5 Tips: Finding the right preschool
Finding the right preschool can be a major task for parents. Trusting a stranger with their education and well-being, can be intimidating. Even worse, parents have so many options and face pressure to find the perfect fit.
It’s hard, but you don’t have to worry. With the right approach, you will find the best possible place for your child to learn and grow. There are some simple things you can do to cut down on the stress and make the process easier.
Tip #1: Start your preschool search early
You want time to evaluate all your options, and you don’t want to feel rushed into making a hasty decision.
To give yourself a bit of wiggle room, start your hunt for a quality preschool as soon as possible. Make sure you’re setting aside the time to consider all your options carefully. Remember: The school you choose could have a long-lasting impact on your child.
If you’re not sure where to start, ask around. See where other parents are sending their children. Ask them what they like (and don’t like) about their own choices in preschool.
Keep an eye out for school fairs in your area; a quick internet search will likely turn up a few options. Attending fairs gives you the chance to get a first impression of different schools.
Tip #2: Take stock of your needs
There are a lot of different considerations when choosing a preschool. Ultimately, you want to find one that provides a good fit for both your child and your lifestyle. Everything from hours of operation to classroom structure should factor into your decision.
- Here are just a few questions you should ask yourself:
- How many days per week do you want your child in preschool?
- Are you looking for a half-day program or a full day-program? Is extended care necessary?
- What is your budget, and are you willing to seek financial aid scholarships?
- Is there a specific learning environment you want to place your child in?
- Are you looking for something with more of an academic focus, or a play focus? What about a Montessori environment?
Tip #3: Investigate your options thoroughly
Schedule a tour of every preschool you are considering, and take notes. Have questions prepared and take time to talk with the people who will be interacting with your child.
Get a sense of what the curriculum is and how it is taught, as well as environmental factors. You are looking for a good balance between creative play and education. Additionally, classroom size plays an important role. What is the child-to-teacher ratio?
It’s also important to get a sense of the teachers who will be in charge of your child’s education. What is their experience level and what do other parents have to say about their teaching methods? What learning tools do they have at their disposal? You’re looking for high quality teachers with strong backgrounds. Ideally, they will have been at the facility for several years.
Tip #4: Identify the unique services each preschool offers
On the surface, many schools may appear similar. However, each facility will likely have something that makes them unique. Some will hone in on project-based play and tout their small class sizes. Others will be on the cutting edge of new educational technology. Still others will champion the structure of their curriculum and quality of their staff.
Other services outside of the classroom are also a consideration. Services such as before-school care, after-school care, and field trips are all factors.
As you investigate, decide which services are most important to you. Identify which ones make the most sense for your child.
Tip #5: Narrow your options to 3-5 top picks
When you first start out, you may have a long list of potential schools. Once you’ve done some investigating, it’s time to narrow that list a bit.
We’ve created a tool that can help you do just that. Our Preschool Search Analysis allows you to enter all your data in one place. Once the information is in the tool, you can easily review your options.
We recommend narrowing your list down to a smaller selection of your top 3-5 preschools.
Try to avoid setting your heart on just one preschool. There is always the chance your child may not be able to enroll at your top school for some reason. You should always have at least a couple of alternatives in mind.
In the end, you know better than anyone what your child needs
There is a certain amount of intuition involved in finding the right school. No one knows your child, or their needs, better than you. If something feels slightly off about a preschool, trust your gut and look elsewhere. Similarly, if one option immediately clicks, move it to the top of your list. Don’t forget to investigate it further, though, to make sure it truly is as good as it sounds.
When you send your child off to preschool you want to be confident in your choice. The best way to do this, by far, is by asking questions and doing your research.
Article: How to choose a preschool for your child.
I liked tip number five about choosing a 3 to 5 places and then make a decision. That way you have options. It seems like that will help you find the best place to have your child go to preschool.
It’s always easier once you narrow your options down. When you’re faced with too many it can become totally overwhelming! I’ve developed a free tool to help parents compare preschools side-by-side and relieve some of the stress. You can download it for free at http://www.criticalthinkingchild.com. Sorry for the delayed response!
I really like the suggestion you gave to narrow your options to 3 to 5 options. You talk about how there are a lot of different options out there, which I definitely don’t doubt. When you are able to know what you’re looking for, though, and narrow your list down to just a few that follow along with those expectations, I’m sure it will make the whole search so much easier. Plus, it can help you keep you and your child in mind when you’re picking the school. Thank you for sharing.
Sorry for the delayed response, and you’re welcome! It can seem like new schools are popping up every day, but you’re right. Once you know what your child needs it makes the search easier. If it’s still overwhelming it often helps to look at the schools side-by-side and weigh the pros and cons. I created a free preschool search analysis tool to help with this. You can get it at http://www.criticalthinkingchild.com.
I definitely agree with tip number four; it may take a little digging to find, but there usually are many preschools that offer different services from one another. For example, if you know that your child learns from a more “hand’s on” approach, then you might want to find a preschool that works more activity based learning into the curriculum. However, as the article points out, there are many other factors to consider as well such as whether or not the school takes the children on lots of field trips.
I really like a lot of advice under tip number three about what parents can do to investigate all of their options thoroughly. I particularly like that you encourage them to take a tour of every preschool that they’re considering enrolling their child in. After all, you want to make sure that your child is placed in a safe, nurturing environment that promotes their intellectual growth and that’s not something you can really do by blind guessing.
Definitely. It can be a bit overwhelming, trying to find the perfect fit for your child, but it’s worth a little extra effort. I’ve put together a preschool search analysis tool to help with exactly this. It helps parents organize their search so they can pick the best school for their child (and it’s free!). You can get it at http://www.criticalthinkingchild.com. Apologies for the delayed response!
I completely agree that you should narrow your selection down to 3-5 schools. My sister is getting her daughter ready to go to preschool, and she has a really long list of schools she wants to look at. I will definitely have to let her know to make that list a lot smaller to help her out.
You stated that services such as before-school care, after-school care, and field trips are all factors. My wife was offered a teaching job this year but we aren’t sure what we would do with our kids while we are at work. Do most preschool programs offer these types of services or just a select few? Finding a reputable preschool service might be out best option.
I definitely agree that you should be investigating your options thoroughly. There aren’t going to be just one option for you. Neither are there going to only be 4 or 5 either. There are so many options for preschools and child care out there, and it’s important that you learn about what is available! When you narrow down your search to a few options, doing your research, visiting the school, and talking to the teachers will help you to make the right decision and send your child to a quality school. Thank you for sharing!
I like that you talked about going on a tour of each school you are currently considering. I have been looking for a preschool to send my son to now that he’s a little older. I can see how it would be smart to take a tour, so you can see how organized the teachers are.
Thank you!