Early childhood education is incredibly important. Early education helps to prepare children for a lifetime of academic excellence. According to IBISWorld, there are 22,460 early learning centers in the United States. Here is what you can expect your child to get from an early childhood education.

Social and Emotional Development

A big part of childhood education is focused on socialization, developing social skills, and emotional development. Young children are encouraged to socialize with friends in the classroom, build relationships, and talk about their feelings. Social and emotional development is important to early childhood education. Your child will learn important social skills. They learn how to manage conflict and collaborate with their peers.

Communication and Language Skills

Children are taught communication and language skills. They are taught the basic skills they need to build a foundation that their elementary education can build on. Children are engaged in storytime, informal learning, and more. Children learn to recognize letters, sight words, and more. These are critical skills. These basic skills are the seeds of literacy. This is how your child learns to read and write.

Problem Solving Skills

Children learn critical problem-solving skills. They are encouraged to develop their imagination through art and other creative endeavors which nurture problem-solving skills. Children are engaged and presented with problems they can solve to build confidence. Children learn math basics. They learn to recognize numbers, shapes, patterns, and more. They learn how to count and add and subtract. All of these skills will help them to hone their problem-solving skills now and in the future.

Learning Is Fun

Your child will learn that learning can be fun. There is much to learn in a childhood educational setting, but all the learning is done in a fun environment. Children are permitted to be children and to learn at their own pace. Children are encouraged and supported to feel confident in and connected to learning.

The best programs educate the whole child. Early childhood education focuses on helping your child meet all their developmental milestones, caring for their emotional health, and providing the primary education they need to prepare for their formal education. Learn more about what your child can learn in an exceptional early childhood education program at Washington Ready Start Early Childhood Network.