Rules For Picking A Preschool | Parenting

As parents, it feels like we’re forced to make difficult decisions all the time, ranging from issues of what to feed our kids to how to discipline them. One of our most challenging and important jobs is to provide a good education. There’s a lot we can’t control when it comes to our kids' schooling, but at least with our younger children we have some choices. When it comes to preschool there are plenty of options, but the process of picking the right one can feel overwhelming.

Preschool is one great way to get our little learners ready for kindergarten. For some expert perspective on the subject, I talked to Carol McNally, the Director of the Richard S. Adler Early Childhood Learning Center in Maitland, Florida. Carol's been in the business of educating young kids for more than two decades. She's a big proponent of preschool learning and says, "In this day and age, if a child does not have a preschool experience at least a year or two of that, then they’re going to go off to school sometimes at a disadvantage."

In fact, a new study confirms that one or two years of preschool had lasting benefits into adulthood that include better jobs, higher salaries, fewer arrests and less drug abuse. The new information was recently published in an online version of the journal Science.

What To Look For On A Preschool Tour

Picking a quality preschool is key. Carol says there are many important things to consider and she want parents to do their homework. Here's her advice on what to look for when visiting a facility:

• "Don’t ever just look at one school. Look at several schools because you want to make sure it feels right."

• "Make sure you always get into a school early before your appointment. You see the children walking through the lobby or the office and you get to observe them, maybe, on the playground. You may see teachers interacting with children. You may see how staff is greeting people when they come in or answering the phone. Because, remember like anything else, it’s those first impressions."

• "Hesitate, when a preschool says they only see people during certain times of the day and certain days of the week. If they insist on certain hours, you have to wonder. Is there something going on the rest of the time? That would just give me an 'uh-oh' feeling."

• "They should show you the whole school and let you can walk around and spend some time in each classroom just observing what’s going on."

• "Look at the physical environment? Is everything low? What about the learning environment? Is the room big enough? Is the space divided into interest areas? You want everything low and labeled so children are independent. Are teachers at eye level with kids or are they talking above them?"

What Questions To Ask During Your Visit

When meeting with a preschool director, Carol suggests you ask these questions:

• Health: Tell me about your health and safety record. How are parents informed of health concerns?

• Security: Do you have approved pick-up lists? How do you know? How do you identify?

• Training & Education: What is the level of training and education of your staff? Is there ongoing training for staff?

• Turnover: What’s the staff turnover?

Carol says this is an important question to ask because turnover rates are about 60% in the industry. She says, “If you have a lot of staff turnover that’s a red flag. If the staff is leaving because they’re not happy, what’s going on in the center?”

• Licensing: Are you licensed and accredited?

Carol says, "You want to make sure it’s an accredited school. Certainly nothing less than a state accreditation." She adds,  "What that is telling you is that the school is being held to higher standards. The higher the standards the higher the quality. The quality is directly related to the number of children in a classroom."

• Ratios: What are the classroom ratios of kids to staff?

• Schedule: What is a typical day like for the kids? Are they moved from room to room to meet ratios? What happens early in the morning or late in the afternoon?

• Snacks: What kind of snacks do you serve the children? Are they healthy ones?

• References: Can the school provide you with names of parents that you can call for references?

Look, Listen and Count

If you're checking out a school and you've forgotten everything you've read in this article, Carol says the best advice is to "look, listen and count".

Look to see if the kids seem happy and involved. You want to see art on the walls, as well as posted lesson plans so you know there are goals and objectives for what the teachers and kids are doing. She says, "You should be seeing lots of things on the walls that are child done and creative. Not cookie cutter items."

Listen for the sound of children's voices. You don't want to hear teachers, but rather kids. Carol says, "You don’t want to walk into a school and see little soldiers. They’re kids! You want to see them getting in trouble, doing something that’s wrong. That’s ok, because that’s part of learning to problem solve."

And always be sure to count. Does there seem to enough caregivers versus children?

Trust Your Gut

Bottom line, accreditations and recommendations don't matter if you get a bad feeling during your visit. When it comes to your kids, your instincts are important and should be trusted. Carol says, "You will know, your gut will tell you. It’s either gonna feel right or it’s not gonna feel right. If there’s anything inside you that says ‘this just doesn’t feel right’, walk away. Because if it doesn’t feel right, it isn’t right."