In 2013, President Obama asked Congress to expand access to high-quality preschool to every child in the country through his State of the Union speech. A multitude of studies had proven what many of us had already assumed: early childhood education is important.

Preschools offer children the chance to socialize with other children, learn more about themselves, learn how to problem solve, build confidence and much more.

According to Parents Magazine, children are learning much more from preschool than was originally thought.

“There’s increasing evidence that children gain a lot from going to preschool,” says Parents advisor Kathleen McCartney, PhD, dean of Harvard Graduate School of Education (Parents.com, Why Preschool Matters). “At preschool, they become exposed to numbers, letters, and shapes. And, more important, they learn how to socialize — get along with other children, share, contribute to circle time.”

But this doesn’t happen alone- it happens at the hands of preschool teachers.

Where would we be without them?

Preschool teachers play an important role in building a child’s success in their first years of school. Teachers do more than facilitate arts and crafts projects throughout the day. They provide structure and help children grow in their reading and writing skills, teach science and help children understand themselves.

Preschool lays the foundation for kids to understand what “school” actually is. Teachers use a variety of methods to help children grow cognitively, as well as conceptually. A positive relationship with preschool teachers can make an exponential difference in a child’s success as they continue through elementary school.

In addition to helping foster growth intellectually, it is just as important to help children grow in their physical abilities.

Let’s get moving!

TOT teachers visit preschools once a week and provide children with the opportunity to get physically moving while also exercising their brains and working on their hand-eye coordination as well. By providing children with structured physical activity, TOT teachers are re-enforcing the importance of physical activity. Studies have shown that physical activity at a young age can be a critical factor for setting children up for a more physically active life well beyond preschool. Trends were showing that physical education had taken a backseat in many preschools, but efforts to implement physical education is on the rise. By fostering a love for physical play, TOT teachers are helping to refocus on the importance of physical activity in young children.

As we knew, early childhood education is critical to the success of children, but outstanding teachers who allow children to learn and grow while fostering curious natures can be tied to a child’s success throughout their first years of school.