“If you make the decision to send your kid to public school don’t even look at private schools. Just shut the door. Just turn off the TV. And then you don’t even have to worry about preschool. You have to worry about what’s good for your kid, but you don’t have to worry about how to position yourself,” Cynthia Nixon once said. It is often believed that private schools offer a superior education as compared to public schools, which makes sense given the cost. Private schools make up nearly 1/4 of all schools in the United States and they enroll about 10% of students from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade.
The search for the right school arguable starts with finding a good preschool. The benefits of preschool include socializing at a younger age and receiving high mental stimulation when the brain is growing rapidly. Private preschool is, in many districts, the only option. Private schools in coral gables all the way to Manhattan offer better learning opportunities like second language instruction and art.
Given that the world is so rapidly connecting, learning a second language is a huge asset and it’s not all that difficult. It is – in fact – as easy as learning a first language for a child. Cornell Language Acquisition Lab (CLAL) says children who learn a second language have better attention spans, on average, than children who know just one language. Research also indicates that multilinguals have better memory, planning, and multi-tasking skills.
Aside from access to language instruction, finding a good preschool is about finding a good cultural fit. Do you want things to be laid back and flexible to foster creativity? Montessori could be for you! Do you want to ensure that your child gets religious instruction during pre-school? You may look into a non-secular preschool. Luckily, there are many options out there for parents and it’s worth investing the time to find a good fit.
