What are the pros and cons of preschools with a structured curriculum?

Question

Is it better for the kids to actually learn something at preschool, or do you think it's too much pressure?

Answer 1

I'm a preschool teacher and yes, it is important. The curriculum is not as pressured as many people think. It is more pressure on the teacher to organise the lessons and make sure holistic development takes place. Most learning takes place through experience (that's why kids play outside a lot in preschool). It is incidental learning.

You'd be amazed by how much kids actually know when they're that young. I tend to underestimate them often.

Answer 2

I believe it is essential that a preschool has a structured curriculum and that the children are learning something.  If they aren't learning anything why are they going to preschool, why not just put them in day care?  They can have a structured curriculum though and still play and have fun.  Kids can build things with clay or do certain activities in the sand box and still be learning.  Sometimes I think people call themselves a preschool and really they are just a glorified day care.  There should be a HUGE difference between the day care and the preschool.

Answer 3

My personal preference is structured.  I currently teach at a structured pre school and the children leave so smart and ready for Kindergarten.  Be sure to check the pre school out thoughouly before enrolling your child.  I have seen some that are so structured the children never leave their desk.  They work all day.  As for the pros and cons here goes:

Pros

Children learn things and are prepared for Kindergarten

Great Social skills taught

Children become academically advanced

Children do more than play all day

Cons

Child becomes used to not beign with me all day but is not taught.

Social skills are available but not forced on child

Child not as prepared for academic work

Answer 4

Preschoolers pretty much absorb information like sponges, and are constantly learning -- whether they're at play, or doing structured activities.  The best preschools provide a balance of both.  There's great value particularly in a curriculum designed to prepare them for reading, since that's the area where parental involvement runs the gamut from great (kids are read to a lot, have toys and activities at home geared toward reading readiness, etc.), to inconsistent, to nonexistent.

Answer 5

I own and operate a preschool center. We have two curriculum's  that we use. The Creative Curriculum and Wee Learn. One is faith based and the other is more theory. Children that are in preschool are there to learn. They learn at a pace that is age appropriate for them. You cannot take a square child and put that child in a round hole no more than you can with a round child and put them in a box. We introduce all the letters and numbers at a pace that is right for them. At the age of four the very first letter they really get to know learn sound write ext, is the first letter of there first name, and so on. We always have their names everywhere so they know what it looks like and can identify it at the tender age of 3. Children need a routine and structure, they need to know what to expect on a daily basis. This helps them with trust and feeling safe. Not having structure and routines leaves the child feeling helpless and lost. They don't know what is going to happen next and becomes afraid of their own shadow. The pressure comes from the parents thinking that a child needs to be learning letter at the age of two, that a child should not get dirty, that a child that plays is not learning, a child should be writitng at the age of three, this is the misunderstanding. A child can learn through play. A child learn how to give, learns how to write, learns how to paint, color and life all through play.

Answer 6

take it from a 16 year old still in school, if kids wanted rules and structured learning they would sit still and listen, kids just wanna play with each other in the pre kindergater 1st and 2nd grade, heck, if i could get naptime in my class i'd be happy

Answer 7

I will not add too much information that the answerers above me have given.

For me, a good structured curriculum would also provide areas where students are allowed to learn freely, happily, yet meaningfully. That should adequately cover concerns that people have about cirriculum that is too structured, when what they actually mean are terms like "overly-limited scope for development", or "contrived systems in education", or "stifling methods of teaching and systems".

Answer 8

A structured preschool will prepare children for actual school.  They (hopefully) will learn to be disciplined and be better prepared to be in a classroom with other children.  A preschool that introduces number, letters, colors, and shapes is also beneficial.