Keep Preschoolers Cool about School

Keep Preschoolers Cool about School

The first day of school is a momentous occasion for parent and
child. Excitement, tinged with uncertainty, fills the weeks
before September. Anxious mothers coax awkward five-year-old
fingers to tie shoelaces (or give up and buy sneakers with
Velcro), while proud fathers urge their children to write their
own names or recite the alphabet.

It used to be that children entering the school system were
expected to have mastered certain skills before arriving, but
times have changed, according to Marilyn Philbrick, a primary
education co-coordinator for a large, progressive school board.