Preschoolers Face Increasing Academic Pressure.....

Chicago, IL - When Joan Wallace drops off her 3-year-old daughter Hannah at preschool this morning, she hugs her and hands over a lovingly packed lunchbox filled with organic and GMO-free items from Trader Joe's complimented by tomatoes picked from her indoor hydroponic garden. The architect, a partner at Cooper Hines and Associates since 2019, then encourages Hannah to quickly run through a set of flash cards one last time. It's a familiar scene outside preschools all across America.

Three toddlers, shown here preparing for an upcoming preschool aptitude test (PSAT) and hoping for scores that won't ruin their future prospects or embarrass their families

"Caterpillar!" Hannah proudly exclaims as her mother holds up a card featuring a lepidoptera in its larval form. Her mother is unable to contain a disappointed sigh, however. According to Wallace, caterpillars don't get you into Harvard. "Flowers!" The excited toddler's face lights up as her mother holds up the next card. She right but Wallace is clearly hoping for more. "That's only partial credit. These are Siam Roses. Come on Hannah, you know these!"

After an attempt at the Greek alphabet and the first 5 prime numbers, Wallace kisses her daughter goodbye and heads to work with a look of concern on her face. "Hannah just isn't progressing. If she doesn't excel now, how can we expect her to rise to the challenge of an Ivy League kindergarten. And if she drops the ball in kindergarten, what then? Flipping burgers?"

Wallace may come across as high strung and perhaps placing too much emphasis on the academic performance of a 3-year-old. But she isn't alone. Today's competitive learning environment is leading to an increasing number of parents of young children who are already worried about their child's future. Many are finding it increasingly difficult for their children to even keep up with the rigorous lesson plans and homework in top tier preschools, let alone to stand out as stellar students with good prospects of acceptance into a prestigious kindergarten. It is this pressure to perform that experts believe is behind the increasing numbers of preschool dropouts.

Rising truancy rates are not the only problems that school officials are experiencing. Tina Crabbins, a teacher at the Primrose Academy Preschool where Hannah Wallace is enrolled, has seen sharp increases in cheating as well. "Yesterday I caught a student with the names of the primary colors written on her wrist during a pop quiz. She can't even read. How did she think that was going to help?"

Another disturbing trend is the increasing number of 2 and 3-year-old students being diagnosed with anxiety related conditions. Crabbins explained that burnout wasn't something that she saw as a new teacher twenty years ago, but now she regularly receives notes from her students' psychiatrists asking for accommodations. "I worry that if the pressure of preschool derails the education of a child, they are high risk of slipping through the cracks entirely. A 3-year-old just isn't going to make it in the real world without being able to sing "itsy bitsy spider" and at least a basic understanding of the four seasons."