Many parents opt to send their children to preschool or similar early learning program. If they are working parents, their child typically spends their first three years of life in daycare before transitioning to a preschool. Daycare focuses on basic infant and toddler care followed by teaching the child autonomous skills, such as learning to feed, dress, or toilet themselves.

Preschool marks the "unofficial" start of a child's academic career. Rather than simply being babysat, the child begins accumulating social and intellectual skills, skills that prepare them for the official start: kindergarten.

In recent years, there has been a push in some communities to move away from the traditional 9-month schedule and make the switch to year-round school instead. Some parents have been reluctant to embrace this change, but it actually makes a lot of sense for children of all ages, including preschoolers. Here is a look at three benefits of year-round preschool.

The Child Is Likely Already on This Schedule

An infant whose parents work usually enters the daycare system at about 6 weeks of age. They are accustomed to spending the majority of their weekday waking hours being cared for in an institutional setting. Sending the child to year-round preschool instead won't make a difference to the majority of children.

Traditional School Schedules Can Tax Parents and Daycare Facilities

When a child attends a school with a traditional schedule, the same archaic system that supported agrarian needs in the past makes life harder for modern parents. What are they supposed to do with their kids for those three months of summer? Daycare facilities can't just suddenly make more room, create more openings, and hire more staff every June.

Summer school programs can be useful, but for most parents, they don't cover their daycare needs. This leaves a logistical nightmare trying to figure out the daycare gap that needs to be filled.

Children Retain What They Learn

Having a year-round schedule with periodic, short breaks of a week or two here and there as opposed to a 3-month long break each summer means a child will be less likely to experience academic decline. The momentum and progress the teacher makes with each child in his or her care can and does decline over long summer breaks. By converting the school schedule to year-round, the momentum energy can continue uninterrupted, building upon itself at an accelerated rate. This is especially important for children with learning disabilities. In preschool-aged children, more frequent breaks mean their attention span won't be overwhelmed. 

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