Making the right choice

Parents need to keep the following in mind when looking at preschool:

n Make sure the ABCs and 123s are a key part of the school’s learning goals. Early reading is a predictor of later success in life, so being able to get ahead or catch up in pre-school is key. The very best pre-schools help ready children advance beyond age norms, but they also nurture children who are behind so they catch up in these early years.

How can you tell if these basics are covered? Look for letter and number materials in the classroom and also ask teachers. The environment can be very telling. Look for a well-stocked bookcase, the alphabet up on the walls, clocks and puzzles.

•  Ask how “play” is woven into the day, particularly imaginative and physical play. It might seem to counter the first tip about reading and math. Most parents assume if there is a focus on ABCs and 123s there is little room for play. Great pre-schools do both, and success in the early years of a child’s education often allows children opportunities to explore the building blocks of literacy and math through play. Other kinds of play are just essential as well. Some form of daily “pretend play” improves emotional/behavioural skills. When you visit the school, look for a costume corner, art up on the walls, pretend kitchen sets and pairs or small groups of children working together creating and collaborating.

Some sort of physical play helping children develop gross motor skills matters, too. There is a direct correlation between the gross motor skill development of a pre-schooler and long-term health. Ask whether outside play is a part of a typical day. And also observe when you visit the school if there is room for kids to run around. Does the school have a climbing structure, tricycles and balls for children to throw?

•  Look for close alignment with “home values”. The way the school handles social and emotional issues should be similar to your approach at home. Consistency for pre-school age children is essential in helping them develop. One way to learn more about the school’s approach is to ask the teachers or director a role playing scenario. You might ask if two children always played together and one day one of the two decides to play with another child and leaves his friend behind, how the teacher might handle that situation. And then think about whether that approach is the same one you would have taken.
•  Check for positive nurturing relationships between teachers and children. This is what every parent knows by instinct; nice teachers matter, especially for very young children. This is first time in many instances that your child will be separate from you for any extended period of time. It is very important that these new adult relationships with a teacher be nurturing and positive.

So when you visit the school look to see if teachers smile and are generally encouraging of children. Look to see how the teachers interact with the other children in the classroom and if there seem to be strong connections between them. Also talk to parents at the school about their experience.