Every parent wants to give a bright future for their little one. This desire drives us all on a constant hunt to find the best of everything for them. Trying to find the best way to invest in your child can be a puzzling and frustrating experience. One common tip of advice from those in the past would be to save for your child’s future as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, this usually means saving for children that have yet to be born. Many of us have followed these tips, but are they the right ones? Saving money for our children’s financial future may actually be a step in the wrong direction. If you overlook your child’s current needs, you may create a recipe for disaster.
Before you start hunting for Ivy League colleges, think about what your child needs now. Here are three reasons why investing in your child’s preschool education will be the best decision you make.
Support Your Child
It may surprise you to hear that early childhood investment yields big payoff. While they are just starting to walk and talk, children’s brains are developing faster than we could imagine. The first few years of a child’s life are crucial. What they learn in this time will be the foundation for their entire life. In the first few years, a child will build their perception of life based on their experiences. This means if they have bad experiences, they will always have a bad outlook on life (even if their life is perfectly fine).
One of the very meaningful benefits of investing in early childhood education is giving them a positive outlook on life. This easy step will provide a strong foundation while your child continues to grow and learn. The child’s brain development does not end after they make their opinions, though! Within the first five years of life, your child will have developed ninety percent of their brain. Find a school that encourages social, emotional, perceptual, and cognitive thinking to build that brain.
Support Your School
Investing in your child’s preschool education can seem difficult. There are many care center options to choose from. Unfortunately, many of the centers can only offer very basic childcare. This means your child will come home alive and happy, but not very educated. Do not fall into one of these childcare traps! Conduct extensive research to find what centers offer their clientele.
Schools with emotional, social, cognitive, science, and literacy-based education are a great start. Take it a step further by finding schools with Reggio Emilia and Montessori approaches. Children Central is a good example of a Yardley preschool with a Reggio Emilia and Montessori approach. These two approaches offer nature-based and “hands-on” learning. These methods of teaching are fun and very attractive for young children. While these schools are usually more expensive than others, they are a major investment in your child. Here, your child will feel loved and cared by professionals that provide the best education. For every dollar invested in early childhood education, you are building a better future for them and for society.
Support Your Community
By investing in preschool programs, you are making an impact in your community. One of the major effects is the support of your child and the school through his or her enrollment. Your contributions may also be helping your child’s peers. Many schools use funding to create scholarship programs for children in lower-income communities. In selecting a good preschool, you are demanding higher-quality education in your community. This decision will create a snowball effect. Schools in the area will see this demand for better education and improve their programs. Thus, the quality of education will increase over time.
There are definitely benefits of planning for your child’s financial future. However, investing in early childhood development will take them much further in the long run. American Blues musician B.B King once said that no one can take away your education. While education can not be taken away, money can be. Invest in your child with something that is beneficial to them.
By investing in your child’s preschool education, they will continue to build from this intellectual platform. Later down the road, their skills can help them with money management. If you decide to save money for them, this money can now be better maintained. On top of providing for your child’s intellectual future, you will be supporting higher-quality preschools. This in turn supports the school’s staff, children, and education as a whole. Ultimately, your whole community with thrive. Supporting early childhood development with a high public return has never been so easy.
