Confession time! Up until August 15, 2013, I thought that preschool "graduation" ceremonies were ridiculous. I mean, come on! You don't "graduate" from preschool. No one is ever going to ask you for your preschool diploma. There is no stigma in being a preschool dropout so what's the point? Like I said up until August 15, 2013, I didn't see a point, but now I do. And let me tell you why…
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So what happened on August 15, 2013 that changed my mind? You guessed it, my kid graduated from preschool and I attended her "Moving Up" ceremony and it wasn't pointless at all. It was BEAUTIFUL.
I was so proud of all the children who were moving up, but I was brought to tears by my own daughter because it is a BIG deal that she went to preschool. My daughter is mixed, Latina, black, and white, but I identify as Latina and I can't help but think of my kids as Latino too. Getting Latino children in preschool is HUGE because research shows that Latino children in the U.S. have the lowest preschool attendance of any ethnic group.
I can't tell you the difference I've seen in my child since she went to preschool. Yes, I taught her things at home, but I'm a hermit. Her social skills have vastly developed. She is at ease in a classroom setting and I know this will help her tremendously in kindergarten.
So I was wrong, a preschool graduation ceremony is not pointless. It's a beautiful thing to see children making strides in their education and every step along the way is worthy of celebration.
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