Finding Best Preschool for Gifted Child

Question: Our 2-year-old daughter leaves the neighborhood children her age in the dust. She is so much more advanced intellectually. Not only is her vocabulary far more sophisticated, she can do simple addition problems without any difficulty. What should we look for in a preschool for our child? -- Very Advanced

Answer: When you look for a preschool, you need to remember that preschool is not a time for much schoolwork. It's a time for children to learn how to be more independent, get along with other children and adults and start to find out how to behave in school.

You cannot typically expect much schoolwork beyond an introduction to alphabet letters and single-digit numbers at most preschools. However, there are things that you should look for in a preschool. You will want to see a curriculum that offers challenges through new experiences and interesting activities beyond those that she will get at home. You also want to see a warm environment with kind and loving teachers.

If you are a bit baffled about what your gifted young child needs at 2, you need to visit the websites of gifted organizations. The second thing you should do is find the gifted organizations in your community so you can share experiences with the parents of other gifted children.

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