What should a 4 year old know? Preschools in Chelsea

My son is 4 and starting preschool in the fall. As the first weeks of August came and went, I've begun the "School is starting in a month" panic. Quick, kiddo! Learn to read the alphabet, tie your shoes, put on mittens, raise your hand, write your name! Shoot... do we need to know upper AND lowercase letter?! C'mon! We need new shoes, clothes, a trip to the dentist, backpacks, a haircut, paperwork from the pediatrician. ........

Instead of jumping to action, I sat down in front of my computer and typed in the Google search box: What should a 4 year old know before starting preschool? Here are the links I bookmarked:

• What should a 4 year old know? This article reminded me that it's not academics that are important, but a loving, fun, imaginative environment.


• I also appreciated the bulleted lists of curriculum standards for various grade levels found on the World Book website. I don't necessarily agree with every item, but it's a good place to start.

Preschools in Chelsea
We are lucky to have some very good preschool options in Chelsea. My daughter attended Chelsea Community Education preschool. They currently offer both a traditional and Reggio Emilia curriculum. I also know many parents who are happy with the Chelsea Co-op preschool, as well as the Lambs of Our Savior preschool. These three are the ones I have listed on the Things To Do In Chelsea's Places to Learn page. If you know of others, let me know and I'd be happy to add them to the list.

The Chelsea Co-op preschool has a very nice message to parents on their website, and talks about ways to help kids adjust to a new preschool school.

Back to our regularly schedule panic?
All in all, I stopped my panic and realized that I'll be fine... er, I mean he will be fine.