The more obvious purpose for preschool is the fact that it is designed to introduce and prepare children for a more formal educational environment. Developmentally, boys may not be as prepared as girls to enter into kindergarten, so preschool helps prepare these children to enter into elementary school on a more level playing field. The benefits are not just limited to boys, however. Regardless of income or even the education level of the parents of these children, laying this framework helps prepare kids for scholastic success.
While preschool children may not yet be developed enough to enter more formal education like K-12 schools, they still benefit from activities that stimulate their ability to learn. Music, poetry and art play a significant role in this early education. Arts and crafts teach children a variety of skills, from learning how to express their thoughts on paper through drawings to the muscle control it takes to operate scissors or use a pencil or crayon.
Children learn how to react to the world around them initially from their parents. The opportunity to socialize with other children builds on this emotional competence and hones their social skills by interacting with other children their own age. Preschools help children learn how to be part of a group, something they will need to learn as citizens of the world. Putting them in a classroom environment teaches patience and generosity as children learn to wait their turn or share with others.
The Chicago study that followed children born between 1979 and 1980 offered convincing evidence that even children living below the poverty line, who are at a higher risk for destructive behavior later in their teens and early adulthood, benefited from a preschool education. These children were 28 percent less likely fall victim to alcohol or drug abuse, or end up in jail. Likewise, they were 24 percent more likely to go on to pursue a college education.