Finding The Right Preschool Part 2 The Tour

Once you get past finding possible schools that will meet all of, or most of, your families needs, you will be ready for the tour.

When vetting possible schools, here are some important things to look for:

1. A reasonably clean environment. Obviously in a school filled with small children you are not going to find a place you can run a white glove over. Nevertheless, the cleaner the better. You want to see kids washing their hands or at least know it's a part of the schedule. Nothing prevents illness like hand washing.

2. Do the children look happy? Are they interacting with each other? How about with the staff? Keep your ears open. 

3. Ask about discipline policies. You want to know how problem situations will be handled. What will they do if your child is bitten? If your child bites someone else? 

You want the schools policies to align with your own as much as possible. If you are a strong disciplinary and this school doesn't even have time out, this will inevitably be a problem for you. If on the other hand, you don't believe in ever saying no to your child and ALWAYS give them choices a school that is very structured or that gives a time out with one, or no warnings is going to be very difficult for your child and by extension you when your child cries and fights you all the way to the classroom door, the director is calling you and the teacher always has something negative to say when you pick your child up.

4. What's the staff turn over rate. Now just so you know ECE is not a well paid filed and is often a high stress job. The average pre-k teacher stays in the field 3 years, at least that was the statistic a few years ago. So as long as the whole staff isn't new and at least half of the staff has been there 2 or 3 years, it's probably OK that the other half just started. 

If the staff is all new, there may be a problem with the management/owner/ corporate. Good schools retain there staff. 

5. Come with a list of questions prepared. Ask about anything that matters to you, or that pops in your head as the director walks you through the school.

Also important is to get the licensing number of school. In California this number allows you to get information from county licensing department. This will let's you find out if any complaints have been filed against any staff member, or if any infractions have been made. Some are small like parents didn't sign children into school. Some are not, like toilets weren't working properly. 

If the they are reluctant to give you number, I would consider this a red flag. Check to see what regulations there are in your state. California is often thought of as a tree hugging hippie state, but we have some tough laws and a lot of regulations. I don't know that all states have regulatory bodies that check the schools out on any sort of regular basis, I'm assuming here folks. Don't let me make an ass out of you. I'm thinking of Florida mostly, they're crazy there. 

At the end of the tour you should receive a parent handbook as well as paperwork for enrolling your child and a deadline (usually a week) to decide if this is the school for your child. READ the handbook, if you have any questions after that call and ask. If this school does meet all or most of your needs, checked out with licensing then you are ready to enroll.

I hope you found this helpful. If you feel like I left something out or you have any more questions. Please leave a comment and I will answer. Good Luck!

How To Find The Right Preschool part 1

Often people will ask me how to go about finding a "good" preschool. I give them the tips that my many years in the field have taught me make for a good preschool experience. I want every family to have a wonderful preschool experience so I would like to share them with you too.

Animal is a year old, so right now I would be putting him on several wait lists in hopes of getting into my first choice when he turns two. Two, I believe is the perfect age for most children to begin their preschool years. At two, children do a lot of growing and learning. Choosing a good program allows you to capitalize on this time.

Putting your child on wait list, well before you need care, will give you the amount of time needed, to choose the right place for your child and your family. If you will be returning to work soon after the birth of your child, then you would be doing this while pregnant.

Doing your homework.

1. Google, yelp, but most importantly, ask around. Ask friends, family, and neighbors. If they really like the school their child attends, then ask them what they like about the preschool and what they don't. Do they love the staff? Is it clean? Ask about anything that really matters TO YOU. If it's really important that the school be nut free vs. nut sensitive ask about that. 

If you hear the same name over and over that's a good sign, but not a guarantee that it will be the right fit for you. Remember that every family is unique and just because your best friend loves a place doesn't mean you will.

2. Be honest with yourself. I know that can be really hard, but it will be even harder for you and/or your child if you lie about what matters to you. If you are not honest about what you want in a preschool. What you can afford. What hours you need. What you want your child to gain from this experience. Then you could be faced with having to remove your child from a place and people they love. 

If you really need a break, to save your sanity, to clean the house, to further your education or you have a job then don't choose a co-op where you will have to put in hours of work time.

If you are an atheist, don't choose a non denominational christian school.

If you are on a tight income don't choose a school that offers a lot of extras for a nominal charge.

If you don't want your kids watching TV, don't choose a school that shows videos on a daily basis.

If your child cannot sit still, has no attention span and NEEDS to talk, don't choose a Montessori.

If you really want your child to have structure and you expect them to leave preschool reading, don't choose a play based school.

If you take the time to think about what you want, what best suits your family and your child, you will set your child up for success. Once you have thought about these things and researched what schools are possible you are ready for the tour. 

If you found this post helpful, then stay tuned for Part 2 The Tour