Preschool Preparation: Essential Skills for Success
Preschool preparation is one of the most powerful investments you can make in your child’s future. And yet, a staggering 65% of South African children aged 4–5 in early learning programmes are already falling behind.
According to the Thrive by Five Index (South Africa’s largest preschool development survey) released in April 2022, these children aren’t meeting the expected early learning and physical growth standards. What does that mean? Simply put, most kids entering Grade R are already at a disadvantage, struggling to catch up before they’ve even begun.
The first five years of a child’s life are extremely important. It’s the window where neural connections explode, language blossoms, and early learning skills like problem-solving, reasoning, and emotional intelligence take root. We need to stop seeing preschool as the place your child goes to learn their ABCs and colours. It’s actually where teachers prepare developing minds for a lifetime of curiosity, independence, and critical thinking, and it plays a formative role in their future.
Preschool Preparation Begins with Early Childhood Development
High-quality early childhood development programmes gently guide how a child learns, processes information, and interacts with the world, which includes fostering creativity, building resilience, and encouraging effective communication.
At FasTracKids, we believe every child has the potential to learn – it just depends on how you teach them. Forget memorisation. We focus on how to think, not what to think. Through a fun, engaging learning environment that blends Socratic questioning, Montessori principles, and our own educational methodology, we help children build confidence through discovery and play.
Building Early Learning Skills That Last a Lifetime
Our preschool programme accepts children from as young as one year old, with a progressive curriculum right through to age five. Activities go beyond worksheets: think literacy, numeracy, life skills, music, theme-based learning, art, music, soccer, Manners 4 Minors, and swimming. We reinforce the skills today’s children need most: creativity, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and confidence (what we call the 5 Cs).
Preschool preparation at FasTracKids means more than school readiness. It means life readiness.
With secure, hygienic campuses in Sandton, qualified ECD-registered staff, delicious healthy meals included, and exciting extras like ballet, science club, and swimming, our award-winning early learning environment is designed to spark a lifelong love of learning in your child.
Let’s close the development gap. Don’t wait until Grade R to find out your child is behind. Give them the best start now.
Schedule a visit to FasTracKids Sandton and discover a different kind of early learning.