Who knew that a daily dose of ABC’s, 123’s and learning other important things like categorization and sitting still at circle time can actually make you wealthier…in terms of your intellect and your pocketbook?!

According to reserachers at Harvard University, kids attending a “top-notch” Kindergarten actually increases a person’s earnings–decades later–by about $1,000 a year. 

Hummm??  What’s a “top-notch” Kindergarten, you wonder? 

• A great teacher who helps kids get off on the right academic track, for one
• Teachers use basic skills to help kids develop into adults…how to study, how to focus, develop patience and manners. 
• Smaller class sizes
• Experienced teachers

Folks used to believe that Kindergarten was just an extension of preschool, but indeed, there really is more to it.  Others are saying that while Kindergarten is “good to have,” it wasn’t the end of the world if a child wasn’t enrolled…(yikes!), and that the so-called “Kindergarten Effect” (kindergarten was only beneficial in the early grades of elementary school) wore off as kids got older, researchers are saying that the good effects of attending a quality Kindergarten program resurface once kids hit the adult workforce…to the tune of $1,000 more income per year. 

And of course, you remember that poem from Robert Fulghum, right?  “Everything I learned in life I learned in Kindergarten.”  Well, there just might be something to it. http://www.kalimunro.com/learned_in_kindergarten.html

This blog was inspired by an article on the NPR iPhone App:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story.php?storyId=129187436&sc=1001 entitled, “Want to Make $1,000 More a Year?  Try Kindergarten”on August 14, 2010