So, you are preparing to enroll your child in the preschool, it is vital and you would like to see your child head off to preschool or early learning center that imparts important skills in feel good setting as learner and also makes your preschooler comfortable in school-like settings.
You can look for following 10 key signs to ensure your little one are in the best preschool.
1. Children do not spend time sitting quietly or roaming aimlessly. Their play and work is either with the age-appropriate materials or with other children.
2. Children have access to various materials and activities throughout the day. Building blocks, construction materials, pretend play props, story books with large printed pictures, art and craft materials, table games and toys like puzzles, basic board games etc. All children should not be doing the same thing at the same time.
3. The teachers should be working either with individuals or small groups at any given time of the day and the whole group at different times during the day. Teachers should not spend all their time with the whole group.
4. The classroom is decorated with a child’s work of art and imagination, their writing, their invented spellings, and stories narrated by them to their teachers.
5. Academics like learning numbers and alphabets should be a based on everyday experiences. Activities like cooking, cleaning, baking, serving, taking attendance etc. provide the basis for learning activities.
6. Apart from working on different activities and projects, children have at least one hour to play and explore. Use of worksheets is as little as possible.
7. Outdoor play is important and children get an opportunity to play outside every day.
8. A teacher not only reads books to children during the story time but reads them to individuals or small groups throughout the day.
9. Curriculum adapted is applicable for both the type of children i.e. those who are ahead as well as those who need additional help and support. Teachers recognize and is flexible to the point that every child comes from a different background and experiences and they do not learn the same things at the same time in the same way
10. Both children and parents look forward to school. Children are happy to back and do not cry or feel sick regularly and parents feel secure about sending their child to the preschool.
Parents Tips
Look for students involved in a various activities that are creative, gives them choice and are fun. Classrooms are friendly and stocked with items that encourage freedom to learn and explore independently. Children and teacher should have spontaneous signs of trusting.