Observing a Preschool:What to look for?

[Jenn Lynn]

Tomorrow I am going to observe a Preschool for DD. I am wondering what kind of things you look for, specifically, in the classroom.

Thanks!

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

I absolutely LOVE our preschool, I hope you find one that works well for you. Things that were important to me were...

Can parents volunteer? Any preschool that doesn't let parents volunteer wasn't for me, infact it was a red flag. That is just my humble opinion. From what I see the kids all benefit, and it isn't always distracting.

Ask what kinds of activities they do? Learn through music? what do they do to foster friendships? Do they have a speciall kid of the day/week? Do they go on fieldtrips?

If you can find some parents that have had their kids there and see what they say.

What is the teachers goal? More importantly what is YOUR goal for your child? Do you want a preschool that focuses on academics, more social or one that tries to do a mix? that is very important, as the preschools I looked at all seemed to focus on either academics or social. I wanted one that was Christian based and and mixed social and academic learning.

I hope this helped a little. If I think of anything else I will post. We will be done with preschool soon, and I will be so sad. This has been an incredible experience for both of us, and I wish you good luck in finding one that is just as wonderful for your family!!!

 

[figment95]

I'm a preschool teacher, maybe I can help.

Look for a bright, colorful classroom. Notice if the children look like they are having fun. Is everyone smiling, including the teacher? Do all the art projects look the same, or does it look like the children actually did them? Are there centers set up where the children can play with different kinds of toys and manipulatives? Is there an outdoor playground that is fenced in? Ask where the children play when the weather is bad. OK, that's a start. If you have any more questions I'd be happy to answer them.

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

We LOVE our preschool also!

Princess Vija gave you some good ideas.
I would add teacher student ratio and interaction.
Also, how long the teachers have been at the school? High turnover usually indicates unhappy work environment.
How available are the teachers to the parents?

 

[grinningghost]

I had my DD in two different daycare/preschools - one was awesome and one was awful.

The awesome one had supportive teachers who interacted with the kids in a way that made the kids feel welcome and happy to be there.

The awesome one took the kids on field trips, gave them more than one food choice (or the option to bring their own lunch/snacks).

The awesome one provided lots of hands-on activities like crafts, singing, dancing, etc.

The awful one did none of the above. As a matter of fact, the one thing my DD remembers about her short-lived days at the awful one is being forced to eat beans and weiners and throwing up on the table. I was also yelled at when she had a little accident in her pants one day. Totally barbaric daycare center. Thank God it closed down.

 

[Kermit]

Ask what happens if a child doesn't want to participate in the planned activity. If there's a good teacher:student ratio in the class, children should be allowed to play quietly somewhere else if they don't want to participate, particularly if the activity isn't very acedemic, like watching a video. Ask how often they watch videos and if they do, find out which ones were shown most recently. It's one thing if they occassionally show one that has to do with whatever topic they're covering. It's completely another thing if the school allows that room to have the VCR every Tuesday, so they always show a video on Tuesdays.

My personal preference is that children usually be allowed access to a wide variety of arts and crafts materials with very little guidance about what they should make. If all the students have very similar projects that day, then they didn't have a choice in what materials they would use, and the teachers probably "helped" them a lot. There are some parents who like these more organized activities more, but from my experience with working with children, such projects aren't nearly as educational or fun.

 

[JetMom]

As a pre-school director, I would say that you have gotten a lot of good guidance here. The one thing I would really look at during an observation is how the teachers interact with the children. I like to see teachers that get right down on the floor to play with the children. The teachers should spend more time talking to the children then they do talking to each other.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Some thoughts:

- what is the teacher/child ratio?
- is there a lot of teacher turnover?
- are parents welcome to stop by and volunteer?
- how many field trips are taken each year? What kind of trips are they?
- how much free outside time do they get? Really examine the playground area for safety features
- How much organized outdoor play is done? There should be a healthy mix of free and organized...
- how freely can children move from center to center?
- What kind of centers are stationary, and which rotate regularly?
- Ask to see their yearly lesson plans... look over the units they are covering. Make sure you are comfortable with them all
- Ask about group times - what do they do, how long does it last?
- Mealtimes and snack times. How are they carried out?
- Make sure art projects arent all the same thing... they shouldnt ever use coloring sheets, or copycat projects. Individuality should be key! A wide variety of mediums should be used, as well. This late in the year, they should be using several. Its common in the beginning of the year to limit mediums and work up to more as the children become more responsible.
- ask what their classroom rule list is...
- be aware of their discipline policy. make sure youre okay with it.
- ask about tv time or the sort... there should be very little to none
- ask about naptimes/rest times. THe children should never be forced to sleep, and after awhile of not sleeping, should be allowed to sit up and read a book or do a quiet activity
- depending upon age of children, computers should be introduced at some point in a casual way. And a very limited time frame
- do they hold regular teacher conferences?

To the outside eye, preschool classrooms should look like chaos =) But a careful eye will see that it is organized chaos... children should have many centers to choose from at a time, and should be given the opportunity to choose what they want. Group times should be fairly short and packed full of fun stuff. The teacher should be visible at all times, and have everything under control... Watch to see how the children relate to her, and how she relates to them. Watch for mutual respect. See how the chaos affects her... she should be at ease and comfortable in the environment.

Good luck! finding a good preschool is a HARD thing to do =)

 

[Jenn Lynn]

Thank You! I am taking notes so I remember what I need to look for and ask tomorrow.

I know that they take field trips. I talked to the Director and she said that this would be a good week to come and observe because they would be in the classroom. The maximum # of students is 15 and they have 1 lead teacher and 1 Assistant teacher. It is T/Th 9-11:30am.

She also told me that they only have a few spots left and she is telling everyone who calls that they should make a decision soon since spots are limited.

Anyone else have words of wisdom for me?