Many psychologists and educators believe that preschool is necessary for children to learn social and basic educational skills. The results of some studies even show that children who attend preschool are academically at an advantage than children who spent their early years with mom or the babysitter. With all the media focus on early childhood education, it makes sense that parents feel that it's a necessary pursuit. I mean, if you were told that sending your child to preschool would give them an educational advantage and social skills, wouldn't you want to send them to preschool too?
Well, for starters, just because something was in a study doesn't mean it's true. There are plenty of us non-preschooled adults out in the world with advanced degrees who graduated in the top of our classes. And there are plenty of preschool educated children who are in prison. Not sending your child to preschool does not mean you are setting them up for failure. In addition, giving your child an academic advantage or social skills may not be most important for your child at that age. It can be just as valuable for a child to be exploring the world in the safety net of his home with a loving parent interacting in his life. Just like there are some valid reasons to send your child to preschool, there are just as many valid reasons to keep your child at home. It's all a matter of perspective. And parents should get to make this decision.
My husband and I have decided to keep our children home as long as possible. In fact, we'll probably educate them at home past the age of preschool. But we're definitely not investing in early childhood education. Why? We actually have lots of reasons, but my favorite answer to this question is this: Because of Moses.
Exodus chapter 2 tells the story of Jochebed and her baby, Moses. Since he was born during a time when Pharaoh was killing all Hebrew baby boys, Jochebed hid Moses in the Nile River. It was here that Pharaoh's daughter found Moses and decided to raise him as her own son. According to Egyptian tradition, she decided to hire a slave to nurse her new baby until the age of 4. God graciously caused Pharaoh's daughter to choose Jochebed, Moses' real mother to raise him. Thus, Jochebed had 4 years to teach and nurture Moses.
After the 4 years was up, Moses was raised as one of Pharaoh's grandchildren and was educated as an Egyptian. If you think sending a 4 or 5 year old to public school is scary, can you imagine how Jochebed felt when she sent Moses to be immersed in Egyptian history, tradition, and religion? Despite the years of indoctrination in Pharaoh's house, Moses didn't reject God at all. Instead, he feared God so much that he was willing to lead God's people out of Egypt. And his fear of God is evident in the first 5 books of the Bible that Moses wrote!
It really ought to be encouraging to any Christian mother that if she is faithful to teach her little ones the truth of God's Word at an early age, it can stick. I know that at age 18 months, many preschools will start accepting new students, but wouldn't it be better to use the first 4 years to teach our children about God? If the task seems daunting, just remember Jochebed. In just 4 years, she taught Moses what he needed to be the leader of the Hebrew nation. And she also managed to raise his brother to be the High Priest too! If you choose not to send your child to preschool, you're already in good company. And if you opt for choosing preschool, then be sure to make teaching God's Word a priority at home.
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