Choosing the Right Preschool: One Teacher’s Advice

Choosing a preschool can be rough. Here are some tips. Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography on flickr

Editor’s Note: This month we are talking about choosing a preschool. Previously, we talked to a parenting expert. Today, we hear from a preschool teacher and mom.

By Michelle Glick

Your baby is born and you are filled with joy and love.  You long for sleep but your bundle of joy trumps most else.  You dream of their future, college, dating, marriage.  It is a pretty picture and so far away.

Then bam, you run into the realization that hard choices need to be made and much sooner then anticipated.  You are also shocked at how anxiety provoking this process is.  What process?  Choosing the right preschool.

The first problem is often that you are making a choice based on who your child is when they will be quite different 6 months to almost a year later when they enter the program. If you are looking for something immediately, that makes at least one step of the process easier.

Here are some helpful hints:

Really think about who your child is. Some children are shy, and a small, nurturing preschool may be best. Some children are very social, so the size of the school may be unimportant. Another important factor in making your choice is related to toilet training. If you have a slow bloomer, a program that requires toilet training can lead to a very unpleasant experience for all involved.

Think about how often you want your child to attend school and for what duration. Some children just want to have fun and flow easily from one activity to another. Other children need routine making a 5-day-week work best for them. When you leave children in school pass lunch, they are required to nap. This will not work well for some children who are done with an afternoon nap and can’t sit for any extended period of time.

Research the schools. All preschools should emphasize socialization, but some parents want formal academics and assessment. Others want their children children in a play-based environment. There are children who work best with structure and others who are not developmentally or stylistically ready.

Price. This needs no explanation.

Location. A school may sound great and have a great reputation but if getting your child to and from starts your day on a sour note, skip it.

Ask those who lived this experience. Try to target friends who know your child as well as the school.

Take a tour of the schools you are interested in. Do the children look happy and engaged? Are the teachers attentive? How do you feel being in that building?

Of course, all this is based on having options which is often not the case. So if none of the above fits into your real-life needs and/or choices of schools, remember that children will figure out how to make a situation work for them and that this experience will help them later in life. So do your research, put in your applications, and trust that it will all be ok.

Michelle Glick

Michelle Glick is currently a teacher at a Chicago preschool. She has been an educator for 23 years, first as an elementary school teacher in the Chicago Public Schools. Using those experiences, she is writing a book on play and school readiness. When not teaching or spending time with her husband and 7-year-old son, Michelle loves to volunteer in her community with a goal of improving the lives of women and children.

This is Michelle’s third column on parenting for Chambanamoms.com.

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