What is really happening during this time, and its impact on children’s development?
Back to school is among us, and to parents it can mean different things. For parents of older children, it means back to routines that help shape their daily lives, provide the social interactions that they need to be well rounded people, and to prepare them for more rigorous work that lies ahead. For parents of young children, back to school is more about developing a sense of consistency and expanding children’s understanding of the world around them.
Each day, MILLIONS of children under the age of five are enrolled in childcare facilities. With academic standards becoming more rigorous, enrollment is growing and parent expectations are growing in tandem. At the same time, there is a cultural shift toward nurturing a global consciousness in young children, to expose them to more complex concepts such as diversity, conservation, inclusion, empathy, self-regulation and critical thinking. The preschool dynamic is the perfect place for children to explore these concepts as they grow alongside a number of peers on the same journey on a consistent basis. The key factors of a quality preschool are that these practical and humanistic elements are part of children’s everyday lives.
At Crème de la Crème, we want all of our children to excel in these key areas. Our school dynamic supports children’s autonomy by asking them to make choices, be independent, and be accountable for their interactions with their peers, observing the spectrum of reactions to each of their actions. As young children are provided numerous opportunities to explore these dynamics, their concepts of the world expand, and so does their cognition – how they come to know. This crucial skill of investigating that which is unknown or challenging triggers their brains to create connections that allow them to think abstractly, pushing the boundaries of their current understanding of the mechanics of life.
As parents entering the back to school phase, we encourage you to support your child’s independence by prompting them to make decisions for themselves (of course, within reason). Let them feel the effects of their choices, both good and bad, and speak to the emotions as they move from one experience to the next. A child that is supported, encouraged to take risks, and given the space to be wrong and bounce back is a child that will grow resilient and able to face the future without fear.
Welcome back to school.
Dr. Masek
VP of Education