If you are a mother to a toddler, who is ready to start his or her preschool, then this blog is surely going to be a useful one for you.
It becomes a big question for every parent how to select a good preschool for your kid. Even me, being a mother of two, juggled with the same question once upon a time. Hence, to make things easier for my fellow parents, I am sharing with you all some useful tips on how to select a pre-school for a child.
FILTER DOWN ALL AVAILABLE OPTIONS
There must be several preschools in your locality but all may not have a similar criterion, viz., distance from your home, school hours and Fee Structure. Therefore, first filter down the available options of the preschools according to your preference. Initially, it will good to send your child to the nearest location.
Once you have filtered down the options, then you must take a tour to that preschools without your kid(s), so as to observe things carefully and asking the relevant questions.
Follow these six factors of selection on the basis of which you can finally select a good preschool for your child.
1. STAFF
This is one of the most important things to look for before finalizing a preschool. Remember, “A staff is a reflection to a school”. The more courteous and soft-spoken the staff is, the more preferred school it is. Kindly observe the following things:
(a) Teacher-student Interaction
If possible, look for the real-time conversation between a teacher and her students. Please note that a teacher should be soft-spoken and gentle while interacting with her students. She should not be commanding (unless it is highly needed). The students should also have a healthy interaction with their teacher.
(b) Caring staff
This can be best observed by hearing the laughter sound from the classroom. The staff members should be giving proper attention to a child’s query (no matter how silly and small it is). The other indicators can be singing of rhymes, high-fives, saying ‘bye’ to the teacher at the time of leaving, etc.
(c) Staff should enjoy their work
This cannot be ascertained by simply observing the teacher’s activity. Yet, this is possible to have an idea by asking the school turnover ratio. That is, since how many years the teacher is working in this institution. This question is important as a happy work culture gives a good and positive result. If the teacher is not enjoying her work and her workplace then she can never deliver a happy atmosphere to her students.
(d) Well-trained staff
This is also an important factor that the staff should be well trained and professionally qualified to handle kindergarten students. You can definitely ask about the same to the school management.
2. SAFETY
Check for the safety measures that the school has adopted for the safety of their students. Look for the CCTV cameras, Emergency Door exit, the helpers available in the school, and even how the playground is safe for the kids.
3. ENVIRONMENT
Have a look at the classroom environment. The chairs should be in proper size and height. The classrooms should be adequate enough to accommodate every child easily without leaving any scope of congestion. Any student’s creativity, drawings and labels should be there in the class so that a new child can relate to himself in a new environment.
4. SCHOOL COMMUNICATION PATTERN
Ask the admission counsellor that how the parents will get to know that what has been taught in the class, or anything about the events, competition, etc. It is vital to know as this will show how much a school is punctual and attentive in its duty. A proper communication channel has to be followed so as to reach the parents of the student.
5. CLASS SCHEDULE
The parents should be known to the class schedule that their kid is going to follow. It is needed as every parent should know what a child is doing in the class, how much time is dedicated towards the activity and play-time, when is the recess time, etc.
6. CURRICULUM
The curriculum of a preschool should give emphasis on the child’s cognitive development and hands-on activities. Children learn while playing. Hence, the curriculum should not be difficult for a child.
I’m sure by this blog it is easy now to choose a preschool! Hopefully, I was able to help you in focusing your thoughts about picking the preschool that is best for your child.
If your child is already enrolled, please share how did you go about choosing a preschool? Are there any points you would add to my list? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.