Early Childhood Education at Private Schools

Early childhood education (or preschool) at private school can be a relatively affordable way of looking into private school or of giving your child a learning edge at an early age.

Early childhood programs offered by private schools are focused on learning. They offer your child a head start on his or her education and give him or her a taste of what school will be like. Many governments fund early childhood education (ECE) programs, and in fact some private schools have this funding available to them if their programs meet certain criteria.

Investigate each school to find out what funding might be available to them. In some cases, ECE tuition can be included as childcare costs in your tax accounting (consult with an accountant, to be certain).

Private schools with preschool programs
The parliament of Canada reports that "Studies in early childhood education and care have consistently demonstrated that quality programming is strongly correlated to the wages, education, and retention of staff." What easier way to find those qualities than at a private school?

Some private schools offer advanced education at early ages. For example, the Elmwood School offers the International Baccalaureate programme beginning at the age of three. There are numerous other advantages to sending your child to a private school for their early childhood education.

To ECE or not to ECE?
Some parents are leery of sending their children to preschool, thinking that they should keep them at home for longer. There are pros and cons, of course. On the one hand, pre school does offer educational advantages but on the other hand there are many benefits to a child's development in having a lot of contact with their own parents. Obviously, the choice is a personal one. An overview of pros and cons is available here.