What to Look for in a Preschool

Advice

When it comes to choosing a high-quality preschool program, one size does not fit all. It completely depends on your child’s individual personality and needs, as well as your family needs.

Below are some areas to consider when interviewing and visiting preschools:

1. Teachers and Staff. What is the experience of the teachers, specifically your child’s teacher? What is the educational background? What are his or her certifications? What is the longevity of the teachers? What is the school’s turnover rate? What opportunities are available for their teachers to advance their professional growth? A school that invests time and resources in their teaching staff will result in happy, satisfied, tenured teachers. This positive aspect will result in a better learning environment for your child and greater educational success.

2. Curriculum. What curriculum program does the school utilize? How is it implemented? What is the daily preschool routine? How will you be informed of how your child is doing academically? What is the curriculum communication process? Is the preschool program designed to ensure your child is fully prepared for kindergarten? You will want to select a learning style that meets your child’s needs and prepares them for kindergarten and beyond. You will want a school that has processes in place for keeping you informed of your child’s progress so there are no surprises.

3. Communication. What is the preschool’s communication style? How do the teachers communicate with parents? How will you be informed? What tools do they currently have in place for communication? Is there a parent bulletin board to keep parents informed with important information? Does the preschool hold parent-teacher conferences? You will want to select a preschool that has a tried and true communication process, from all aspects.

4. Discipline. What is the discipline style? Get an understanding of the discipline style at all levels. Understand how you will be informed of your child’s need for discipline. What is the communication style for discipline? You will want to select a preschool that utilizes an effective discipline style for you and your child. You will want to choose a preschool that will responsibly keep you informed. Communication is important. You don’t want any surprises.

5. Visit. Schedule a visit or stop in at a time convenient for you. You want to select a preschool that has an open door policy. This means you can stop in at any time. Your first visit should be without your child so that you can ask all the questions you need to ask and not be distracted. Before enrolling visit again with your child and allow her to participate in the preschool class to see how the teacher interacts with her and the other students.

6. Classroom Observation. When you visit the preschool observe the classroom. Observe how the teacher interacts with the children. Talk to the teacher. Understand the structure of a typical day. Observe long enough to see the teacher in action and to see how she handles herself in an unexpected situation. How does she adapt? Is she flexible? How does she respond to the individual needs of the children in the classroom?

7. Parent Involvement. Children achieve more when schools and parents work together. Ask what the expectations are for parent involvement. Find out how you are encouraged to be involved and in what areas. If you have a specific area of interest, ask the preschool how you can participate. Feel comfortable that there is a process for parent involvement, ensuring effective communication.