Mom's, how did you choose a good preschool?

Question

I know what I should look for in a preschool, ratios, certifications, education of the staff, etc.

What I want to know is, do you let your preschooler help choose where they want to go? Would you take their thoughts and opinions into consideration? I thought I'd watch her interact with the teacher and go from there.

My daughter is 3 1/2 yrs old. She told me that she wanted to go to school, so this is why I'm looking into it.

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks

Answer 1

I called up my church and asked them to recommend. You may also check the internet for a rating on preschools in the area.

Answer 2

I actually learned from a bad experience.  One thing I did was found ways to utilize my corporate experience and found it very effective.  There is a great book with printable pages you can get to help you find the right preschool for your child.

Answer 3

I would talk to the teachers. You would be surprised how honest they would be. I use to work in a very nice well know daycare and I hated it. The older kids were treated fine but the young kids did nothing but crawl around all day. they never played with them or did activities..They would make the parents think they did but they didn't. I am now terrified of putting my child in preschool.

Answer 4

Your 3 year old shouldn't know where she wants to go to school because she hasn't yet experienced any of it.  Talk to friends & family and see what their experiences have been in certain preschools.  Allow your daughter a day where you observe for an hour or so to see how you like the teacher's/student's interactions with her. You could try sending her with someone she knows ((for example: a cousin, or a friend's child)) this will allow her to at least feel comfortable in the new surroundings!

Answer 5

ive decided to send to send my daughters to the same school myself and partyner went to.

Answer 6

I like a preschool close to where they will go to elementary school, that way they will already have friends when they enter kindergarten, this is a huge help.

Answer 7

Not sure where you live but in some cities/towns, it depends on where you live, I live about 500metres from one pre school but when I went to enrol my son there they wouldnt accept him because we lived in the next suburb. So I wasnt really given a choice. But some things I looked into were, the pre school hours as they can vary, the student/teacher ratio, I actually didnt think about education of staff, but have made every effort to get to know them and ask for regular updates on my sons learning and behaviour. watching your child and their teacher interact is also a great idea. Good Luck

Answer 8

How your daughter reacts to the preschool and teachers is very important, if the child doesn't like the teacher much, is going to be very difficult to take her to school every morning..  

Answer 9

I agree letting you child choose.  The school because I liked the people and he liked them too.  I also chose it because of word of mouth.  My husband and brother went to the same school also.