As enrollment for preschool programs begins across the state, educators are driving home the importance of introducing young children to a classroom setting to gain critical skills before they advance to kindergarten.
While academics matter, early childhood leaders say socialization, structure and limiting screen time are proving just as critical in preparing children to succeed once they step into a classroom.
In Wayne County, 354 students are currently enrolled in pre-kindergarten programs, according to Jason Cox, the county’s pre-K and special needs coordinator. And while parents often ask about literacy and math skills, Cox said the focus at ages 3 and 4 looks different than one might expect.
"A lot of parents may opt for homeschooling for preschool," Cox said, explaining that families often prioritize academics and building their own schedules at home. "The whole thing about preschool is about socialization. That's 90% of what we do."
Pre-K classrooms do work on literacy, counting and learning letters, he said, but the larger emphasis is teaching children how to interact with others.
"If we can get children playing together and socializing, then we know academics will come," Cox said.
He added that kindergarten teachers can "tell a huge difference" between students who attended preschool and those who did not — particularly when it comes to play skills and behavior.
“We want to make sure we’re providing those socialization skills first. A lot of those are built from play skills. So we're literally teaching them how to play,” Cox said. “Show them the appropriate ways to play and the inappropriate ways to engage. It seems basic but kids today need that."
Cox, who previously taught preschool, said the classroom environment has shifted over the years.
“When I started teaching, I taught preschool. Where we were working on academics, now it’s like working on behaviors and teaching them the basics: Don’t run. We sit. We listen to our friends. It's a (totally) different atmosphere,” he said.
One major change he sees: a decline in imaginative play.
“We don’t see kids using blocks as a phone, or a banana as a phone anymore. Very few kids will do that,” Cox said, noting that children today have access to highly specific toys and digital devices that leave little room for imagination.
“Phones have taken over; iPads have taken over a lot, so kids don’t generally play as much as they use to,” he said.
Cox said educators can often tell “within an instant” when a child has heavy exposure to tablets and phones, pointing to shorter attention spans and difficulty with communication and eye contact. He recommends limiting electronics to one hour per day and said Wayne County pre-K classrooms allow only 15 minutes of active media daily.
Beyond social skills, structure plays a significant role in easing anxiety and building independence. Wayne County pre-K programs follow a consistent daily order of activities to help children understand expectations.
“Prior to preschool, they don’t usually understand a schedule because they’re used to doing their own thing,” Cox said. “We stick to a very strict schedule. Not time per se, but it’s always the same thing in (the) same order.”
That consistency, he said, is especially helpful for children with disabilities or separation anxiety.
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Wayne County also screens children by their third birthday and conducts universal screeners at the beginning of each school year. If concerns arise, staff can complete a full evaluation and work with families on early intervention services. Recent state policy changes now allow some intervention services to continue through second grade, helping eliminate previous service gaps.
“All students are in pre-K despite disability,” Cox said, describing a full inclusion model where children receive services within the classroom alongside all their peers.
Data collection is another key piece to preschool programs, according to Cox. Teachers complete the state’s Early Learning Reporting System assessment three times per year, tracking growth in math, reading, science, fine and gross motor skills, communication and play. Cox said the data helps districts identify weaknesses and adjust professional development accordingly.
Statewide research has also reinforced the long-term impact of early education. Cox referenced a study conducted by the National Institute for Early Education Research examining West Virginia’s pre-K system, which found children leaving pre-k entered kindergarten with stronger, higher-order thinking skills and were performing above grade level by first grade.
In Charleston, Angela Walker, director and head of school at Charleston Montessori, said kindergarten readiness is also about long-term development — but through a different structure.
At Charleston Montessori, children ages 3 to 6 learn together in a three-year “primary” cycle, based on the philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori. Rather than calling students “kindergarteners,” Walker refers to them as “third-year students,” reflecting their final year in the primary classroom.
That three-year cycle allows for repetition and skill building.
“Dr. Montessori said that it takes up to 12 repetitions to internalize something,” Walker said.
In the first two years, students focus heavily on developing fine motor skills, independence and foundational literacy through phonetic awareness and phonics instruction. By the third year, students begin blending sounds and advancing their reading skills.
Walker said learning to read in kindergarten without prior exposure can place significant pressure on children who are simultaneously adjusting to separation anxiety, schedules and academic expectations at the same time.
“If you’re just starting, that’s a lot of pressure,” she said.
While Montessori classrooms differ in structure from traditional public pre-K, Walker said independence and self-regulation are central goals during what Montessori's philosophy calls the “first plane of development,” from birth to age 6.
"If they didn’t learn how to have a coping skill or social emotional regulation (in the first plane of development), it can follow them even beyond kindergarten," she said.
Montessori classrooms emphasize "freedom within limits," giving even young children structured choices to build autonomy. For example, when transitioning outdoors, a teacher may state that it is time to go outside and offer a choice of which boot to put on first — allowing decision-making within clear boundaries.
Walker said the ultimate goal is not simply academic performance, but fostering capable, independent learners.
“Create a love of learning in the child,” she said. “One of our goals is instilling that they’re capable. That builds so much independence.”
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