Why Preschool Plays a Significant Role?
An important bond is created with your child the moment they are born. Despite this strong connection and dependence, your child is testing his autonomy and learning to interact with his environment. This is the time to choose a preschool.
Why choosing a preschool is so important? Parents whose children go to preschool say that they really get a lot. Kids learn to be more sociable and contact with other children easily. They get used to shapes, numbers and letters. They become more disciplined and get behavior-management skills. Preschool is like kids’ first taste of real organized education.
Here is a list of main benefits and new habits that your child can gain:
- Enrich vocabulary and get language development;
- Improve creativity and imagination;
- Learn to solve problems;
- Get used to figures and mathematics;
- Gain gross and fine motor development.
How to choose a preschool?
Choosing a preschool is not an easy task. Every parent wants to be sure that it will be a healthy and safe place and the atmosphere in general will be positive and supportive. Usually parents have plenty of options that should be available to them and their children.
Here is a list of the most important things which you should take into consideration for making the right decision:
• Realize what you are looking for in a preschool
This point includes answers to the following questions:
– What about location? Should it be near to your home or to your workplace?
– Do you need transport services to and from school?
– Is it better to study in the morning or in the afternoon?
– Should it be a half or full-day?
– What is the right cost of studying for you?
– What about teachers’ qualification and experience?
– Does your child need breakfast? Lunch? Or some kind of snack?
– How many children study in a class?
– How much physical activity does your child require?
– Do you need any specific childcare services like (napping, toilet training, socializing or something else?)
Thinking about all these questions will allow you to narrow down your research activities and compare one school to another. The best way to choose a future preschool for your child is to think in details, how it will fit into your usual everyday life.
• Determine educational philosophy you want
For many parents, the most confusing part about choosing preschools is trying to make sense of terms such as, “Montessori Preschool”, “child-centered”, “Waldorf Approach” and “faith-based”. What does it mean and how can these terms help you choose a preschool?
While educational philosophies are numerous and their definitions are not set in stone, here is some of the most popular philosophies to help you make a decision.
The Montessori Method
Focuses on maintaining the individuality of each child in the learning process. This method believes each child learns at their own pace and educational progress should not be rendered based upon comparing students to one another.
The Reggio Emilia Approach
The curriculum focuses on providing opportunities for problem solving through creative thinking and exploration.
The Waldorf Approach
This approach places an emphasis on imagination in learning, providing students with opportunities to explore their world through the senses, participation and analytical thought in a natural environment.
The High/Scope Approach
This approach focuses on letting children be in charge of their own learning. Children are taught to make a plan for what they would like to do each day and participate in a review session to discuss the success of their plan and brainstorm ideas for the next day.
• How to choose the right preschool?
There is only one answer can be made: you need in-depth, detailed research and analysis. Speak with all people, whose opinion you may trust. They can be your friends and neighbors, who have children of the similar age, pediatricians or teachers. May be they can give you useful tips and recommendations.
Use the Internet. You will be surprised that Google may give a helpful hand in this question and can be the right resource of information. You can easily find enormous compliments and complaints from parents about this or that school, even health or safety violations and other practical advices. Your future preschool may have an active networking community, where you may find all necessary data.
Take more parent tours, to compare schools that you like best. Because only when you see the school you can feel the atmosphere and meet people who will take care of your child. And remember, the most amazing school for somebody, doesn’t mean the best school for your child. Choose your signature preschool.
To sum it up
The answer to the following question: “How to choose a preschool?” includes a range of components. Solving this problem, think that your child will interact more with other kids and will grow up faster. He or she will develop quickly intellectually and socially. This will give your child really great advantages in the nearest future.
