Give me hints for choosing a pre-school please

[ryan840]

I hope it's ok to post this here, it seemed like the best bet... If it's not, please move it to the community board or somewhere more appropriate, thanks! I was just wondering how you all chose your childs pre-school, as my son turns two in August and we want to get him started. Are there any certifications to look for, or any chains with a good reputation? How do you go about finding one at a church if you don't belong to one? What other options are out there? Thanks in advance!

 

[lillygator]

age appropriate curriculum, teacher student ratio, daily schedule, I would also check with HRS records to see if the school has any "incidents" or reports for negative things.

 

[Rachie0507]

I asked around to find a good preschool. I would ask other mothers on the playground, people at our church, teachers from the local public school--basically anyone who would listen. I came up with a few choices and visited them. I am a SAHM and I liked the preschools that did not offer extended daycare. I had heard from some moms that their children had a hard time making friends with children who were there all day, if their children only went for a few hours in the morning. My DD started when she was 3, and I started looking when she was 2 1/2. I loved the choice we made and my DS is signed up to start at the same school in the fall. Good Luck!

 

[ryan840]

Thanks, these are great starting points!

 

[budbeerlady]

Just do what you are already doing, ask! My dd has been part of a great preschool (that is part of why I picked the day care, its a two in one). Her teachers are the most important thing, Hugs when she enters in the morning, they are very structered, but I think they need to be at that age, kids do best when the schedule is pretty much the same. We have had the best luck when I follow the same flow at home in regards to lunch, snack, nap, etc. Preschool is so necessary, my cousins son is 4 months older but no preschool learning, they told his parents he isnt ready for school and to put him in a pre-k class at 5. Not fair for the poor kid! Being an aware and involved parent like you are already will insure that your child does their best and receives the best. Good Luck with your choice. The day care we chose does have a Christian basis but isnt affiliated with a particular church.

 

[ryan840]

Thanks budbeerlady! My main concern is that I really don't like the city I'm living in and so I automatically feel that the schools are not good enough (which isn't necessarily true), and that's why I asked about a church setting. I will more than likely travel to a city I have faith in, of which there are a few very close by. I would really like to put him in the daycare where my mom works for a couple of days each week, but I think it would be too expensive, and it is out of the way, and I think they are full right now. At least there I know he is with someone I trust and they have a very good learning structure there. At this age I'm not looking to turn him in to a genius, just get around other kids and socialize. He already counts (although not always in the right order ) and knows his basic colors and quite a few animals so he is just fine with me on that level. I will definately be asking everyone I see around the parks and malle now! I am also looking online at some websites to help with my decision.

 

[Ava83]

I just did this. It was important to me to have Ava in a preschool program that was accredited and church based. I found the following website that really helped narrow down on my search. (I tried to add the URL below due to being a new poster I cannot, sorry I had to omit part of it-it is for the National Association for the Education of Young Children)

Then I went on instinct, visited the school spoke with the director watch the class, toured, etc



Hope this helps.

Peg

 

[ryan840]

I just did this. It was important to me to have Ava in a preschool program that was accredited and church based. I found the following website that really helped narrow down on my search. (I tried to add the URL below due to being a new poster I cannot, sorry I had to omit part of it-it is for the National Association for the Education of Young Children)

Then I went on instinct, visited the school spoke with the director watch the class, toured, etc



Hope this helps.

Peg

LOL, I was just about to post a link to that site for anyone following this thread, great minds think alike! I stumbled upon these sites during my search, here are the links:
A teachers article about choosing a preschool
An "expert's" article about choosing a preschool
National Association for the Education of Young Children (mentioned in above post)
The Nations Network of Child Care Resource & Referral
Hope someone else finds this as useful as I did! The best part is that the preschool I went to is accredited, so I will be visiting them soon, although he won't attend the same location as I did .

 

[budly]

I am a working mother who had my baby with a nanny for two years. When it was time for school, I looked at everything. Almost every one I went in felt "institutional day care, " and I would get more and more depressed. Finally, I walked in one and knew it was it. Just keep looking until you know it. I went with Montessori myself, but I realize these programs vary extensively depending on who was running them. Take time and look at everything and it will pay off.

Budly

 

[ryan840]

I am a working mother who had my baby with a nanny for two years. When it was time for school, I looked at everything. Almost every one I went in felt "institutional day care, " and I would get more and more depressed. Finally, I walked in one and knew it was it. Just keep looking until you know it. I went with Montessori myself, but I realize these programs vary extensively depending on who was running them. Take time and look at everything and it will pay off.

Budly

Thanks. What exactly is Montessori, I've been meaning to check into it but haven't had a chance...

 

[budly]

Montessori is a teaching method. Ideally, it addresses each child individually and at his/her own pace. The idea is that every child is his or her own person and not "a kid". The children are literally taught respect for each other and adults by being treated like people and not two year olds. For example, they call adults by their first name.

They are guided in groups but are also allowed to explore individually. They are encouraged to help each other as well. Most Montessori schools have children with 2-3 years age difference in the class. The idea is that younger children explore faster because they want to do what the big kids are doing. The big kids learn things solidly because they are forced not only to do, but to teach the younger kids. They are encouraged to do things at their pace and not the pace of the class. For example, at three, my son knew how to do every puzzle in the room. Therefore, the teachers (1) made my son show the others how to do it adn (2) took more complicated puzzles from older kids' rooms so he could enjoy things individually.

Montessori is a wonderful environment, if it is handled correctly.

I will caution you that it is a leap. I grew up in a right wing conservative household with old fashioned rules. It took some getting used to when my son was explaining to me about the "peace table" where kids go to talk about their differences. (He is four). They learn life skills, too, which means at 2 he poured water, held scissors and changed his own diapers. Now, depsite my black thumb, I have to have a garden in my back yard because that is what you are supposed to do.

Despite its weirdness to me, it really is a wonderful environment where his interests and needs are nurtured individually.

Budly

 

[buzzandwoodysmom07]

I absolutely love the school that we chose for our son - now almost 5 and going into kindergarten! His little brother will be enrolled for the fall (almost 3) They have a nursery program for 3 year olds and a preschool program for 4 year olds. My husband thinks that I am crazy but when we went to the open houses at various schools, I watched how the teacher interacted with my child. I made him introduce himself to them. The teacher that he has treated HIM like a person. She crouched down to his level and spoke to him face to face and had a conversation with him. Other teachers dismissed him as unimportant because there were adults around wanting to ask questions or talk to her as well. As our teacher just said at a meeting "If you child's teacher is dressed in business suits and nylons, I don't think that is someone I would want for my child. I wear khaki's and sweatshirts because I am down on the floor playing with them......etc."

We are also in Michigan, can I ask where you live - you can PM me if you have any questions!!!

P.S. We leave TOMMORROW to see Mickey!!!! YEAH!

DS4 , DS2 , DH(5 according to DS4) ME(I'm not telling!)

 

[ryan840]

Montessori is a teaching method. Ideally, it addresses each child individually and at his/her own pace. The idea is that every child is his or her own person and not "a kid". The children are literally taught respect for each other and adults by being treated like people and not two year olds. For example, they call adults by their first name.

They are guided in groups but are also allowed to explore individually. They are encouraged to help each other as well. Most Montessori schools have children with 2-3 years age difference in the class. The idea is that younger children explore faster because they want to do what the big kids are doing. The big kids learn things solidly because they are forced not only to do, but to teach the younger kids. They are encouraged to do things at their pace and not the pace of the class. For example, at three, my son knew how to do every puzzle in the room. Therefore, the teachers (1) made my son show the others how to do it adn (2) took more complicated puzzles from older kids' rooms so he could enjoy things individually.

Montessori is a wonderful environment, if it is handled correctly.

I will caution you that it is a leap. I grew up in a right wing conservative household with old fashioned rules. It took some getting used to when my son was explaining to me about the "peace table" where kids go to talk about their differences. (He is four). They learn life skills, too, which means at 2 he poured water, held scissors and changed his own diapers. Now, depsite my black thumb, I have to have a garden in my back yard because that is what you are supposed to do.

Despite its weirdness to me, it really is a wonderful environment where his interests and needs are nurtured individually.

Budly

Thanks for the explanation, it was a very good one.

 

[ryan840]

I absolutely love the school that we chose for our son - now almost 5 and going into kindergarten! His little brother will be enrolled for the fall (almost 3) They have a nursery program for 3 year olds and a preschool program for 4 year olds. My husband thinks that I am crazy but when we went to the open houses at various schools, I watched how the teacher interacted with my child. I made him introduce himself to them. The teacher that he has treated HIM like a person. She crouched down to his level and spoke to him face to face and had a conversation with him. Other teachers dismissed him as unimportant because there were adults around wanting to ask questions or talk to her as well. As our teacher just said at a meeting "If you child's teacher is dressed in business suits and nylons, I don't think that is someone I would want for my child. I wear khaki's and sweatshirts because I am down on the floor playing with them......etc."

We are also in Michigan, can I ask where you live - you can PM me if you have any questions!!!

P.S. We leave TOMMORROW to see Mickey!!!! YEAH!

DS4 , DS2 , DH(5 according to DS4) ME(I'm not telling!)

Hi buzzandwoodysmom. We live in Warren, so not too far from you. May I ask where your son's school is?
Have a GREAT trip, I'm jealous!

 

[eeyore45]

I agree with everything that's posted. Also, rely on YOU - if after all your research and questions, something seems "off", follow that instinct.

For me, I found a huge difference in "For profit" vs "not for Profit" preschools, usually YMCA, Park Districts, and Church are not for profit, this is not an "absolute' or a garuntee of course. I was a certified teacher, stopped working, got involved in Daycare, and Preschool (for me it was the hours the center was operating, if they served meals...) In one "For Profit" center, it was first established in a Jewish Community Center, and had a wonderful following, great word of mouth, they lost the lease, and opened in a 'strip mall' that wasnt in a high traffic area... the things that went on behind the scenes would curl your hair, and make you NEVER take a child to Daycare... (a 2 year old classroom of 15 kids one adult/teacher, not enough toys, an infant room that handle babies younger than 6 weeks, 2 adults (one being ME) and 16 babies - it was an amazing time, I learned and loved a lot that year, and I didnt know any better!! We fed the babies, changed the babies, moved the babies, all on strict schedules, we never sat and played with the babies tho!! I could go on... When the 'state' would come to inspect, you wouldnt believe the amount of adults and toys that would show up in that center!! All nice and legal.

Then I went to work at a Park District - boy what a world of difference, look at the "consumable supply" budget - paper, crafts, playdough... This Park District also went for National Accredation (the above link you provided, acronym is NAEYC - pronunced naycee) and let us as teachers work up and go to Institute days - I was a presenter, so I would ask how the center handles continueing education... do they encourage, or expect teachers to go to inservices - inservices provides ideas, and help for the teachers... I loved being a presenter, I did mine on Drama...

How do they handle discipline, what if your child is a "biter"? Again, remember they may tell you anything you want to hear to get your business, but what happens after you sign up? Know that you will pay for days you dont attend, sick days, and the 6 Federal Holidays (New Years, 4th of July, etc) and you may have a vacation policy... think of the overhead the school has to pay....

I've heard a lot of good things on Montessori, and I've heard some negative, it all depends on how the center operates imho!!

Good Luck!

 

[KAG Mom]

I would do exactly what you are doing....ask other mothers, visit the preschool, ask about student/teacher ratio. I would also ask if the teachers are degreed or what kind of certification they have. I also read on one post that they would choose a preschool that did not also offer daycare, and I have to agree with that. I taught preschool in a quality setting for many years that was strictly preschool, 2 and 1/2 hours a day, two or three days a week. (My own children attended there before I taught.) I decided to go back to school to finish up my bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, and had to leave my teaching position. I worked part time in a day care while I was going to school. Please don't get me wrong, it was a great day care. But from my experience, the atmosphere is just different. The kids are there all day, sometimes up to 10 hours. It is where they spend the majority of their time and they had more behavior issues then when I taught preschool. (Just like children might typically behave at home.) When I taught at the preschool, I taught over 373 three year olds. I never had one biter. When I worked day care, it seemed I had an incident report at least two or three times a week. Once again, please don't think I am knocking day care. I am not; I know it is a necessity for some. Most day care teachers are loving and caring, as I said, it is just a different environment. Anyways, I don't know if that helped or not. You obviously are putting alot of thought into your decision. Good luck!

 

[yyzgurl]

Our son started preschool in February and loves it. We looked for months on end looking for a good school and here is what we looked for.

If you are looking for a true pre-school, find one that is actually a school and not a daycare in disguise. We found most 'preschools' were treated more like daycare by parents because of flexible dropoff and pickup hours. This means that they allow parents to drop off their children as early as 7:30 and pickup as late as 6:00! The school we found is actually a private school with a toddler program. They insist on parent participation, meaning we go in twice a week for music classes with the children.

Before everyone starts getting upset, I will say that there is NOTHING wrong with daycare but it's not school.

If you are looking into Montessori, please make sure that it is accredited. Montessori made the mistake of not trademarking their name so anyone can call themselves Montessori.

Make sure that the ratio is low. Anything 5 to 1 and lower is pretty good.

Make sure the teachers have at least their Early Childhood Education degree.

Make sure you feel comfortable in the classroom. Any good preschool will allow you and your child to visit the classroom first.

One thing that was important to me is the parent access. I insisted that the school I chose allowed parents to look in on the class whenever they wanted. My son's class has a one way window so parents can look in at their leisure. You'd be surprised how many parents end up smushing their faces up against the mirror! It gives me a peace of mind knowing that the teacher's know that parents could be watching them at any time without them knowing.

These are just a couple of things we looked for when we decided on a school.

 

[ahutton]

The only thing I hadn't seen mentioned was that as you are doing your tours, ask how long each of the teachers has been there, compared to how long the center has been open. Our facility is a day care, but 75% of the teachers have been there for 3+ years of the 5 they have been open. Few are employees who are passing through, these teachers are there doing what they want to do for a living. Many have college degrees, they operate a licensed Pre-K program with a certified teacher. Our 3rd child will have the same teachers in most classes as our 1st child did. If the school treats there employees that well that they stay, it is a good place.

 

[chop456]

I agree with the poster who mentioned NAEYC accreditation. This "guarantees" certain things - student/teacher ratio, quality curriculum, rules for the types of snacks, teacher certifications, etc.

One thing that was also important to me was that it was only a preschool, not a daycare that had a preschool component. Since my DD and DS would only be going to "pre-school", I did not want a situation where the other kids were together all day (for day care) and my kids came only for the "preschool" time.

Be sure to visit, ask questions and be sure that you can stop by at any time once your DS is enrolled.

 

[Disneyrsh]

You definitely want a NAEYC certified program-they should have the seal and logo on their info. Less than 15% of preschools are naeyc certified, what it specifically means is that they follow stringent rules about what's being taught, how it's being taught, and other things like teacher certification and vaccinations of children.

Most preschools don't bother jumping through all the hoops naeyc puts them through, but I believe it's worth it. Our presbyterian preschool was certified, and it's also known to be a 'feeder' school for the prestigious private schools here in atlanta.