Factors to Consider Before Choosing the Best Preschool – How to Choose

Choosing best Preschool for your kid is a daunting task. This post will discuss important things/factors/points to be considered before choosing a preschool. After all, Every parent wants to give their little one a safe, secure and best environment to learn.

Till now we are busy in taking care of different things of baby like regular vaccination, introducing solid food, enjoying their activities like crawling, standing , walking etc. Time flies really fast, now another phase of parenting comes and one day we find that it’s time to get started on selection of a preschool for our beloved kid!

Choosing a preschool needs investment of lots of time and energy to make a right decision. In most of the cases, separation from their kid becomes a concern for parents. After all, every parent just want their precious little one to be in safe and best hands. But this worry can be eased by selecting a preschool that meets desired expectations and requirements as well.

Important Things to be Considered Before Choosing the Best Preschool

Once the search begins, some of the important things that must be considered before choosing the best preschool for your child:

Security and Safety

Safety and security goes hand by hand. If any one of this fails, the entire system is bound to fall. Most of us parents think that both are same. Well…. that’s not the case when your child is at stake. Lets make it simple for you.

Security

First and foremost thing which comes is Security of a child. It is important to make sure that preschool must have a strict security system. Few points in respect of this need more attention:

• The campus of preschool should be surrounded by a boundary wall.
• The campus  should not be too big for a kid to be missed out.
• There should be proper security guard.
• Regular register must be maintained for visitors inside the school or school campus.
• Specific rules should be there for pickup and drop off of kids.

Safety

Next one is Safety which also needs equal and critical attention while choosing the best preschool for your child. Some basic safety steps that should be taken care of are:

• The building must be having a fire exit and there are fire extinguishers.
• The campus should have First-aid kit available at important locations.
• The toys kept are non-toxic.
• Playground equipment should be age suitable and regularly cleaned and maintained.
• Proper supervision is needed for kids in bathrooms or kitchen area.

Hygiene and Cleanliness

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  Small kids are mostly prone to infections when entering an environment which is entirely different from the home. As it is known it can’t be avoided fully but the best preschools should follow basic sanitation.

• School premises, bathrooms and kitchen cleanliness will give some idea about the school’s standards
• It is better to ask how potty accidents are getting handled. This will give you some ideas about how supportive and dedicated the staffs are.

Teaching Methodology

There are several teaching methods to follow in preschool i.e Montessori, Waldorf etc. So it is good to read up and have some ideas on these before checking out the school. And get one which is in line with parenting vision and child’s nature.

keep in mind early years of a child is very crucial, as child brain develops very vastly during this period. That’s why it’s an important point to consider while choosing the best preschool for little one.

Approach of Entire Team (Teaching / Non-Teaching)

As for the first time child is going away from his/her mother, so the environment and people surroundings should be much more satisfactory. Few things can be noticed:

• Attitude of the teaching / non teaching staff towards their work
• Discipline of the teaching / non teaching staff
• The appearance of both the teaching and care taking staff should be positive and pleasing. This includes the school director as well.
• A surprise visit to the school must be done , which will let you observe the staff behavior!

Child and Caretaker Ratio is a must for Best Preschool

Small kids need a great deal of care and help for most of their basic requirements. A school with a low staff child ratio will result in overload and finally annoyed staff. This will surely affect the attention each child gets. In fact the number of caretakers or ‘maid’ is likely to be more important than the number of teachers.

Sleep and Snacks Pattern

Following merits attention for the best preschool in this category.

• Every child is probably used to a certain pattern of naps and snacks at their home.  You must ensure how it will be set with school routine.
• Child needs to carry snacks with them or it is taken care by school itself.
• If school is providing snacks then what is the menu and timings set.

Area/Location and Duration of Best Preschool

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  A playschool that’s nearby also means no need of getting the child ready early.

• No need of travelling long as at such a small age it’s not good for a kid to travel too much and become very tired by the time he/she returns home.
• In case of working parents, the working hours of the school must be considered.
• In case of emergency a small child at school may need to be picked up any time. That’s why nearest location is important to consider while choosing the best preschool.

Fee/Charge for Best Preschool

Yes , Of course, before checking out preschools, we must be prepared how much to spend. Some schools take fees on annual basis, some have term wise systems and some will take on monthly basis.

Other expenses like uniforms, bags, kit and transportation should also be taken care.

Parent’s Opinion

Contact and talk to parents who are already sending their kids to the school. It will give you the real reviews about the school and its policies.

Try to interact with more number of parents to get an average view which will help in making a right choice. Apart from this, go through internet in this regard and check reviews or questions on parenting forums or groups for advice.

Remember each and every child is different, they bloom in environment that bring out the best in them. So we will recommend you to kindly follow this guide for selecting best preschool for your child.

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