Even though my boys are all teenagers, our oldest already graduated and our middle son is a Senior, it seems just like yesterday when they were heading to Pre-School. We were fortunate enough to have a wonderful Pre-School that all three of the boys attended.

Prior to sending the boys to Pre-School, we worked on their numbers, colors and a little on the alphabet, and of course, visited the library and read lots and lots of books. I firmly believe that starting children off with a good foundation to learning is extremely important. All three of our boys are honor roll students, including our oldest that is in college.

As a Mom with older children, and watching them develop and grow through the years, it has become really clear to me that children need to be challenged. Our oldest son was struggling a bit while in 4th grade, and thankfully he had a teacher that really cared about the children. He noticed that Andrew needed to be challenged, so he gave him a more difficult book to read, different assignments and a different spelling list than the other children. Andrew thrived from having that teacher.

However, unfortunately, there aren't very many teachers that will go above and beyond like he did. KinderCare also offers Enrichment Programs that offer a unique series of programs with coursework in math, reading, fitness, music, cooking, or a foreign language that you will not find at other early childhood centers.

My advice for getting your children ready...teach them early and when you start to choose a Pre-School, make sure you both feel comfortable there.

I’m curious to know: What advice do you have for moms prepping for preschool? KinderCare will choose one lucky participant and make donation in their name to the Reach Out And Read chapter of their choice!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of KinderCare. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Contest Rules.