tips for choosing a quality preschool...3 tips for choosing a quality preschool therefore, each day...

TIPS FOR CHOOSING A

by Kathie BurrellQuality Preschool

1 Does Quality Really Matter?

2 Qualified Caring Staff

3 Stimulating Curriculum

4 Family-Friendly Community

5 Clearly Established Policies

6 Clean, Safe, Inviting Facility

7 Current License with Minimal Violations

8 Good Reputation

A1 Parent Checklist

A2 Questions to Ask When Touring

Contents

1 tips for choosing a quality preschool

We know that choosing the best preschool for your child can be time consuming and sometimes even confusing. “This school has a very impressive building and layout, that school uses a traditional Montessori approach, another school has a terrific Threes teacher.” Which is truly the best program for your child?

Call the schools you have in mind. Ask some preliminary questions. Does the school’s philosophy match yours? If so, schedule a tour. Included in this e-book is a list of questions to ask as you tour. Also included is a brief checklist and a page for note taking.

In the pages that follow you will find a simple, easy-to-follow guide to assess preschools.

A Good Preschool Should Have: A qualified, caring staff A stimulating curriculum Family-friendly community Clearly established policies A clean, safe, inviting facility (high- quality environment)

A current license with few violations A good reputation

Does Quality Really Matter?

Choosing just the right preschool for your child is a very important decision. Research indicates that the correct preschool can accelerate how your child will learn, develop, and build social skills needed to succeed later in school and in life.

1


However, research consistently indicates that it is the teacher who makes a difference in a classroom. It is the teacher who assures whether children profit from preschool activities or not. Each day it is the teacher who plans the activities, listens and talks to the children, and facilitates growth in the child’s intellectual and social development. And remember, just one outstanding teacher doesn’t make a preschool excellent. Every teacher should be highly qualified.

Highly qualified teachers are teachers who: Have strong professional preparation skills and background in child development Are prepared to form supportive relationships with children having frequent interactions that are responsive, affectionate, and respectful

Model enthusiasm for exploring the world around them and embed play in learning Have learned the best ways to maintain order in the classroom and help students regulate their own behavior Set goals to help children become productive, responsible, curious, and active learners Focus on helping every child to learn, develop, and gradually do things independently Provide feedback to the children Regularly assess each child’s progress and make adjustments as necessary Are well prepared Can articulate the learning goals for any activity their children are engaged in Show regard for students’ voices and acknowledge their feelings Expect to continue to grow and develop through rigorous professional development

What this looks like in the classroom: Teachers and children working and playing together Teachers and children conversing Teachers making eye-to-eye contact with their children Teachers assessing and encouraging children Sets of children working happily and independently

Qualified Caring Staff

The hallmark of a good preschool is one in which a child feels comfortable and at home. Every member of staff, from the Principal to the cook should enjoy being around children, greet them in a friendly and enthusiastic manner, and be concerned for their well-being.

2


Therefore, each day should include a circle or whole group time where literacy skills such as language development, listening skills, letter identification are prominent. Time is devoted for small group activities that incorporate emerging math skills: counting, patterning, and sorting of toys, plus number recognition and graphing. There is free choice time that emphasizes the give and take of social skills. There is also time for outdoor play to encourage physical and social development.

A well-designed curriculum stimulates your child’s development and makes learning fun. Teaching through themes can be very powerful and exciting for children. However, schools should choose themes carefully. Children should be able to experience the topics directly, not just read about them in a book. Activities should provide real, engaging, hands-on experiences for the children, thus making the learning most meaningful. Therefore, in preschool, Rain is a more appropriate topic than Outer Space. Children have first-hand experience of rain. They can collect it, paint with it, and protect themselves from it. Watch it. Feel it. Taste it. However none of those things can happen with the theme Outer Space. Children can’t even comprehend the massive numbers involved in the topic, let alone experience it daily.

A stimulating curriculum is present when children are: Intellectually engaged, eager and happy; children are not bored, tense, or unhappy Working on individual or collaborative projects; children are not all doing the same project in the same way Creating their own writing or dictating their own stories to the teacher; children are not copying or completing a worksheet out of a book

Actively participating in group circle time “Acting out” a theme in dramatic play, the blocks area, and in art Exploring components from the theme in the classroom sensory bin Singing and dancing

What this looks like in the classroom: Lots of print directly related to the current theme A “morning message” written to the children Graph covering the theme (i.e. Do you like rain?; Do you have rain boots?) Sensory bins available for exploration (i.e. water with materials such as funnels, basters, sponges, tubing) Lots of books about the theme; fiction and nonfiction

Stimulating Curriculum

The best preschools have daily schedules that nurture the development of the whole child. Specifically, time is allotted for all aspects of a child’s development: social/emotional, cognitive, and physical.

3


What to look for in a family-friendly preschool: Parents should regularly receive information about their children’s progress through informal conversations and emails with teachers

Parents should regularly receive both class and school-wide newsletters

Parents should be asked to participate in prearranged formal parent/teacher conferences, and offered a variety of ways to be involved in their child’s learning such as: Assisting in classroom activities Reading at story time Making items for classroom use Chaperoning field trips

Parents should be offered a variety of ways to share in their child’s day such as: Eating lunch with your child Sharing a birthday treat with the class Being a room mother Assisting during field days Become a member of a parent group

Parents should be offered a variety of ways to celebrate with their child such as: Halloween parades Thanksgiving Feasts Winter Parties Father’s Day Celebrations Mother’s Day Celebrations Whole school performances Culminating events (at the end of a theme)

What this looks like in the classroom:• Parents helping at centers• Parents reading to the class• Parents freely coming in and out of the school

Family-Friendly Community

A quality preschool should, not only be a haven for young children, but it should also be a warm and inviting place for parents. Research indicates that students benefit from a solid school/home partnership. It is also recognized that parents are a child’s first and most consistent teachers knowing their child in great depth. It is for these reasons that schools should always welcome and encourage parental participation at school.

4


What to look for in a preschool with clearly established policies:

Clearly Established Policies

It is important for a preschool to be flexible, individualizing each situation for maximum learning for all those involved. However, a preschool should also have clearly established regulations for everything from operating hours to fire drills. Showing consistency of operation demonstrates a seriousness of purpose.

5

G E NE R AL INFO R MATIO N• Hours of Operation• Confidentially• Bus/Van behavior • Inclement weather

CL ASSROOM INFORMATIO N• Birthday policy• Positive Behavior Plan• Holiday parties & Celebrations

AR R IVAL & DE PAR TUR E• Drop off procedures• Late pickup

PAR E NT INVOLVE M E NT• Conferences• Home visits• Parent Group• Volunteers

HE ALTH AND SAFET Y• Allergies• Biting • Illness• Immunizations

TUITION AND FE ES• Tuition payment• Payment Options

What this looks like in the classroom:• Teachers following routines such as taking attendance and participating in fire drills

• Teachers following established procedures for accidents that may occur

• First-Aid Kits in all rooms

• Well-run and secure drop off and pick up procedures

• Established allergy policies and procedures

Parents should receive a Parent Handbook covering such policies as:


However, it is not only the classrooms that need to be maintained and inviting, the playground should also be spacious and appealing to children. There should be areas with plenty of room for running, equipment to play rigorous games (balls, soccer nets, basketball hoops), climbing equipment, and trikes and trike paths. But there should also be areas for more social play such as sandboxes and play houses.

A quality preschool environment mandates that the school is clean and safe at all times. Check out the floors, walls, trash cans, and even the kitchen. Once you have established the cleanliness of a preschool look further. A quality environment recognizes that it is very important that children have the opportunity to learn in spacious, well-equipped classrooms that have a variety of age-appropriate materials including art supplies, musical instruments, science equipment, language and math games, puzzles, dramatic play area, and building materials.

6

What to look for in a clean, safe, inviting facility: Freshly cleaned surfaces Well vacuumed floors Locked entrances Smoke detectors Medication and all other hazardous substances should be stored out of reach

A first-aid kit and fire extinguisher should be close at hand

Toys in good condition Age appropriate playgrounds Well-stocked playground Fenced play area

What this looks like in the classroom and playground: Materials at children’s eye-level Art materials such as easels, paint, crayons, play dough, clay, and paper

A dramatic play area with materials and props A classroom library with a wide selection of books Materials used for exploring math concepts (balance scales and various colorful counters)

A block or building area Science materials; magnifying glasses, natural collections, living things

Tricycles and wagons in good condition Balls, soccer nets, and basketball hoops Separate age-appropriate playgrounds Covered sand boxes with plenty of sand equipment

Clean, Safe, Inviting Facility


What to look for in the school: A posted Childcare license A posted Health Certificate A posted business operating license A posted synopsis of any licensing violations

Current License with Minimal Violations

Ask to see a preschool’s license and credentials. As you look at it, check the date and the violations if there are any. To be licensed, preschools must meet state licensing regulations for health and safety. Of course, a license isn’t a guarantee of quality. That is why you need to evaluate the school and teachers for yourself.

7


Its name should be recognized by local public elementary schools and known to them for producing students ready to learn and move on to the next levels. An excellent preschool should be accredited by a known, reputable organization, demonstrating that excellence is enough of a priority to go through the rigorous task of acquiring accreditation.

Another component of a good reputation is that there is low teacher and staff turnover. Children will thrive when they have built a trusting, loving relationship with their teachers and their teachers’ style and daily routine. The community should feel that there is consistency among the staff, that they will be greeted by the same person day in and day out. Their families have a chance to experience the same good teachers for all their children. Another element of a good reputation is consistency of quality. All teachers and staff should work to the same high standards.

A final component to a good reputation is being recognized as being an integral part of the community; giving back, so to speak to the community the school services.

How to assess a reputation: Ask neighbors for preschool recommendations Ask neighbors directly about a particular school Ask pediatricians and librarians about a particular preschool Ask local elementary schools about a particular preschool Look for online reviews of a particular school

What to look for in the school: A certificate of accreditation A consistency of staff and teachers (seeing the same person in the same job month-to-month and year-to year)

Collection bins for school supported community drives

Good Reputation

A good reputation is built day-by-day, month-by-month, and year-by-year, by producing a product that parents want and expect. A quality preschool should have a well established reputation for excellence. It should be known within the community for its involvement in matters dealing with young children.

8


I hope you have enjoyed this e-book. As the owner of Golden Pond School in Ashburn, Virginia, I believe that a quality preschool will set a child up with a love of learning that will follow them throughout life.

Kathie Burrell

Thank You


Staff - Teachers and Children:Working and playing together

Making eye-contact

Happily involved

Addressing children by name

CurriculumPrint rich environment

Theme related books on display

Math activities evident

Science supplies and activities evident

Sensory bins/table

Family Friendly EnvironmentPolicy of family involvement

FacilityClean

Safe

Child created work displayed

Variety of toys and supplies in good condition

Abundance and variety of books

Playgrounds that address both physical and social development

Sounds of children’s activities and laughter

Parent Checklist S C H O O L 1 S C H O O L 2 S C H O O L 3 S C H O O L 4

A1


StaffWhat is the professional and educational background of your teachers and assistants?

How long has this teacher been teaching here?

What is your staff turnover?

CurriculumDo you have a written curriculum? Does it differ by level?

Do you have weekly and monthly objectives for the children? Are they written objectives?

Do children have academic centers?

Do you teach through themes? How long does a theme last? Why?

What science do you teach? How do you teach it?

How do you approach pre-reading? Why?

How long is your academic day?

Family friendlyWhat is your policy regarding family involvement?

What is your policy regarding communication between home and school?

EnvironmentHow often is the classroom cleaned?

How often are toys disinfected?

A2Questions to Ask When Touring


43940 Farmwell Hunt PlazaAshburn, VA 20147

(703) 723-7663www.goldenpondschool.com

tips for choosing a quality preschool...3 tips for choosing a quality preschool therefore, each day...

Documents