Preschool advice?

Question

I am wanting to enroll my 4 year old in preschool. Does anyone have any advice or tips they can share with me? What are some good questions I should ask when I start calling around?

Answer 1

I think the first question is what is the first day of your open enrollment plan. If your thinking about preschool for next year sign ups are usually in December to February. I know it is crazy. Then ask about what type of facility. Be bold with your question's. Ask if parents would describe their center more as a playmate station or a learning station. Depends on what you want your child to accomplish. There are plenty of preschool out there that basically just babysit kids for a few hours while they suck all the money from the parents. BE OPEN and tell them this is what you expect and will you receive it! GOOD LUCK! mom of 5

Answer 2

You will learn even more by observing a classroom than from the questions you ask.  Look for any obvious signs of filth or other health or safety risks.  Look at how the teacher(s) interact with the children and look to see how the space in the classroom in arranged and whether it is adequate for the # of children in the class.  

All states have licensing standards for child care centers.  You can probably find the organization for your state or region and get a pamphlet from them to help you choose quality care (or log on to their website).  I googled quality child care and got several hits for various states, but you will probably get the most relevant info if you look for your state agency.

Answer 3

how big the classes are, is there a bathroom in class room

how they discipline  can you drop in without notice ,rules on sick kids and what happens if a child get sick or have a accident while in school.

Answer 4

Meet the teacher who will be incharge of your baby.

because she is the one who is going to contribute to your child's first education. So whether it's going to be good or bad solely depends on the teacher. No matter how safe or comfortable the surroundings are, if the teacher is not good then everything else is of no use!!

The teacher should be good and should be one who loves kids. Watch how she talks to the kids and observe her body language. She has to sit  down on her haunches and talk to the child eye to eye. She should never bend over and talk. These are the first signs you look for.

Answer 5

some things that come to mind, ask something related to these types of thing:

-NAEYC accredited

-play

-not scheduled learning times (may be hard to find)...for example having tables out which can consist of art, science, sensory...and letting the kids approach when they want to and leave it when they want to. some kids like to spend more time at different activities and this shows that they are intrinsically motivated to learn, but some schools provide specific times and when those times end the kid have to leave that activity.

-circle time

-If you look at the NAEYC handbook there are kid to teacher ratios, kid to space ratios, and much more. Maybe just take a look at that and you will get a better idea.

-on campus(college) preschools are really good. all the latest research is used in making these preschools run, the teachers in these preschool are apart of the major and//or are professors so they are really there because they want to be and are not there just to pay their bills. alot of preschools have high turn over rates because of low pay and at the campus preschools this is less likely to happen. (may be hard to get into...long wait list)

-OH and make sure they let you visit/observe any time you want to. the preschools that have scheduled visiting times may be hiding something for ex: just sit kids in front of TV most of time and when those times come up then they may do something related to learning.