Should Preschool Be Mandated?

I have pondered this question quite a bit recently. Having worked in the field of early childhood development for the past 10 years, I have come to develop strong personal and professional opinions about this topic. We live in a world of increasing competition and growing knowledge, so should preschool be mandated as the first step in organized education?

Personally, I don't believe that many things should be mandated. I feel that once we begin to relinquish control over important aspects of our lives, including the paths our children will take, we begin to lose our sense of individuation. Most parents are the expert on their own child. They know their own child best, and no teacher, therapist, or other professional can say that they are the experts on a particular child (unless of course it is their own). Over time, I feel like we are relinquishing our role as experts on our own children. It is so important to retain and advocate for this role, because, in fact, we are the experts.

That being said, I believe that preschool and early learning programs are crucial to the overall growth and development of the child. Learning of all kinds begins so early. This learning is not limited to educational knowledge (for example, math, science, reading, etc.). Early childhood learning encompasses the development of self, social interactions, emotional development, and many more areas. Early learning programs are extremely beneficial because they begin to "plant the seed" in a child's mind about developing their whole sense of self. More programs are beginning to embrace the social-emotional aspects of development, and are working to foster the development of interpersonal relationships that set the foundation for the rest of life.