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This study was conducted to investigate the immediate impacts of preschool attendance on Turkish children's mathematics achievement. The participants were 200 children who attended or did not attend preschool. The number and operation task and the geometric shapes sorting task were used as the data collection tools. The children who attended preschool performed significantly better on the number and operation task and the geometric shapes sorting task than the children who did not attend preschool. Indeed, the multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that preschool attendance is the most important predictor of the success of children in number and operation task and the geometric shapes sorting task. IntroductionThe early stage of life is a remarkable growing period for children. Studies show that the preschool years are important for brain development. In his study on the development of the cerebral cortex, Lomroso (1998) stated that 90% of a child's brain development occurs during the period in which a child starts preschool (cited in Tanner 2008). Levine (2005) stated that children experience substantial mental and emotional development during the preschool period. The cognitive, social and emotional skills that children develop during this period form the basis for their future learning life. Moreover, the pace at which children learn is directly related to whether they have a supportive environment and the quality of their experience in this environment (Gayl 2007).Preschool is an educational group experience for children between the ages of three and six that occurs before they start elementary school (Schulman and Barnett 2005). Three longitudinal studies (the Perry Preschool Project, the Abecedarian Early Childhood Intervention Programme and the Chicago Child-Parent Centre Programme) prove the long-term benefits of preschool. The findings of the research indicated that children who attended preschool had higher test scores; repeated classes less often; were more likely to attend four-year colleges; needed fewer welfare benefits; were involved in crimes less often; displayed fewer anti-social behaviours; smoked and used drugs less often; and had higher incomes than the children who did not attend preschool (Schweinhart and

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This study investigated the impact of an empathy training program developed by the researchers to promote perspective-taking abilities of preschool children. Participants were 34 children from two different kindergartens. Children in the treatment group attended an empathy training program that consisted of 30 activities and lasted for 10 weeks, whereas those in the nonintervention group attend the regular preschool program. Data were obtained through individual interviews with children. Perspective-Taking Test for Children, designed by the researchers, was used to assess children’s perspective-taking abilities. The results of the study demonstrated that the training program significantly improved perspective-taking performance of children in the treatment group compared to their peers in the nonintervention group, and this effect persisted one month after the intervention.