No, what I am trying to say is that all time, literally ALL TIME, is learning time for kids between ages 2-5. Their brains are sponges. What they are learning is a variety grab bag. Social interaction, manners, making friends, learning to hold a fork, letters, numbers, basically everything. They are literally taking. in. everything. Which is what preschools prepare for. They aren't making everything a "learning" activity. Except they are. Because EVERYTHING is learning at that age, and there's so much to learn that isn't food dye and math that they are doing their jobs by NOT stressing those things.
While they are teaching two year old to hold the fork, they are teaching three year old to take reasonable bites, while teaching four year old and five year old to share the dish of fruit. Same table, same kids, different lessons. All valuable.
Unless, of course, your preschool sucks, Which is always an option.
But the point of the matter is that kindergarten is really the measure. And if you have a special kid, they'll get picked out in kindergarten or first grade (I was) for whatever your school calls gifted and talented. And then that will be that. Or they won't, because they aren't, or because your school sucks. Or because they didn't meet the metrics of that school. And you can go from there.
But I got picked out for my gifted and talented program without my parents doing a damned thing except pointing out I hated to nap in preschool, which had no effect on what happened to me first grade when I got singled out. They just read to me. A lot. Like....way more than normal. And way more complex texts. I don't know if that changed anything but I liked them and they read them and that's how it went. I can't swear that has any measured effect, but that's what changed my life. I was read to. A lot. That's all I can tell you. If I had to name a game-changer, it was being read Robert Frost at four and being asked to recite it back and explain it. That's probably what did it. NOT my pre-school, or nap-time, or whether I was nice about using the slide. Parents make the difference. They decide. Your kids take your cues from you.
I have three foster siblings who are all a mess but I can tell you one thing...they all read. They read because I filled the house with books. I NEVER let those go by the wayside. My mom never did, either. We always had a house with books, all books, bad books, good books, racy books, books filled with drugs and sex and rebellion. All the books, any books, all the books you requested from the library even if they called to make sure it was okay.....books. Anything that came in book format was fine! If you were old enough to understand it, you were old enough to read it. Come to me with any questions and I'll answer them. The end.
So, I have three foster siblings that would ace the SAT Literature test and fail the math and that's okay. Because they are okay. Because as long as you can read, you basically teach yourself anything else. Maybe...except math. Science, sure, but math? Not sure about that one yet. I still struggle with post-calculus math. I can get that far, and no further. But maybe they are better than I am. I'm hopeful.