When it comes to choosing the best preschool for your child, it’s important to leave no stone unturned. After all, preschool and kindergarten serve as your child’s introduction to school, formal learning and the beginning of their educational journey.
But how to you go about choosing the best preschool? There are many benefits of preschool that can be afforded to your child and your family, but it’s important to take several factors into consideration:
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions: When it comes to choosing the best preschool for your child, no question is a bad one. Ask for reviews of a school from parents who already have kids attending a school you might be interested in. Talk to administrators and teachers about the culture of the school and what the curriculum is like.
- Review the curriculum: Preschoolers are usually taught their ABCs and 123s, but a preschool’s curriculum should do a bit more than that. Find out how the basics are covered, if reading will be taught and encouraged and what other tools for learning are available in a classroom.
- Nurturing: At such a young age, children who are preschoolers are very impressionable and teachers make an important impact. Teachers who lead with a gentle approach can be a source of comfort for a child who may be a little uneasy about leaving Mom and Dad behind at home.
- Home vs. School: With exposure to a new environment at school, a child can be confused about how to act there versus how they act at school. That can mean situations where a teacher must teach a child right from wrong or administer discipline. If you have a certain approach to dealing with conflict at home, it’s important to find out how the school handles conflict.
Another way to help your child grow during the preschool and kindergarten years is by sending them to summer camps. Each year, more than 11 million children and adults attend a summer camp in the United States. Additionally, 63 percent of children who learn new activities as a summer camp will keep an interest in those activities at the end up camp, according to the American Camp Association (ACA).
The benefits of sending your preschooler to a summer camp include:
- Fostering teamwork
- Encouraging personal growth
- Helping kids take a break from the television and mobile devices and building friendships through interaction.
- Nuturing social skills
- Learning to function and have fun away from home
- Having fun by getting a chance to explore nature, sit around campfires, play games and getting the chance to do things they don’t normally get a chance to do.
When it comes to choosing the best preschool for your youngster, don’t hesitate to ask questions. It’s important for your child to feel comfortable and excited about learning and for parents to feel that their children are in a good place for learning.
For more information, Fun-A-Day and Parents.com offer some useful tips to get you started finding the best preschool for your child.
