How to choose a preschool

Choosing a preschool for your child requires knowing what he wants in a preschool and then asking questions to see if schools in your city match what you’re looking for.

There are many philosophies about working with young children. Some programs offer academic curricula and others do not. Some offer a pre-reading program and some do not. Some offer many social opportunities and others do not.

So what questions can you ask to see if the program offered is right for you?

Let’s start with school hours. Some schools open at 7:00 am for before school care and some schools open at 9:00 am when the preschool day begins. If you need to be at work by 8:00 am, you should first narrow your options down to those schools that offer before-school care.

It is my suggestion that you visit the school without your child. Talk to the school principal and ask what is the best time of day to visit. You will learn more by visiting during indoor time versus outdoor time.

Most schools have a rough schedule of what children do while they are in school. Does this schedule fit what you hoped to have for your child? My children went to two different schools. My oldest daughter needed more structure. At the school she attended, the children went from class to class. One class was manipulatives like puzzles, while another class had dress-up clothes and another class had art supplies. Finally, the last room was what I called the academic room. You could find letters and numbers and books in this room. This system worked wonderfully for her.

My other daughter went to a school where there was no academics, but the socialization was constant. This fit very well with the child that she was and met both her needs and mine.

So it’s quite possible to find a good school with a great program, but not the right one for your child.

I also suggest meeting with a kindergarten teacher when you make your choice to find out what the kindergarten teacher expects to see in YOUR school when your child enters the kindergarten classroom on the first day.

Here are some questions to ask when you visit:

1. Do you teach reading and writing? Remember, there is no right or wrong answer. You, as a parent, need to know if this is important to you. As I mentioned, for one of my daughters it was quite important and for the other boy, it was not at all on my list of what was important.

2. What is the adult/child ratio that the school tries to maintain? Each state dictates what the state requires, but all schools have their own set of guidelines within the state system. My oldest daughter was in a school that didn’t use teacher’s aides. However, they kept the classes small. My youngest daughter was in a school that used paraprofessionals, so the ratio was very small, like 3:1, even though the state allowed a much higher ratio. With more children in the class, there are also more opportunities for playmates.

3. What is the sick child policy? Each school has a different sick child policy. As a mother, I didn’t want my children to be around sick children all the time. On the other hand, I knew that if my daughter had a runny nose, I would probably be called to pick her up.

4. How often are new toys bought and old ones thrown away? This was important to me, both for safety and because the longer a toy is in circulation, the more germs live on it. At some point, the dirt is no longer washed off. In addition, times change and new toys come onto the market. Also, when it comes to items like puzzles, the pieces will disappear. I wanted my son to be able to complete the puzzle, not have a single piece missing.

5. What is the communication system between the school and parents? Some schools send home a monthly calendar for the next month, while other schools send a letter on Friday summarizing the week under review. Most schools have conferences. Moms like to hear how wonderful their preschooler is. If the school detects what they think might be a problem, such as hearing, speech, vision, or even a behavioral problem, what is their method of letting you know?

6. How are the children separated? Is it because of age? Are there multi-age classrooms? Does the system this school uses to develop classes meet your needs and those of your child? Every child is different. My oldest daughter did better with children her age. My youngest daughter did very well with children of many ages.

7. What are the eating rules at this school? Do children bring their own lunch? Are snacks served? Is the school peanut free? Some preschools opt to go peanut-free to accommodate children who have peanut allergies. Are hot lunches served? If so, ask for a month’s menu to see what foods are on offer.

Without your child, it is important that you observe a class. Do children interact with each other and with adults? Do the children play both alone and with others? Are you looking at activities and toys that allow the child to be unique and creative? Or are all the children told to make a flower of the same color? Children are children. If you see two children arguing, how does the teacher solve the problem? How big are the classrooms? Is there enough space for different children to play with different items? For example, is there room for two girls to play dress up while two boys build a train track? Where are the bathrooms in relation to the classroom?

Plan to visit the school during delivery time. Do the children anxiously run to their classrooms or are most of the children not happy to be there?
If you think the school matches what you want, ask if you can bring your child for a day. Most schools will allow one day of testing. If your child is happy, you have just found the right school to enroll your child.