Confused Which Preschool to Choose? Questions to Ask to Help Make Your Decision
Depending on where you live in the country, how large your city and how many people are applying to a particular school, often times the sooner you apply for preschool, the better options you will have. In most areas, sign-up for the next school year begins in January if you haven't previously enrolled in that particular school or have siblings already attending. With so many options available, how to you decide which school is the best fit for you and your child? Here are a list of questions to ask yourself and the school to help make your decision easier.
Is my child ready for preschool? Many schools start as early as age one. We started my daughter in a toddler program just before her second birthday. We knew emotionally she was ready for the experience and despite the age range of one to two in her class, all the kids participated in singing, arts and crafts and story-time. They also learned colors and socialization skills.
Can I take a tour of the school when school is in session? Obviously you don't want to disrupt class, but I recommend if possible to take a tour of the school while preschoolers are in class. You will get a good sense how the teachers interact with the children, what they are being taught and how the children seem to be responding.
What type of school/learning method is the best fit? Is it important to you to have a religious tone to preschool? Do you prefer a school where different ages interact with each other? Do you wish your child to learn certain skills by the end of the school year?
What type of certification level do the teachers have? This is something we didn't know before enrolling in the first school. Due to the certification level the school had, they were only able to operate two days a week and only teach at a certain level. The school we are in now has a higher certification by the state and is able to operate more days with more educational options. Here is a good website to visit if you want to learn more about your state preschool programs and what certifications levels your schools are required to have.
How many days a week is the program? Our oldest two daughters went to a school where children were only allowed to go up to two days a week. With my youngest, we really wanted to move her up one more day each year so we found another school where children could go as few as one or at most five days a week.
How many hours a day? What if I want my child to go longer on a certain day of the week? The first school we enrolled in was a set four-hour a day with no flexibility. The school my youngest daughter attends now allows for a lot of flexibility. They have a two-hour program which can extend to four by adding lunch and can further be extended with enrichments for an additional two hours. These enrichments are everything from math and science to art to French lessons. You can also decide to go two hours one day a week and four the remaining two days a week.
Is lunch/snacks served or do we bring a lunch? What if my child has food allergies? The first school we enrolled in, we packed lunches for the children and were told which foods were not allowed due to kids with allergies in the class. The school we attend now has each parent rotate with a given shopping list specifically created to avoid the known allergies in class. The parent brings the groceries and the school prepares lunch for the whole class.
How does payment work? The first school we attended collected payment every time you dropped your child off for the day. The school we are currently in, collects payment on the first day of the month for the entire month.
Are there questions that helped you choose a great preschool? Please add your comments below to help others in their decision making process.
