Choose Wisely - You're Child's Education is Important!
One of the most important decisions you’ll make as the parent of a small child is where to send him or her to preschool. Although it seems easy enough – just flip open the phone book for your area, turn to preschools, and begin calling to see if they have openings, right? – there really are some other factors that you should consider; after all, this is likely your child’s first experience away from home and the beginning of his or her educational experience, so you want to be sure you choose the school wisely.
When my children were young and I was deciding on the preschool I would like to enroll them in, I asked myself the following questions:
- Is the school NAEYC accredited? The National Association for the Education of Young Children only accredits schools that abide by certain guidelines, including how to prepare children for kindergarten, ways in which to handle discrimination, and testing procedures, among others. Several schools I was interested in sending my own children to were not accredited by the NAEYC, so I looked elsewhere.
- What is the location and condition of the school? The play yard should be fenced and gated to keep children safe from running off. Find out the crime statistics of the area; if the crime rate is rather high, rethink sending your child to this school, regardless of its convenience to your home or work. Again, I looked at a school for my own children that was quite nice, the teachers were well qualified, and the school was NAEYC accredited, but for my children’s safety, I chose to send them elsewhere when I discovered the rate of crime in the area was rather high.
- What is the education level of the staff? Find out the education requirements of the teachers and whether or not they must have continuing education while they teach at the school. You need to ask these hard questions; you’re not being invasive, you are doing what’s best for your child. I would never want to send my children to a school that had teachers who have not been trained in how to care for, teach, and correctly discipline young children. Assessing the personality of your child’s prospective teacher is also important; meet with the teacher and include your child. Notice if the teacher bends down to speak to your child eye-to-eye and the manner in which he or she talks to your child. Pay attention to the classroom itself as well; is it filled with artwork made by the children themselves? Are the toys clean, age appropriate, and well-maintained? Is the classroom set up to be conducive to children exploring and experimenting in ways they need to to learn at this young age?
- Does the school have references? Perhaps someone you know has sent their child to this school from whom you could get a reference. If not, ask if it’s possible to get references from the school. If it isn’t, think twice before sending your child to the school. I diligently checked with friends, family, and neighbors to find which preschools they recommended; it paid off immensely and helped me make an informed decision about where to send my own children.
The most important thing you can do is to make sure your child is happy and enjoying his or her school in addition to ensuring your child receives the best education possible in a safe, secure environment where learning is of utmost importance.
