Your young one will most likely attend a pre-school before proceeding with their formal education at kindergarten and later joining the elementary school. Therefore, it is important that your pre-school of choice is well-equipped to lay a robust foundation for your child’s education.
However, there are plenty of pre-schools operating today, which makes it a challenge to find the right one for your child. Let’s take a deep dive and expound on the essential things your pre-school should have to succeed.
Qualified and passionate teachers
Caring, passionate, and qualified teachers are the backbone of any preschool. Since you will be leaving your child under their care, it would help if you vetted the teachers before enrolling your child. Some exceptional qualities of good teachers at a pre-school include passion, good communication skills, enthusiasm, humor, creativity, and experience. During your site visit, you could ask the teachers what they love most about their job and how long they have worked with children.
A soothing environment
Since the pre-school will be like your child’s second home, it is important that they feel comfortable. It would be good to visit the facility while school is in session to get a feel of the ambiance before you commit. Assess how the teachers interact with the students and how the children get along. If a physical visit is not within reach, you could ask the teachers to give you a virtual tour.
Hands-on learning experience
Theoretical learning is good, but children grasp concepts better through play and discovery. As you vet the pre-school, ensure the facility has provisions for active learning such as arts and crafts, eco-friendly playground equipment, music, and dance. These outdoor activities help children develop coordination and motor skills, build curiosity and teach empathy for others.
Assurance of safety
Before you enroll your child in pre-school, it would be best to ascertain they are not at risk. During your initial visit, ensure the facility is clean, medicine and electrical cords are safely tucked away, there are no open water bodies, and confirm that no child can easily walk in and out unattended. You could also ask the administration and teachers to describe the emergency systems and ask what would happen if your child needed medicine urgently.
A great reputation
The best way to find a good pre-school for your child is through word-of-mouth. If your trusted friends and family members narrate their positive experiences with a certain pre-school, you are likely to give it a try. You could go a step further and ask about the nature of the program, whether their children are happy to go to the facility and find out other extras the facility offers apart from the normal learning. Since the pandemic is still at large, ensure you ask what measures the school is implementing to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.
Wrapping up
For pre-school to have a positive and lasting effect on your child’s development and education, the facility needs to provide quality care and tend to the children’s needs. You also want to rest easy knowing that every child has a safe environment for education and play.