The purpose of preschool is not to teach your child any particular content, 
such as color or numbers, but to introduce her to the school setting and 
show her that it can be enjoyable. If your three-year-old likes to play with 
other children, uses the potty and is comfortable separating from you for 
a few hours, she is probably ready for a good preschool. She will be able 
to enjoy it and have a positive first school experience. On the other hand, 
if she tends to squabble over toys, isn’t potty trained or has difficulty 
separating from you, there is no reason to put her in a school situation. 
Doing so may leave her convinced that school is frightening, painful or 
otherwise unpleasant. There is every reason to wait a year until she is 
more ready. 
     If you conclude that your child is ready for preschool but you are a 
stay-at-home parent who wants another year to enjoy her full-time, don’t 
worry about keeping her home. Missing the first year of preschool will have 
no educational significance for her and she will have the deep pleasure of 
spending her days with a parent who loves being with her. Not much is at 
stake either way as long as you don’t send your daughter to school before 
she is ready. If you do enroll her, choose a preschool where the director 
and staff understand that its most important job is to help children feel 
comfortable at school rather than to socialize them or teach them anything 
in particular.