Finding a good preschool can be a daunting task especially
for first-time parents about to send their precious child into their first
taste of school. A lot of thought and
emotion goes in this process knowing that this will be a milestone for your
preschooler. You want to leave your
child in the best, able and caring hands as much as you can.
Ask around. Family,
friends and neighbors are good starting points and often are the best resource
available. Not only can they give you a
first-hand overview of their experience with their own child but you can get a
little insider information too on how teachers and/or staff deal with specific
situations that they may have encountered in their time.
Check preschool listings from your local paper, magazines
and websites. Most preschools advertise
in parent or family magazines. Drive
around your neighborhood. Most churches
will also have affiliated preschools as part of their ministry. List down the preschool’s contact
information and start making a list.
Contact the preschools and attend “open houses” and/or
schedule a school tour or visit. Most
schools do open houses at the start of the year (January and February) for new
families or back to school information meetings with parents. This is a good time to ask questions. Questions that you can include in your
inquiries are:
- What is the school’s philosophy and curriculum?
- What is a typical class size?
- What is their day schedule like?
- How do they handle conflict between children? How do they instill discipline?
- How do they keep children safe and healthy?
Do sit-in’s and observe a class as much as possible. This is the closest you’ll get to
experiencing what it is like in the classroom.
Some schools allow or encourage to have the child come with you to see
and get acquainted with the environment.
Most parents get a “feel” whether this will be a fit with their children
when they go and see a class for themselves.
Now that you have made a list, time to factor in your
selection criteria. This can be a number
of factors including: cost, time or schedule, location, nature of school, and
other preferences. Take note too of the
application deadlines, and possible waitlist.
In the end, no guarantee with our choice – but hopefully when you’ve
done your homework, it pays off for you and your child!
Thanks for this amazing post. Your hunt for a good preschool starts right after you get to know that your child is ready to take step up in his life. However, your responsibilities do not just end after finding a perfect preschool program, but you’ll have to make regular visits to your child’s preschool as well.
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