Sending your child off to preschool-even for a couple of mornings a week is a big step for both of you. Here are some answers to questions about finding the preschool that is the best fit for your family.
More parents today are sending their children to preschool than parents did a decade ago. The National Household Education Survey reports that in 47 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds in the United States were enrolled in a formal preschool program.
The choices of preschools are about as varied as the people making the choice. Parents who work full-time often take advantage of a growing number of accredited programs within childcare centers. They also can send their children to a traditional half-day program, but transportation and additional childcare can become a problem. For stay-at-home parents, one of the biggest decisions can be whether to send their children to preschool at all.
“I felt really torn,” says Christine O’Brien, mom to 4-year-old Shea and 2-year-old Brennan. “I felt that since I was staying home, she should stay home.” O’Brien didn’t plan to send Shea to preschool when she was 3, but once that September rolled around, Shea was bored at home. Luckily, O’Brien was able to enroll her daughter in the preschool of her choice-a three-day-a-week, half-day school run by the O’Brien’s church. “I really like the Christian environment and Christian teachings,” O’Brien says.
O’Brien is happy with her decision to send Shea to preschool for two years. Other parents are equally satisfied with the decision to send their kids to only one year of preschool or not to send them at all. “I really liked having [Calvin] home with me,” says Rebecca McMahon, mom to 5-year-old Calvin and 3-year-old Jack. “I didn’t think preschool was necessary.” Calvin did attend preschool as a 4-year-old through the school district’s Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) program before starting kindergarten this fall. McMahon says she may send Jack to preschool sooner. “He needs more social interaction,” she says.
When deciding whether or not to send children to preschool, the question really comes down to how much outside stimulation they need. Some children do just fine staying home with Mom and Dad, attending music and swimming classes, and going to playgroups. Others need more stimulation and attention than many stay-at-home moms can manage. It really depends on the child and the parents.
The following questions are meant to guide parents as they determine their children’s education needs and learn about the resources available in the community:
How important is preschool?
Preschool isn’t required, but many parents find that a half-day of structured classroom time two or three days a week is a good way to prepare their 3- and 4-year-olds for kindergarten. The skills children learn in most preschool settings are equal social skills and academic skills. “Everybody always thinks of the three R’s-reading, writing, and arithmetic-and how ready are children to do these in kindergarten,” says the manager of resource and referral at Resources for Child Caring, a nonprofit public service in St. Paul that helps parents in Anoka, Ramsey, and Washington counties locate child care. “But a lot of [preschool] is the social skills-being able to sit and do a project for a period of time [for example].”
According to Resources for Child Caring, some of the social skills children need before entering kindergarten include: using the bathroom by themselves, playing with other children, taking turns, following simple directions, and expressing feelings and needs.
Though preschool is a useful tool in teaching many of these skills, home can provide children a similar experience. “The parents can do a lot of nursery school-type activities with their children,” Molstad says. “If they’ve got coloring books, and if they’ve got paper to let the children be creative and to draw; if they’re talking to their children; if they’re reading to their children; helping them to develop verbal skills; and using consequence-type of discipline so that the children realize the outcomes for doing certain things.”
How should parents begin their search?
Some parents begin looking for the right preschool immediately after their child is born; others wait until the summer before they want their child to start attending. For most parents, the best strategy seems to be somewhere in the middle. “I think parents should be aware of what is in their neighborhood and the community in which they live, through their church affiliation or through working or talking with other parents,” Molstad says. “It’s never too early to know what’s available.” Usually, the issue isn’t whether there’s enough variety to satisfy the needs of different families but whether there is space for everyone who wants to enroll in a particular school.
The process of finding the right preschool can be time-consuming. Parents should begin their search at least six months to a year before they wish to enroll their child. This will give them time to decide on the characteristics they think are most important for a preschool. After compiling a list, the next steps are to find a list of the schools in the area, research the different programs, tour the schools, and call the school’s parental references.
How can parents find preschools in their area?
There are a number of resources available to parents who are investigating preschool options. Neighbors and friends are the best places to start. “I really went by word-of-mouth,” O’Brien says.
O’Brien knew that incorporating religion into the kids’ schooling was important to her. Her family had recently joined a local church, so she talked to parents at the church with kids of a similar age. Those conversations, along with her personal experiences and requirements led her to send Shear to the church’s preschool.
Personal recommendations from people the parents know are the most popular ways parents begin to learn about area preschools. Parents who are new to an area or who need further guidance on the options available to them can turn to Resources for Child Caring or its counterpart in the west metro area, the Greater Minneapolis Day Care Association (GMDCA). GMDCA serves Hennepin, Dakota, Scott, and Carver counties.
What are some of the different programs?
There are a wide variety of preschool programs from which families may choose:
1. Churches often offer neighborhood preschool classes within their facilities. The amount of religion included in the curriculum can vary a great deal among the different programs. Sometimes a preschool that makes its home at a church isn’t even affiliated with that church.
2. ECFE is offered through most of the school districts in Minnesota. Besides a plethora of mommy-and-me classes for children from birth to kindergarten, ECFE includes “School Readiness” for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds. School Readiness is a preschool program that meets two or three half-days a week.
3. Childcare centers often offer preschool programs to children, starting around the age of 32 months. This is a good option for parents who must work full-time, but it also is an option for stay-at-home parents looking for a quality, part-time preschool. Some daycare centers will allow parents to bring their children in for just a few mornings a week. Check with the individual centers to determine their rules and regulations.
4. Head Start is a low-income child development program offered by the U.S. government.
In addition to the different locations that offer preschool, there is also a variety of curriculum from which to choose. Some of the teaching philosophies taught in the Twin Cities include Montessori, Waldorf, Emilio Reggio, and High Scope. Parents should learn about each of these teaching methods before settling on a preschool. But parents mustn’t let research on the Internet or in books and magazines replace an in-person visit to the school. Two schools that claim to follow the Montessori approach, for example, can be vastly different. Some of the questions parents should ask when visiting schools are included below.
How important is accreditation?
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the main accrediting body for preschools and childcare centers. The organization’s rigorous accreditation process is often seen as the sign of a high-quality facility; however, parents should remember that accreditation is only one ingredient in a good preschool.
“In theory, accreditation is a really good idea,” says Joyce O’Meara Eckhardt, referral childcare specialist for GMDCA. NAEYC accreditation is good for five years. O’Meara points out that a lot could change within a preschool at that time. “We tell parents that if the program is accredited, look at that as a sign that the program wants to do a good job. It’s certainly a plus.”
In addition to self-study and self-evaluation, NAEYC accreditation requires peer evaluation and site visits.
NAEYC lists the following as “characteristics of a high-quality program”:
- The children are comfortable, happy, relaxed, and involved.
- The teacher-to-child ratio is appropriate, with a sufficient number of adults with a background in early childhood education.
- Adult expectations are appropriate for the children’s ages and development.
- All areas of a child’s development-cognitive, social, emotional, and physical-are stressed equally.
- The staff meets regularly to plan and evaluate.
- Parents are welcome to observe and participate in the program.
What are the benchmarks of a good preschool?
Choosing a preschool, like most other choices in life, is very subjective. But there are some general guidelines that illustrate a good vs. bad school. Babycenter.com suggests these items as a sign of a good preschool:
Current license: Preschools have to follow the same standards and teacher-to-student ratios as childcare facilities. Check with the state if you aren’t sure the school’s credentials are current.
Clean and safe: Schools that are licensed must follow the standards set forth by the state for keeping a clean facility, with trash and bathrooms separate from food-preparation areas. Also, the school should have adequate lighting, heating, cooling, and ventilation. Toys, equipment, and play areas at the preschool should be safe and in good repair. Medications should be kept in a locked cabinet and out of the children’s reach.
Qualifications and training: Staff and teachers should be adequately trained. This is defined by Babycenter.com as “two years of college, a background in early childhood development, and CPR and other emergency training.”
Established ground rules: The preschool should be flexible enough to allow parents to stop by any time to check on their children or to visit with the director and teachers. But, according to Babycenter.com, it should have “clearly established, written regulations for everything from operating hours to emergency procedures.” Parents should be certain that the school has a stringent sick-kid policy to minimize the spread of illnesses. All children should be required to be current on their immunizations.
A variety of activities: Parents need to be certain that the school’s curriculum fits their needs and those of their children. A good curriculum includes a mix of individual and group activities, art and creativity, physical play, reading, and outdoor time.
In the end, choosing a preschool is a completely individual decision. The school that may seem right for one family will be totally wrong for another. Make a list of your most important requirements, create a short list of local preschools, visit the schools, and interview the directors and teachers. Then, go with your gut.
