FAC ee Pe Oe : Help Your Child Love Learning From TheStart (NAPSA)—As many families have discovered, the time before a child begins kindergarten is critical to his or her development and success, both in school and later in life. In fact, up to 90 percent of brain development happens before children enter kindergarten. Skills learned early on will follow children for years to come. To help their kids succeed, it’s important for families to help foster and build the skills that can ensure a young student is ready for school. Expert Advice To prepare for this new learning experience, Professor ShaunAdrian Chofla shares his ideas on how families can help a child transition from preschool to kindergarten and lay the groundworkfor future success. He’s a faculty memberin the child development program at The National Hispanic University, where the bachelor’s and master’s programs in early childhood give educators the necessary in-depth knowledge and skills to prepare children for success in school. For example, Professor Chofla says that families should know homeis the first place children develop the learning skills that will carry them throughout their scholastic careers. Signs Of Readiness To that end, he advises families how to determine if a child is ready for school. Such signs in- s aa A good early childhood education can prepare children for success in school—and a good degree program can prepare teachers to provide just that. clude whetherheor she can: * Communicate his or her needs verbally. * Demonstrate independence. Get along well with others. Showbasic skill recognition. * Demonstrate self-control. What Families Can Do To encourage learning and support your child’s success in school, Professor Chofla offers these suggestions: * Create a culture of learning at home. Read every day to your child and talk about the story. Build a relationship with your child’s teacher. As someone who specializes in teaching children from infancy through 6 years of age, your child’s teacher can recommend other ways to support academicskills. Learn More For more insight into teacher training and early childhood programs, visit NHU.edu/earlystart.
