, but pre-kindergarten is distinct and separate from preschool. Parents often ask about the difference between preschool and pre-kindergarten, and wonder if pre-kindergarten is really necessary. Many early childhood schools and centers offer both preschool and pre-kindergarten, sometimes called “kindergarten prep” programs.
