5 Traits of a Good Preschool
Q. Friends
say that when I'm shopping around for a good preschool for my child, I'll walk
in to the right one, and I'll "just know." That's not specific enough for me.
What are some things I should be looking for?
The other children seem
happy and contented, it "feels" like your child would fit in, and you observe
parents dropping them off and picking them up with good behaviors and "vibes." Your "gut feelings" are not all bad, you know. You should pop in at a
preschool at a few different times of the day to observe staff with the
children, and also other parents with the children. Look for a place where you
feel you have something to give to the other parents in terms of friendship and
child-rearing skill, as well as things that you think you can learn from the
other families at that same place.
The teachers appear calm and competent, and there are enough
of them
so that the children don't seem neglected or left alone too long to cry and
fall into misbehavior. Ask about continuing education for staff, how closely
management supervises them, and what management is doing to prevent the
frequent turnover which plagues many early-childhood education locations. Your
state probably has a staffing minimum of something like one adult teacher for
every 12 older preschoolers; ask how well the facility meets or exceeds that
standard.
The curriculum is developmental and
age-appropriate; there's a lot of hands-on play, art time, books time, physical
exercise, and of course, ample time for rest and quiet play. Avoid a place that claims to focus on math and reading, and don't be as
impressed with a computer in the preschool classroom as frequent plays, dance
class, lots of opportunities for creative expression, and lots of clean and
quality toys. Overly scripted or structured, "school-like" preschools are wrong
for young children and you will regret it if you fall into the "keep up with
the Joneses" trap of competitive child development.
Teachers communicate frequently with parents. Do they send home a daily or weekly report of what the child has been
doing? They should. Are there parent-teacher conferences twice a year,
especially for the "seniors" who will be going off to kindergarten the next
year? There should be. A checklist of kindergarten readiness traits, assessed
by your child's teacher, is an important tool. Ask if they have one. Even a
modified type of report card is a plus in the communication process. Having a Parent-Teacher
Organization in the preschool is a very good sign. Lots of parent volunteer
opportunities is another good sign. Do staff and parents socialize together
occasionally and get to know one another fairly well? That's the best sign of
all - that mutually-enjoyable friendships are developing within a professional
setting, not just a fee-for-service mentality.
There
should be a good method of evaluating their program quality, with frequent
surveys or questionnaires to help assess parental opinions about the
preschool's teaching and management.
Homework: Here's a good article
by a pediatrician, "How to Choose a Preschool":
www.drspock.com/article/0,1510,6014,00.html