Tag Archives: heritage wake forest preschools

UNC Study Shows How Quality Preschool Creates Advantages

Poor children who get high-quality day care as early as infancy reap long-lasting benefits, including a better chance at a college degree and steady employment, according to a UNC-Chapel Hill study that followed participants from birth to age 30.

The latest findings, published this week in the online journal Developmental Psychology, are from one of the longest-running child care studies in the United States.

Conducted by the Frank Porter Graham Development Institute at UNC, the research is widely cited in a body of evidence that early childhood education can change the trajectory of young lives.

The findings may be cited in a court battle looming over state-funded pre-kindergarten for low-income children. For months, Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue and Republican leaders in the legislature have been at odds over funding for preschool for 4-year-olds.

The UNC study, known as the Abecedarian Project, began in 1972 with 111 babies from low-income families who were randomly assigned to two groups.

Half were enrolled in quality early childhood education from infancy to kindergarten; the other half, the control group, received what ever care their families arranged.

Researchers have followed the children since then. Along the way, the child care group posted better scores on reading and math tests in school.

They were more likely to pursue education beyond high school and less likely to become teenage parents.  Full Article

What Makes a Good Wake Forest Kindergarten?

Parents are often extremely concerned with the success of their child’s academic endeavors, with the majority placing a genuine value at the start of Kindergarten.  However, with so many options for Wake Forest Kindergartens, how can a family know the best choice to make for their child?   Should a parent choose secular or religious?  A private Kindergarten or a public option?  After school care or the “2:30″ pick up?  Here are some tips to help make the decision a little easier:

• Balanced emphasis on non-academic skills: Students should be encouraged to develop social skills like group cooperation, leadership, compromise, negotiation and conflict resolution.
• Each child’s learning style should be determined and honored so that he or she can be taught to that style.
• Teachers should also guide children to learn at their own pace rather than cram information and new skills down their throats and expect them to learn all things at the same rate.
• The curriculum should be flexible enough to adapt to the burgeoning and unpredictable interests of the student.
• The curriculum should be geared to the development of the whole child rather than focusing only on the three Rs. Children should learn things like character development, personal health and fitness, nutrition, etc.
• Regardless of the subject matter, critical thinking skills should be emphasized over rote learning.
• Schools should encourage parent participation and volunteerism.
• Playground equipment should be safe and inspire imagination, social development and creative play.

Source: Parenting.com

A Closer Look at Preschools in the Heritage (Wake Forest NC) Area

Preschools in Heritage (Wake Forest NC)

The Wake Forest Area in North Carolina is famous for its system of schools. Right from the preschools to the high schools this area boasts of some of the best schools available. It is a difficult task to zero down on one preschool in the Wake forest Area in North Carolina given the number of choices you have. But there are some factors that will help you choose one. The major factor is the mode of instruction used in these preschools. The preschools in Heritage (Wake Forest NC) usually teach the children as per three main kinds of mode of instruction.

• Montessori Style: Dr. Maria Montessori was the pioneer of this mode of instruction and developed this mode by observing children minutely in the time period of 1900. She created the Montessori Foundation that looks into the overall improvement of the children by inculcating instruction in the disciplines of language or arts or mathematics, along with healthy habits and hygiene training. They only teach students from the age of three onwards. The children are encouraged to carry on with the activities on their own. Experts in the field believe that Montessori education helps the students to have an overall development in their literary skills.

• Head Start Style: This mode of instruction has been funded by the Health and Human Services department of the United States. The instructors help in forming the mathematical and analytical skills of children at a nascent stage. This helps boosting their confidence and hence makes them more social and cognitive than others. The children opting for this mode of instruction must be at least five years in age. Since this is a state funded system the children of economically low profile are also eligible in this course. The State department offices provide enough information about the centers which has this mode of instruction to the interested families.

• Cooperative Mode: This mode makes the use of cooperation of the parents in their program. This is usually organized by people from the same neighborhood or from the same economic background, so that the parents can also participate in the development of the children. The educational instructions are provided solely to the children while the parents are made participants in fun activities that the schools organize from time to time. Since there are situations when both the parents are working, this kind of pre schools organize one day in the week or in a weekend to have both the parents and the children together for some activity.

The activities can range from creating interesting artifacts with unnecessary things to pursuing a hobby like that of painting or trying ones hand on music. Working in cooperation with adults, children learn to adjust in different age groups.

As per your requirement, you can choose any of the three modes of instruction in which you want your children to be taught. However the role of teachers in these preschools is also very important in helping your children develop their skills.  The Wake Forest Montessori Preschool offers a community styled approach to education in Wake Forest North Carolina and is open to all residents with children desiring to learn without limitations during the developing years.