Effective preschool helps kids become ready to learn and ready to read.  When done right, preschool is an investment in school success and yields long-term benefits.

Effective preschool provides eager young learners with early academic and social skills that prepare them to be effective learners in kindergarten. 

• 95 percent of California kindergarten teachers say their students who attended preschool are better prepared for kindergarten in both social and academic areas.  For more from these teachers, including real-life stories from the classroom, read Preschool California's Praise for Preschool.
   
• The preschool years are a time when children’s brains are rapidly developing. Preschool is a time for children to learn about self-control, curiosity, cooperation, paying attention, and other skills that will prepare them for K-12 classrooms.  Read the National Institute for Education Research's Preschool Policy Brief.
   
• Forty percent of California’s preschoolers are English learners, and they are shown to make great gains in preschool programs – when they have access. 
   
• When kids start school behind, many will only fall further behind. It is wiser to provide preschool programs that boost children’s abilities in early childhood than it is to make schools help them catch up in adolescence.

Source: Preschool California. Visit  www.preschoolcalifornia.org for research and data on the importance of early childhood education.