Preschool will be your child’s first experience with school, with other adults and with other children in a more formal setting. I wanted to give you some tips for how to choose a preschool so that you can be sure to make the best possible decision for you and your child.
For me, being a stay at home mom who has been the primary caretaker of my child, it was also a bit scary to have to trust someone else with the most important thing in my life.
When Connor turned 2 and started really noticing letters, it seemed like going to preschool would be a good thing to help him learn in a fun way (he doesn’t think mom is so much fun).
Here are some of the things I kept in mind when we were looking that first time around:
How to Choose a Preschool
1. Connection – Are you looking for a program that has some kind of religious connection? Many of the preschool programs around here are connected to churches so finding one that agrees with your beliefs, or not, will be the first thing that you need to think of.
2. Philosophy – You may also want to look for a specialized program that focus on different teaching and/or learning styles such as Montessori, Waldorf or language immersion.
3. Needs of Your Family – Do you need full time care or just a Mother’s Day Out program? Can you get your child to the program on time as well as get your other children/yourself where they/you need to be? Some programs are 9am-1pm, some 9am-2pm and some are 8am-12pm so make sure to check the school hours.
4. Fees – What is their tuition? Do they have a payment plan? Do you have to pay for your child’s spot through the summer even though they won’t be there? Can you really afford the school you’d like them to go to?
5. Needs of Your Child – Does the program require your child to nap, but he/she gave up naps two years ago? Do they require the child to be potty trained (many of the Montessori programs do)? Does your child need to take medicine that would have to be administered while they were at school?
6. Teacher/Student Ratio – How many children are in each class? I’ve looked at programs where there is a 1:8 ratio and some that are 2:24 ratio. How many children can you child stand to have in their class/space?
7. Atmosphere – When you walk through the school is it clean? Do the children seem happy? Are there bright, colorful colors? Are there plenty of resources/art supplies? Do they have an adequate outdoor area? Do they welcome parent involvement?
8. Curriculum – What curriculum do the use? Are they working on preschool skills? Do they have a weekly theme that they make public so you can reinforce it at home? Do they include books into their daily schedule? Do they have an art/music time? Do they have a set play time?
9. Discipline – Do they have a set discipline plan? Do they redirect children that are having difficulty? Do they work on social skills? Do they use a system that you can implement at home to help your child with continuity?
10. Credentials/Recommendations – Is this an accredited program? Do you know anyone whose kids have gone there? Ask around the neighborhood and see what people are saying about the school.
Hopefully by keeping all of these things in mind when you choose a preschool, you will be able to find the best place for your child and start them off on the right foot on their journey of learning to love learning!
Or…have you thought about opening your own preschool? (I know I have with the limited amount of just preschools around here.) If you can’t find the exact program that you’re looking for, why don’t you do it yourself? Go here to get the wheels going on this idea.
Do/did your child attend preschool?
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Should you choose to purchase something…there will be no cost to you and I might be able to buy my kids a book about preschool.