There are no rules about when to send your child to preschool. For better or worse, it’s a decision only you can make. However, there are some basic questions you can ask yourself to consider the issues involved.

1. Has your child experienced being left in someone else’s care?

Preschool should not be the first time your child is separated from you for a stretch of several hours.

2. Is your child able to articulate his or her needs to other adults?

Your child needs to feel comfortable getting the attention of an adult when he can’t find his crayons or when he can’t open his snack pack. If he can’t speak up on these minor issues, he will feel helpless and alone when confronted with a major issue such as a bully stealing his crayons or a juice box leaking in his backpack.

3. Does your child understand the concept of personal property?

In other words, are you confident that your child won’t come home with his backpack stuffed with other children’s toys?  If your child has not yet grasped the concept that some things are hers and some things are not, setting her loose among other people’s children is setting yourself up for a lot of angry phone calls.

4. Does your child understand the concept of a schedule?

That’s just a fancy way of asking if your child is likely to have a meltdown when the teacher makes him put away the crayons before he is finished coloring his picture. Children should have some exposure with externally imposed time constraints before experiencing them in preschool.

5. Does your child understand the concept of taking turns? 

Notice, the question does not ask whether your child is good at taking turns. That’s something they’ll practice at preschool. For preschool age children, games are a way of learning how to practice self-control, how to follow directions and how to accept outcomes they may not like. Nobody expects them to have internalized all that before they arrive at preschool. However, your child should at least understand the basic premise that participating in a game sometimes involves some waiting.

There is no perfect score for these or other questions you may consider as you decide whether your child is ready for preschool. And most preschools understand the need to make accommodations for developmental differences.

However, if you feel that your child needs a little more time to be ready for the structure, separation and social conventions of preschool, there is no harm in waiting. You can find preschool songs and games online to get started at home, and you can create experiences that will help your child develop some of the necessary skills and attitudes.

About the Author

Jessica writes about a wide variety of topics.  She especially enjoys writing about education. You can learn more about children games at http://www.abcmouse.com/

Your family means the world to you. And you mean the world to them. So much so that goodness knows what they would do without you. If you haven’t given this scenario some serious thought, perhaps the time is now.

Many of us wonder what the world would be like if we were taken from it, but few ever make concrete plans to ensure their family is well taken care of. If you’re the breadwinner in your home, it can be extremely difficult to imagine the circumstances that would arise from your passing, or the financial shape you might leave your family in. Most of us aren’t in a position where we have overflowing cash to offer our family if we die, and therefore should seriously consider employing life insurance.

Life insurance is often considered the least selfish insurance. Rather than insuring an object or possession, life insurance is designed to take care of the people you’ve left behind. In other words, despite spending your money on it, you’re never going to directly reap the benefits of purchasing life insurance. The people who will benefit from your smart insurance purchases are going to be your close family members; mourning a loss of a loved one will be hard enough on them. Don’t saddle your family with expensive debts and burial costs.

Term life insurance is optimal for most average American families because it’s uncomplicated and easy to understand. What you see is what you get when it comes to a term life insurance plan. When you sign up for term life insurance, you’re saving yourself a huge headache of trying to decipher and understand other types of life insurance.  You’ll be able to sign on for a term that you decide upon, generally as long as you plan on having dependents. Once this term insurance runs out, you’re either able to renew or to find something else that works for you. There is no pressure to stick with the plan you choose, either. Because financial needs can change, term life insurance is designed to be changed too. It’s something that you should always check for before signing into; the ability to switch your current coverage to another “like policy” as you see fit.

Your life insurance should be designed specifically to aid you by being convenient, simple and easily customizable. With term life insurance, it’s easy to find excellent coverage for a reasonable price, one that usually ends up costing you far less than an alternate insurance policies.

About the Author

By Sebastian Hamilton

This guest post is from TermLifeInsurance.org, where you can go to read more information about the different types of insurance and why term life insurance might be the best choice for you.

With college costs continuously on the rise, planning for your child’s education can be incredibly stressful. The key to saving for your child’s college tuition is to start early, preferably as soon as your child is born. It may seem like overkill but if you don’t begin early on you may find that you don’t have the financial resources to send your child to an institute of higher learning. Follow these top five tips to help you pay for your child’s tuition by the time your child is ready to enter college.

Start Early

New parents plan for immediate needs when their children are born, but often neglect looking far into the future. If you put $100 a month into a savings account, beginning the moment you find out you’re pregnant or the week your child is born, you will have well over $30,000 by the time your child reaches 18. Obviously, the more you can put away every month, the more you will have when it’s time to pay for your child’s first year of college.

Child’s College Fund

When your children are old enough to learn about money, help them open a college fund at your bank. Require them to put at least 10% of their weekly allowance into their savings account and match their deposit. Because 10% of your child’s allowance may amount to very little, consider putting in a minimum of $5 per week for them. When your child is old enough, encourage them to get a part-time job, still enforcing the 10% per week rule.

Ask For Gifts

When your child is born, ask for contributions to their college fund in lieu of Christmas gifts and birthday gifts, provided they don’t have an immediate need for something else. Grandparents, aunts and uncles love to spoil new additions to the family; what better way to provide for the baby than to ensure they are able to afford college when the time comes? A baby will outgrow an outfit in a month but they’ll never outgrow their college fund.

College Accounts

There are accounts and plans in the United States specifically set up for parents that are putting away money for their child’s eventual college tuition. Look into these options early on and see if they are something you would be able or willing to participate in. Such plans are 529 plans and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts.

Scholarships

Be sure to contact your child’s guidance counselor and inquire about any scholarships that are available to your child. You can also contact the financial aid office of any college or university to which your child is planning on applying and inquire about their scholarships. Head to your local library and check out one of the many books that list scholarships by eligibility criteria and help your child apply for any that they qualify for.

 About the Author

Terry Southerland is a career advisor and content contributor for thebestdegrees.org, a site providing lists of online degrees as well as rankings of colleges with the best associate degrees.