What should I be looking for in a preschool?

Question

My husband and I will be touring a few pre-schools over the next few weeks. Are there certain things I should be looking for?

Answer 1

You want to look for a room based around the children. Lots of books, their artwork, low tables and chairs. An environment that will promote learning through play. Your child should be comfortable very quickly. When my youngest started preschool he left to explore the room very quickly. It's more important that your child likes the space then you do.

Answer 2

little hotties

Answer 3

As a preschool teacher(and a parent) here are some things to look for----happy children and teachers, variety of activities both structured and non-structured, cleanliness of the centre, enough space for the amount of children they have, posted programming sheets(so you know what kind of activities the children will be doing). It helps to write down any questions you might have before arriving so that you don't forget. Remember to ask what their policy is on Behaviour Management and ask what their centres policies and procedures are to make sure you agree with them. Good Luck!!

Answer 4

some things that come to mind:

-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.

Answer 5

Good answers except for the perv. Also, look at the art work on display. Is it all the same? Is it done off a pattern? It shouldn't be. Are they using worksheets or trying to teach three year olds to read? They shouldn't be. Do the lead teachers have degrees in education? They should.

Answer 6

Look for cleanliness.  Look for staff/child interaction.  Are the children happy and engaged, and are the adults actively involved in the children's activities?  Look for the children's schedule.  The schedule should include both structured and unstructured activities.  There should be time allotted for free choice of play activities, and plenty of safe, interesting, constructive activities for the children to choose from including building activities, pretend play, quiet activities such as reading or games, artistic expression activities, and toys or games that contribute to the development of math and science skills.  The room should have a lot of children's artwork on display, and there should be a lot of literacy rich materials and activities available for the children.  The teachers should be reading to the children daily, and there should be a lot of music and singing activities that occur on a regular basis.  The children should play outside daily, weather permitting, and there should be lesson plans available for you to see so that you can get an idea of what sort of structured lessons are being presented to the children.  Preschool age children learn best from active, hands-on activities, so lessons and other activities available should be in that format.