This Knowledge Essentials book shows parents how to enrich their child's first classroom experience and take an active role in preschool education. This book includes advice and offers information about: (1) What a child is learning at school and the educational standards to expect in preschool-level reading and writing readiness, math, science, and social studies, as well as the developmental skills expected of preschoolers; (2) Learning style (visual, auditory, or kinesthetic) and how it affects the way a child learns and processes information; (3) Activities designed to help children meet specific learning requirements; (4) Environmental learning sections that identify learning opportunities in the everyday world; (5) Methods and checklists to assess progress; (6) The developmental and social changes expected of preschoolers as well as information on how to determine readiness to move up to kindergarten; and (7) Recommendations of age-appropriate books and software that will enhance learning. Following Acknowledgments and an Introduction, the book includes thirteen sections: (1) Getting the Most for Your Preschooler (Getting the Most from Your Preschool; Getting the Most from Your Homeschool Curriculum; Using Supplemental Materials); (2) Preschool Development (Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development; Developmental Goals for Four-Year-Olds; Developmental Goals for Five-Year-Olds); (3) Preschool Learning (Learning Styles; Cognitive Learning); (4) The Standards (Types of Learning Standards; Learning Standards Resources); (5) Preschool Reading Readiness (Beginning of Preschool Reading Readiness Checklist; Words Have Meaning; Letter-Sound Relationships; Visual Comprehension; Early Literacy; Environmental Learning; End of Preschool Reading Readiness Checklist); (6) Preschool Writing Readiness (Beginning of Preschool Writing Readiness Checklist; Verbal Communication; Emergent Writing; Environmental Learning; End of Preschool Writing Readiness Checklist); (7) PreschoolMath (Beginning of Preschool Math Checklist; Number Sense and Patterns; Geometry and Measurement; Environmental Learning; End of Preschool Math Checklist); (8) Preschool Science (Beginning of Preschool Science Checklist; Science Processes; Physical Science; Life Science; Earth and Space Science; Environmental Learning; End of Preschool Science Checklist); (9) Preschool Social Studies (Beginning of Preschool Social Studies Checklist; History; Civics; Geography; Economics; Environmental Learning; End of Preschool Social Studies Checklist); (10) Teaching Your Preschooler Thinking Skills (Beginning of Preschool Thinking Skills Checklist; Problem Solving; Concentration; Comprehension; Reasoning; Logic; Environmental Learning; End of Preschool Thinking Skills Checklist); (11) Assessment (Assessing Individual Student Abilities and Knowledge; Assessing for Kindergarten Readiness); (12) Preschool Society (Dress-Up; Temper Tantrums; Copy Cat; Separation Anxiety); and (13) Moving On to Kindergarten (Ready to Go; Summertime). Two appendixes are included: (1) Literature for Preschoolers; and (2) Software for Preschoolers. A glossary, bibliography, and index conclude the book.