During the early years, children go through crucial developmental stages, and continuous, quality preschool education can have a lasting and valuable effect on children's overall development. High-quality early childhood development programs that offer developmentally appropriate curricula enable children to formulate age-appropriate cognitive skills. Developmentally appropriate curricula helps in developing cognitive skills that help them acquire new skills and knowledge. Preschool offers children the opportunity to take part in activities they wouldn't normally do at home, such as arts and crafts, science activities, sand and water play, music and movement. These activities can improve children's lives, boost their development and give them the tools they need for the future. Children who participate in nursery school come into contact with peers and discover the art of socializing. When it comes time to go to kindergarten, children who have attended preschool tend to be more mentally prepared because they already know a certain level of structure. Quality preschool programs can improve children's lives, develop social skills and support their development. When children are able to socialize, they build many necessary tools that they will use for the rest of their lives. Preschool helps prepare children for future school years. Preschool children grow and develop at a very rapid rate. The preschool years represent a critical stage in children's emotional development. During this period, children begin to understand that their body, mind and feelings are their own. Children at this time become better at identifying their own feelings – such as happiness, sadness, fear or anger.... middle of paper... Children have such strong resources for growth and learning that with an education environment and reasonable support the majority will be remarkably successful. Works Cited Barnett, W. S. (2002). Early childhood education. In A. Molnar (Ed.), Proposals for school reform: The research evidence (pp. 1–26). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing, Inc. Barnett, W. S., & Camilli, G. (2002). Compensatory preschool education, cognitive development and “race”. In J. M. Fish (Ed.), Race and intelligence: Separating science from myth (pp. 369–406). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Shonkoff, J., & Phillips, D. (Eds.). (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of child development. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.Wortham, S.C. (2002). Early childhood curriculum: Developmental foundations for learning and teaching (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.