If college is the gateway to a career, then preschool is the official starting point to education. The learning outcomes of preschool are the foundation years for math, science, art, and languages. While there is some debate on when a child should start preschool, there is no debate that Kindergarten admissions afterward are getting more and more competitive. Contact Us
With so many parents vying for so few spots today and admissions tests like the WPPSI, it can take a lot of advanced planning and preparation to get your child into your elementary school of choice. Our preschool and Kindergarten prep tutors are certified early childhood expert teachers (not part-time tutors who are still in college) who can level the playing field with age-appropriate tutoring for individual assessment and learning focus.
Many debates weigh heavily on the curriculum and environment of preschool, which brings us to one question: why is supplemental pre-kindergarten home tutoring more effective than just traditional pre-k alone? Below are the pros and cons of adding preschool home tutoring.
Pre-K tends to be “one-size-fits-all”, but preschool supplemental home tutoring allows parents to have more control of how and what their child learns to fit specific goals. It’s like having a personal coach for your child. Parents may have different goals with regard to admissions after preschool (ie: public vs private, a targeted prestigious elementary vs a school close to their neighborhood). Sometimes, parents do not agree with a particular preschool curriculum or teaching method. Maybe a parent wants to be proactive and have assessments that will show early indicators of a child’s strengths and weaknesses in certain areas. Maybe a parent wants to focus more on honing their child's math skills, or their child seems drawn to the arts and they want to put more emphasis on creativity.
Keeping a set schedule is not a strict requirement when it comes to home tutoring. A parent can schedule sessions mid-morning, afternoon, early evening, or at whatever times work for them. The freedom of scheduling also allows a parent to see what time works best for their child. This can also be an advantage if emergencies or conflicts arise.
Tutoring at home allows a child to be in a more controlled environment, and this makes it easier to maintain focus. There will likely be no surprises (unless planned) that would hinder a child's learning. In fact, a child may learn more effectively in an environment they are familiar and comfortable in. Focus is one of the main keys to developing strategies for tests like the WPPSI.
Home tutoring allows parents to start their child's education at an age they feel is comfortable. This can help eliminate the need to compete with peers and to focus solely on a child's own development. Early or late bloomer, a parent can tailor a child's curriculum to their pace. How early is too early? Likely it will depend on the child and the goals, but it is also likely that even a very young age is not too early for parents to start preparing and thinking about a strategy.
Home tutoring and private kindergarten prep for preschoolers has many positives; however, there are negatives to using that option only. Home tutoring sessions are one-on-one, but we usually recommend considering private tutoring as supplemental, otherwise a pre-k learner may not be socializing enough with children their own age. Many studies have shown that socialization is a major part of positive development. It is through socializing children learn appropriate attitudes, values, and behaviors. For this reason, it is sometimes best when home tutoring is used in addition to some weekly preschool time. If that’s not the case or if homeschooling is desired, we recommend creating a balance that includes a significant amount of time playing with other children in groups as well.
Home tutoring doesn’t have to take more than one hour at a time, but it does require some focus. Patience and routine are the key in having effective tutoring sessions. Luckily, our early childhood experts know age appropriate methods to engage children and make learning fun. They also have techniques to improve focus, and the tutoring itself is a most effective practice and the best possible exercise in that regard. In fact, rushing through lessons will not make a child learn more; it will give the opposite effect. Also, allowing a child to skip lessons without a reasonable excuse will not reinforce a child's learning but hinder it. Take for example when a child is on summer break. For roughly three months, a child is not in school. If they are not enrolled in a summer school or have not had any supplemental tutoring at all, by the time they return to school, they may have forgotten a major part of what they learned. They might gain that knowledge back, but it could be an impediment to a timeline goal of admissions that could easily be fixed with an hour or two here and there of private tutoring over the summer.
Private tutoring sessions can prove to be costly, but if you work with an early childhood expert, the good news is your time is maximized. Even one hour with an early childhood professional once, twice, or three times a week goes a long way, as opposed to daily tutoring with someone who is a babysitter or not an expert in this age group and Kindergarten prep admissions. When you add up the hours, the cost may come out to be much less with much better results.
Weighing the pros and cons of pre-kindergarten home tutoring can help make the decision for or against it much easier. Whatever the decision, it is important for parents to come up with a strategy to reinforce their child's learning at home.
Our Early Childhood Professional Teachers focus on:
1. Early language skills (reading, writing, vocabulary, comprehension)
2. Facilitating logic and critical thinking ability
3. WPPSI Test Strategies
4. Developing social skills
5. Boosting self-confidence
6. Making the process fun
7. Prepping for Kindergarten
8. Coaching for admissions goals
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