What to Look for in a Good Preschool
- posted: May 22, 2023
Preschool can feel like a big step–both for you and for your child! For toddlers, preschool represents a small step towards the growth of independence (though, still highly supervised by professionals), as well as an early chance to hone useful and critical skills. For parents, then, there can be a great deal of pressure to find a good preschool that fits the needs of your child.
This pressure is even more prevalent when, well, you don’t really know what to look for in early childhood education. After all, you aren’t a preschool specialist–you’re just a parent trying to make the best decision for your child possible.
The truth is that there’s no single best solution–there’s no preschool that’s universally great for every child everywhere. This means parents have to think about the goals and preferences they have for their young children. Often, finding a good preschool translates into selecting a preschool that’s a good fit for your child.
What is Preschool?
Sometimes referred to as “nursery school” or “early childhood education,” preschool is any formal education your child gets before attending kindergarten. For most kids, kindergarten begins at age five. Preschool can begin anywhere between the age of three and the start of kindergarten. (Whether your child gets one or two years of preschool education is largely up to families and individual circumstances.)
For parents, there are some important things to understand about preschool:
- Preschool is different from daycare: That’s because preschools will have a formal curriculum designed to grow and encourage specific skills.
- Preschools may or may not be accredited: While there is no accreditation requirement in most states, many preschools will still elect to go through an official process. This may or may not be something that’s important to parents.
- Preschool is often not free: While there may be federal or state programs in your area designed to provide access, most preschools will require a tuition payment of some form. (Some families will start saving for tuition as early as when your child is a newborn.)
- Children must be potty trained: Most preschools require at least basic potty training before children can be enrolled.
In general, preschool education will cover skills that will be useful to your child in kindergarten and beyond. Good preschools may also work on activities such as the development of fine motor skills, social skills, and more.
No parent is required to send their child to preschool. However, preschool has been shown to produce excellent cognitive and emotional development benefits for children.
How Do You Choose a Good Preschool?
In some ways, it’s the benefits of a good preschool that can make finding the right education setting seem so challenging. Parents feel a lot of pressure to get this decision right. There are some criteria that can be helpful to examine as you try to select a good fit for your child.
Most selection processes involve online research, visits to the prospective preschool, and maybe even spending some time watching the course of a regular day. During this selection process, it may be helpful to pay attention to the following.
A Nurturing Environment
Children benefit from an environment that is emotionally and cognitively nurturing. When you visit possible preschools, this may be a feature you want to keep an eye out for. (Our general advice is that you should avoid preschools that treat children like a nuisance or take other negative attitudes towards kids.)
You can assess how “nurturing” an environment might be by looking for practical examples:
- Does the preschool seem like a busy, active place? (It doesn’t need to be chaotic, but children should be engaged.)
- Do instructors look for the reasons behind a child’s behavior–and work to encourage a positive relationship?
- Can you see that children trust their instructors, teachers, and facilitators?
This nurturing environment may feel nebulous and difficult to define. But many parents will notice that positive vibe when they see it. (At bare minimum, try to avoid those preschools where instructors roll their eyes at children or cluck their tongues at problem behaviors.)
A Supportive Approach to Problem Behaviors
Of course, no matter how nurturing the environment, it’s entirely possible that your child will act out in some way. So it’s important to ask any prospective preschool about how they approach problem behaviors.
That’s because children can act out for a wide variety of reasons. Ideally, a good preschool will spend less time punishing bad behavior and put more energy into helping children succeed. After all, preschool is where your child will learn important social skills, build emotional competencies, and develop cognitive processes–which means that problem behavior is usually a sign that something isn’t connecting.
Correcting those misconnections (rather than punishing behavior) can help children succeed academically and emotionally.
A Happy Team
Being a preschool teacher, educator, or facilitator is an incredibly demanding and challenging job. When your child attends preschool, they’ll be with the school’s staff for several hours a day. (The exact number of hours will depend on the school, the curriculum, and other factors.) So it makes sense that you might want to make sure those educators and facilitators are actually happy (at least professionally) in the field of early childcare education!
- Ask the staff whether they are generally happy at work. Stay away from personal questions! But you can ask them whether they like their jobs or enjoy spending time with kids. You may also be able to get a sense of this simply from observing the way the staff interacts with kids.
- Ask the staff whether they are supported and have what they need. Staff that’s struggling to find resources can lead to a challenging learning environment for your child. This isn’t to say that a good preschool must have the latest and greatest technologies–only that children tend to succeed more often when preschool staff is well resourced.
You can also think about this in the opposite direction: in general, you should avoid preschools where the staff members seem to hate what they do, as this could be an indication of other problems.
Active, Playful Children
Not every preschool needs to be a highly bustling, chaotic environment where anything goes. Children often thrive when there’s a little more structure than that. However, it’s a good idea to make sure that the preschool you’re looking at allows children to be active.
After all, as a parent, you’ve probably noticed that (when they’re properly napping), your child is an infinite reservoir of energy. The general consensus is that kids between the ages of 3-4 aren’t particularly good at staying still for more than 15-20 minutes.
Most successful preschool programs try to work with young children in this regard–rather than (hopelessly) fighting against it.
An Established and Robust Curriculum
Most preschools will have a set curriculum. This is what separates them from daycare. You can ask about the goals, methods, and trajectories of those curriculums. Most parents, for example, are concerned about the development of reading and literacy skills, as these skills can help children succeed throughout their academic careers.
Many curriculums will also focus on developing social and emotional skills, too. For parents, it’s important that curriculum goals line up with your own preferences.
That said, it’s often very important for certain cognitive goals not to be pushed too early. When it comes to reading, for example, it’s important for the preschool to follow your child’s cues:
- Children who are interested in reading and already trying to find meaning in print can be encouraged to start learning letters and comprehension skills. This is good, and helps your child learn!
- But at the same time, you don’t want to push children into literacy training too early. If your child isn’t quite ready to learn, no amount of teaching in the world will help–and your child may come away with the impression that they simply aren’t any good at reading.
The Right Level of Parental Involvement
For some, preschool is a chance to let your child assert some independence and start developing their own personality. Still, many parents want to continue to be involved in the education side of things–and this has benefits as the years go on. You should ask any potential preschool about how involved parents are on a regular basis, this could include:
- How often parents are expected to be involved vs. how often parents are invited to be involved.
- Whether parent involvement is welcomed or accepted.
- Asking about a calendar of events so you can be sure to be as available as you wish to be.
There’s no right or wrong level of involvement, and everyone’s schedules will be different. The key takeaway here is to make sure that you and the preschool are on the same page.
The Budget
Unfortunately, most preschool options are not free. As a result, parents have to find the right institution both for their child and for their family budget. There are some state and federal programs that can help cover these costs, and some schools may also provide scholarships to a few students.
It’s important to ask about these financial considerations as you look for your child’s preschool.
At the end of the day, some preschool is better than no preschool. This means finding the option that works for your budget is a better option than opting out because you can’t afford the best. At the same time, most families will not require the most advanced, expensive preschool option available. It’s better to find something stable and sustainable.
Realistic Reviews
Online reviews are very subjective, and reviews for preschools are no exception. Before you look at a preschool, you’ll likely want to hop online and check out the reviews. To a certain extent, the star-rating of the preschool is less important than the substance of any reviews. You’ll want to read those reviews and look for any red flags or tendencies that you don’t necessarily like.
There’s No Wrong Answer
In many cases, finding the right preschool is something of a balancing act. There are definitely bad preschools out there, but the vast majority of early education providers will create significant and long term benefits for children. This means that for parents, it’s mostly about finding a preschool that’s the right fit.
For best results, think about what you want your child to get out of the preschool experience. It’s really about seeing how any potential preschool lines up with your preferences and your goals. If you have trouble choosing the right preschool, you can always talk to your pediatrician about recommendations and what you should be looking for.
Contact us at our Chicago or Northbrook offices today to schedule an appointment!
- posted: May 22, 2023
Preschool can feel like a big step–both for you and for your child! For toddlers, preschool represents a small step towards the growth of independence (though, still highly supervised by professionals), as well as an early chance to hone useful and critical skills. For parents, then, there can be a great deal of pressure to find a good preschool that fits the needs of your child.
This pressure is even more prevalent when, well, you don’t really know what to look for in early childhood education. After all, you aren’t a preschool specialist–you’re just a parent trying to make the best decision for your child possible.
The truth is that there’s no single best solution–there’s no preschool that’s universally great for every child everywhere. This means parents have to think about the goals and preferences they have for their young children. Often, finding a good preschool translates into selecting a preschool that’s a good fit for your child.
What is Preschool?
Sometimes referred to as “nursery school” or “early childhood education,” preschool is any formal education your child gets before attending kindergarten. For most kids, kindergarten begins at age five. Preschool can begin anywhere between the age of three and the start of kindergarten. (Whether your child gets one or two years of preschool education is largely up to families and individual circumstances.)
For parents, there are some important things to understand about preschool:
- Preschool is different from daycare: That’s because preschools will have a formal curriculum designed to grow and encourage specific skills.
- Preschools may or may not be accredited: While there is no accreditation requirement in most states, many preschools will still elect to go through an official process. This may or may not be something that’s important to parents.
- Preschool is often not free: While there may be federal or state programs in your area designed to provide access, most preschools will require a tuition payment of some form. (Some families will start saving for tuition as early as when your child is a newborn.)
- Children must be potty trained: Most preschools require at least basic potty training before children can be enrolled.
In general, preschool education will cover skills that will be useful to your child in kindergarten and beyond. Good preschools may also work on activities such as the development of fine motor skills, social skills, and more.
No parent is required to send their child to preschool. However, preschool has been shown to produce excellent cognitive and emotional development benefits for children.
How Do You Choose a Good Preschool?
In some ways, it’s the benefits of a good preschool that can make finding the right education setting seem so challenging. Parents feel a lot of pressure to get this decision right. There are some criteria that can be helpful to examine as you try to select a good fit for your child.
Most selection processes involve online research, visits to the prospective preschool, and maybe even spending some time watching the course of a regular day. During this selection process, it may be helpful to pay attention to the following.
A Nurturing Environment
Children benefit from an environment that is emotionally and cognitively nurturing. When you visit possible preschools, this may be a feature you want to keep an eye out for. (Our general advice is that you should avoid preschools that treat children like a nuisance or take other negative attitudes towards kids.)
You can assess how “nurturing” an environment might be by looking for practical examples:
- Does the preschool seem like a busy, active place? (It doesn’t need to be chaotic, but children should be engaged.)
- Do instructors look for the reasons behind a child’s behavior–and work to encourage a positive relationship?
- Can you see that children trust their instructors, teachers, and facilitators?
This nurturing environment may feel nebulous and difficult to define. But many parents will notice that positive vibe when they see it. (At bare minimum, try to avoid those preschools where instructors roll their eyes at children or cluck their tongues at problem behaviors.)
A Supportive Approach to Problem Behaviors
Of course, no matter how nurturing the environment, it’s entirely possible that your child will act out in some way. So it’s important to ask any prospective preschool about how they approach problem behaviors.
That’s because children can act out for a wide variety of reasons. Ideally, a good preschool will spend less time punishing bad behavior and put more energy into helping children succeed. After all, preschool is where your child will learn important social skills, build emotional competencies, and develop cognitive processes–which means that problem behavior is usually a sign that something isn’t connecting.
Correcting those misconnections (rather than punishing behavior) can help children succeed academically and emotionally.
A Happy Team
Being a preschool teacher, educator, or facilitator is an incredibly demanding and challenging job. When your child attends preschool, they’ll be with the school’s staff for several hours a day. (The exact number of hours will depend on the school, the curriculum, and other factors.) So it makes sense that you might want to make sure those educators and facilitators are actually happy (at least professionally) in the field of early childcare education!
- Ask the staff whether they are generally happy at work. Stay away from personal questions! But you can ask them whether they like their jobs or enjoy spending time with kids. You may also be able to get a sense of this simply from observing the way the staff interacts with kids.
- Ask the staff whether they are supported and have what they need. Staff that’s struggling to find resources can lead to a challenging learning environment for your child. This isn’t to say that a good preschool must have the latest and greatest technologies–only that children tend to succeed more often when preschool staff is well resourced.
You can also think about this in the opposite direction: in general, you should avoid preschools where the staff members seem to hate what they do, as this could be an indication of other problems.
Active, Playful Children
Not every preschool needs to be a highly bustling, chaotic environment where anything goes. Children often thrive when there’s a little more structure than that. However, it’s a good idea to make sure that the preschool you’re looking at allows children to be active.
After all, as a parent, you’ve probably noticed that (when they’re properly napping), your child is an infinite reservoir of energy. The general consensus is that kids between the ages of 3-4 aren’t particularly good at staying still for more than 15-20 minutes.
Most successful preschool programs try to work with young children in this regard–rather than (hopelessly) fighting against it.
An Established and Robust Curriculum
Most preschools will have a set curriculum. This is what separates them from daycare. You can ask about the goals, methods, and trajectories of those curriculums. Most parents, for example, are concerned about the development of reading and literacy skills, as these skills can help children succeed throughout their academic careers.
Many curriculums will also focus on developing social and emotional skills, too. For parents, it’s important that curriculum goals line up with your own preferences.
That said, it’s often very important for certain cognitive goals not to be pushed too early. When it comes to reading, for example, it’s important for the preschool to follow your child’s cues:
- Children who are interested in reading and already trying to find meaning in print can be encouraged to start learning letters and comprehension skills. This is good, and helps your child learn!
- But at the same time, you don’t want to push children into literacy training too early. If your child isn’t quite ready to learn, no amount of teaching in the world will help–and your child may come away with the impression that they simply aren’t any good at reading.
The Right Level of Parental Involvement
For some, preschool is a chance to let your child assert some independence and start developing their own personality. Still, many parents want to continue to be involved in the education side of things–and this has benefits as the years go on. You should ask any potential preschool about how involved parents are on a regular basis, this could include:
- How often parents are expected to be involved vs. how often parents are invited to be involved.
- Whether parent involvement is welcomed or accepted.
- Asking about a calendar of events so you can be sure to be as available as you wish to be.
There’s no right or wrong level of involvement, and everyone’s schedules will be different. The key takeaway here is to make sure that you and the preschool are on the same page.
The Budget
Unfortunately, most preschool options are not free. As a result, parents have to find the right institution both for their child and for their family budget. There are some state and federal programs that can help cover these costs, and some schools may also provide scholarships to a few students.
It’s important to ask about these financial considerations as you look for your child’s preschool.
At the end of the day, some preschool is better than no preschool. This means finding the option that works for your budget is a better option than opting out because you can’t afford the best. At the same time, most families will not require the most advanced, expensive preschool option available. It’s better to find something stable and sustainable.
Realistic Reviews
Online reviews are very subjective, and reviews for preschools are no exception. Before you look at a preschool, you’ll likely want to hop online and check out the reviews. To a certain extent, the star-rating of the preschool is less important than the substance of any reviews. You’ll want to read those reviews and look for any red flags or tendencies that you don’t necessarily like.
There’s No Wrong Answer
In many cases, finding the right preschool is something of a balancing act. There are definitely bad preschools out there, but the vast majority of early education providers will create significant and long term benefits for children. This means that for parents, it’s mostly about finding a preschool that’s the right fit.
For best results, think about what you want your child to get out of the preschool experience. It’s really about seeing how any potential preschool lines up with your preferences and your goals. If you have trouble choosing the right preschool, you can always talk to your pediatrician about recommendations and what you should be looking for.
Contact us at our Chicago or Northbrook offices today to schedule an appointment!
