A preschool is the most important place for kids to get initiated into different basic activities. After spending days there, kids can quickly move to primary schools without surprises and fuss. So, parents look for preschools for kids, also known as playschools, to give their kids different learning experiences early in life.
But choosing the right preschool is not easy for parents since there are many such schools around. However, not all such schools have trained and interested teachers. Some schools are not well equipped with the right teaching plans, activities, and schedules.
After all, a preschool is not just about teaching the alphabet. More than that, it is where kids learn social and emotional behaviour that shapes the rest of their life. So, ensure that your kid is in the right school.
Here is how you can choose the best preschool for your kid:
Know more about the teachers
Kids cannot convey their feelings as powerfully as we do in a language. But they have a lasting impression on how they get treated by adults. In a preschool for kids, they interact closely with teachers. So, a teacher has the power to shape a child's behaviour early in life.
Therefore, inquire about its staff's qualifications while searching for a preschool. They trained and certified teachers to handle kids delicately for meaningful interaction with them. They should not be just employees but interested in the kids. The staff members should be hugging kids, giving them high-fives, and speaking encouraging words to them all the time. So, when visiting a preschool, notice teachers' behaviour.
See the classroom environment
Small children learn by observing the environment around them. After all, seeing is learning for them. So, find out if the classroom is equipped well with educational and attractive things for kids. Also, classrooms should be spacious enough for children's free movement. An ideal class space has colourful prints everywhere to catch kids' attention.
So, check if the education materials, such as story books, are print-rich. Look around for art, building creations, and pictures that kids made. That indicates that the kids own that space.
Enquire about safety measures
Children wander around without knowing where they are precisely heading for, making them highly vulnerable to many external threats such as kidnapping. Adults keep an eye on them consistently all the time. That should prompt you to get an insight into the safety measures a preschool takes.
So, for instance, while looking for nursery admission in Ghaziabad or any other area, talk to the school director to know if they own dedicated security staff. Find out about their plans to deal with any emergency. Is the playschool equipped with the necessary medical facilities? Ask all the questions until you're delighted with their answers.
Know how the school communicates with parents
Parental worries are natural as they have kids at the back of their minds while working in the office or home. An efficient playschool resolves this by consistently communicating with parents. While visiting such a school, ask its director or principal about how they keep parents informed. An ideal school sends a school handbook, emails, and newsletters to the parents.
Teachers should also communicate individually with parents via weekly emails, daily notes, or communication apps. Every school has communication strategies but find them out before enrolling your kid.
Get their behaviour management ways
While visiting a preschool, know what behavioural guidelines they follow. The behavioural management techniques should be age-appropriate. Also, while training kids on how to respond, the school should encourage them to solve problems with other kids in the classroom. It is about encouraging kids to cooperate with their peers to find a solution combinedly.
Find out class size
Every child demands complete attention from the adults. Lack of adequate attention may even result in some behavioural issues in such children later. Therefore, the class size matters a lot for a kid's social and emotional development. An ideal preschool should not enrol more students per class.
Experts say the class size should be between 10 to 20 kids per class. For instance, leading preschool brand Makoons ensures an ideal teacher-student ratio by keeping the class size smaller so that a teacher pays maximum attention to each kid.
Know about the playtime schedule
Children like to play a lot since it is their way to learn new things. Preschools must give more playtime to kids outside of class. Check if kids are getting 'choice time' or 'center time' to focus on specific activities in small groups. So, they can explore their names or tell a story about an animal, etc. Find out how much time the school spares for such activities.
An ideal preschool should allow kids to play outside the classroom and involve activities like running, riding bikes, and climbing. So, know this aspect also before enrolling your kid in a preschool.
Enquire about curriculum
A curriculum for kids is entirely different as it involves activities that initiate them into an aspect of life that they will develop later. That is why a preschool curriculum should include basic activities such as moving math manipulatives, holding books, listening to music, dancing, and many more.
It should teach crafts, music, arts, pre-writing and writing activities, science experiments, sensory play, language, etc. Ask the school director about such activities for kids.
So, these tips should guide you in selecting an ideal preschool for your kids. The point here is that there is much to enquire about when visiting a preschool before enrolling your kid there.
Conclusion
Finding the best preschool nearby is an exercise as you must carefully compare the many schools around your place. Settle for a play school that has trained and dedicated teachers. Such a school should ideally include a variety of activities that engages a child physically and mentally. The class size also should be smaller for maximum attention to kids.
