Picking the right preschool for your child (and you) can be very overwhelming for a parent. We are preparing to send our most precious belonging off to the care of someone we are meeting for the first time. As a parent we want so much for our child when starting preschool. We want them to be safe, loved, nurtured and happy in their preschool environment, and we want them to have positive learning experiences. For ourselves, we want the preschool to be convenient to our work or home, fit into our work hours or have options if we don’t need full time care, and we want it to be affordable.
As a mother of 4 (now adult) daughters and a Preschool Director with 20 years’ experience in the field of Early Childhood, I would like to share some valuable tips when choosing the best preschool for your child.
*Where To Start: Word of mouth is invaluable when looking for the right preschool. Start by asking your mommy friends where they are sending their little ones or where they have sent their older children. Another good place to ask is through any local Mommy Blogs.
After you’ve made your list of preschools, you can start narrowing down your choices by looking at the location of the preschool, their hours of operation and, of course, their prices. Not every family has the same needs, so choices would be decided based on need. Where some parents work full time and need full time and year-round care, some parents have the option of only needing part time and keeping their child home with them during the summer. After you have narrowed your choices down to a few preschools, you should schedule a tour with the Director of each preschool. A good rule of thumb would be to schedule your first tour without having your child with you. This way your time can be well spent viewing the preschool and asking your questions. Yes! Bring your list of questions. I love it when visiting parents have a list of questions with them. After you have narrowed your choices down to the 2 preschools you feel will be best for you and your child, schedule a time when you can bring your child in for a brief visit. This will give your child an opportunity to see their new preschool, and it will give you an opportunity to see how the staff interacts with your child.
*The Environment: When looking at preschools you should be aware of how “child-friendly” the classrooms are. Things to look for in the classrooms would be if the classes are: safe, clean, child friendly with child-sized furniture and bathrooms/sinks, and if there is enough space for the children to move around safely. Look for a Literacy Rich classroom, words labeling the classroom environment, and every classroom should have lots of books. Does the classroom look inviting, fun, and nurturing? The classroom should also have age-appropriate learning materials, and it’s always nice to see the children’s class work or art projects displayed. *Good questions to ask would be: What is the child-teacher ratio? What is the DCF approved class-size limit?
*Behavior Expectations: Every school should have age-appropriate behavior guidelines for their classrooms. They should also have those clear expectations, rules and guidelines in their Student Handbook. *Good questions to ask would be: How does the staff handle discipline issues? What does the staff do to teach the children how to solve problems with their classmates?
*Safety: When looking at preschools you should look at the safety guidelines that they have in place. How easy is it for anyone to get in or out of the preschool unnoticed? Ask the Director about their Check In and Check Out System. While there, ask to see the playground. Be sure to note if the playground is covered or shady, and are the playground equipment and toys in good repair? If the school goes on field trips, you will want to know what their traveling protocols are. You should also look around the classrooms to be sure they are clean, taken care of and do not have any safety hazards such as uncovered outlets, cleaning supplies left out within reach or eye sight of children, peeling paint, exposed plumbing, etc. *Good questions to ask would be: Do you do monthly safety drills? How do you report accidents or incidents to parents? Do you release children to anyone other than parents? Do you ask for ID? Do you do Head Counts and How Often? If they go on field trips what methods of head counts do they use to assure all children are off or on the school bus or van.
*Communication: You will want to know how the Preschool Director and your child’s teacher will be communicating with you. Does the preschool have a Student Handbook that clearly states all rules, regulations and expectations? Most preschools communicate to all parents through monthly newsletters and calendars or email. Teachers will typically communicate through daily notes, weekly emails or communication apps. Every preschool has their own method of communication so, there really isn’t a wrong or right way, the most important thing is that they do communicate in some fashion. *Good questions to ask would be: What form of communication do the Director and individual teachers use? Do you have a Student Handbook?
*Staff: The teachers that the preschool employs are the most important of all these tips. Preschool teachers do not have to hold teaching degrees, but if the preschool you are considering holds a DCF license, they are required to have certain training and annual in-service training in the field of Early Childhood. Low staff turnover is another good key to every preschool. What you should look for in the staff while touring preschools is for staff that appear dedicated and show care and love to the children in their class. Are they smiling at the children, are they having conversations with them, are they getting down to their eye level when speaking to them? You should see the children smiling and hear laughter between both teacher and children. You should see a lot of verbal interaction between both teacher and child as well as between the children themselves. You want to see that the staff has a true love and passion for teaching young children. *Good questions to ask would be: What credentials or training does your staff have? Are they current with CPR & First Aid training? What is the staff turnover rate?
*Curriculum: Keep in mind that a good curriculum doesn’t have to come from a catalog. The key to a good curriculum is one that always offers age-appropriate learning experiences. A curriculum that fits the needs of a 4-year old will not fit the needs of a 3-year old. A good way to assure that you are teaching age-appropriate skills is often found through a Teacher Created Curriculum. This way teachers can set and make their lesson plans around the needs, skill limits and goals for their class. In other words, a good curriculum should not be “One Size Fits All.” Children learn best through play and lots of hands-on activities. Their learning experiences should include lots of books, books that they are allowed to hold, touch and look at, block building, math manipulatives, literacy experiences, writing stations, art, lots and lots of art experiences, sensory play, science experiments, music, hands-on activities, and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities and experiences. Children really do learn best through “PLAY” so, their day should be filled with time to explore, center time, hands-on activities, small group activities and playground time…everyday! *Good questions to ask would be: What type of curriculum does your preschool use? What kind of learning experiences do you offer children? Can I see the Daily Schedule for the classroom?
Shawnie Cheatham is the Director of First Presbyterian Eustis Preschool and has over 18 years of preschool experience. The FPC Preschool is one of the most acclaimed and highly rated preschools in the area - a perfect 5/5 online rating. Learn more by clicking here!
