I am opening a home based preschool, any good ideas?

Question

I am opening a home based preschool, any good ideas?

Answer 1

:-)  Great!  It can be very rewarding.  I am home-based as well and my biggest issue is that I do not have space specifically for them so it has to be a bit more structured than I care to do...but maybe some day I'll have a house with a basement that I can use just for the preschool  :-)  We're getting by right now.

Right off the top of my head:

* have a schedule but be flexible...remember you are on child's time not adults and some activities require more or less time than you planned.

*  Include sensory---if you are in your main living space and can not have a sensory table I would suggest you buy a plastic wading pool or two to help keep mess contained.

*  Be sure to have policies in place and stick with them.  Have a contract.  

*  Provide variation of open-ended projects...steer away from coloring pages.  Remember that preschoolers make mess!  Be prepared.

* Be organized!  Have everything ready to go before the children arrive.  

*  Plan on doing a newsletter or posting pictures (be sure to have a photo permission slip on hand) in the entry way to show the parents what you are doing. I ended up putting all the pics of the individual child onto a cd for each parent and they LOVED it!!!!  It also got the thought across the I'm more than a babysitter.  I tend to take pictures of the child engrossed in an activity.

*  Rotate most toys/manipulatives every other week.  Keep some toys as "specials" and bring them out on a rainy day.

*  Get outside!!!!  Every day possible.

*  If you are preparing a meal...include the children with as much preparation as you can.  Not only do they love it...and they are more likely to try it...but there is much "learning" taking place.

*  Don't go by the seat of your pants.  :-)  Create lesson plans and stick with them...incorporate the children's ideas as much as possible.

Many more thoughts I can add but maybe this will give you an idea!

Answer 2

HAVE A SCHEDULE...security for the kids and sanity for you!

I used a curriculum when I first started..crafts, activities and also looked really good to parents. Themed monthly. www.mothergoosetime.com and www.funshineexpress.com were the two companies I used.

Now I have home school curriculum for kindergarten and found that I can supplement with lots of free stuff from  the web.

Answer 3

i am a childminder working from home - is that the same thing?  get officially registered, advertise in the local schools and clubs, make sure you are up to date on current developments in childcare practice, join a network if you can.

make sure you have official contracts with parents and charge in advance!

good luck.

Answer 4

A preschool or a day care?  If it's a preschool just follow the curriculum for preschool you were taught when you got your certification .  If it's day care and you want ideas for activities I can offer you a lot of them. I have tons. Let me know.

Answer 5

Make sure you register with OFSTED and Pre-School Learning Alliance.

Get in contact with local Childrens Centre as they are really useful to be known to and get advce from.

Set out good policies and stick to them...parent will often try to get around them!

Set up the room wisely so you can see as muchof it from one place as possible.

Ensure you have a lot of safety and a good "in and out" policy so no one goes with wrong people or escapes when its home time and play time.

Make it bright and creative

Decide what approach you want: Montessori, High Scope, Government curriculums, Steiners etc.

Have a good accoutant...you wont have time to be sorting financial issues with the huge amount of paperwork you'll be getting.

Have a HUGE filing Cabinet :) You'll need it!

Good Luck!

Answer 6

Make sure you have a lot of hands on activities for the children to engage in.  High Scope is an excellent curriculum to use with preschool.  Kids like to sing, dance, make crafts and interact with others.

Answer 7

make it safe and secure, easy to clean

might help if you install camera's etc, for later if you hire help you can watch them

plenty of fun and games , but most of all  a real love for kids and plenty of patience