Selecting a good preschool for your kids

Choosing a good preschool for your child means being picky and asking a lot of questions. Hopefully, the practical tips taken from parentcenter.com (below) will help you find a good preschool for your child.

A good reputation

The best preschools have a welcoming, friendly atmosphere and are known for their nurturing environment and stimulating curriculum. When you visit a school, ask for names and numbers of some of the children's parents and call them, or stop by during afternoon pickup time and approach other parents then.

Of course, take anything you hear about a school with a grain of salt, and base your final judgments on what you see for yourself -- a disgruntled parent, for instance, may simply have had a personality conflict with a teacher or preschool director. Observe the children when you visit: If they seem happy to be there, that's a sign that the school is doing well.

Established ground rules

It's important for a preschool to be flexible -- letting you pick up and drop off your child at different times, for instance -- but it should also have clearly established, written regulations for everything from operating hours to emergency procedures. That way, you know the staff takes their responsibilities seriously.

Look for a school with a strict sick-child policy. Find out which illnesses mean your child has to stay home, and for how long. A tough policy may inconvenience you if your child is ill, but keeping sick children (and staff) away makes sense. A good preschool helps cut down on illness by requiring all children and employees to have current immunizations and regular checkups.

A good preschool will encourage parents to stop by unannounced, and it will go beyond merely letting you in; it will invite you to become part of its community by helping with activities, accompanying the children on field trips, and so on.

A stimulating curriculum

The best preschools have daily schedules that include plenty of time for physical activity, quiet pursuits (including regular reading sessions), group and individual activities, socializing, crafts, meals, snacks and free time.

TV and videos should not play a big part in your child's day. A well-thought-out curriculum stimulates your child's development and makes daily life more fun. At this point, teachers can begin helping children learn things like letters and numbers in an everyday context (counting toys, cutting out pictures of things that start with a chosen letter of the alphabet, and so on).

But don't evaluate the school based on how many numbers and letters your child is learning -- preschoolers aren't ready for a rigorous academic program.

A qualified, caring staff

A trained, qualified staff is one advantage preschools and daycare centers have over most nannies and home daycare providers, who often have no specialized education. Preschool teachers should have at least two years of college and a background in early-childhood development.

When you're at the preschool, note how the staff interact with the children. Teachers should be responsible, enthusiastic, and well prepared. Look for a preschool with a staff that shares your philosophy about sleep, discipline, eating and other issues. Good teachers will ask detailed questions about your child's health and care requirements to help determine whether their preschool is right for you.

Make sure the preschool has a staff large enough staff to give your child the attention and care he needs. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a preschool should have one teacher for every seven children, with no more than 14 children (and two teachers) per group.

Preschools aren't required to follow the NAEYC's recommendations, though, so ask what the teacher-child ratio is and decide whether that's adequate for you. A good preschool will keep groups of children small no matter how many teachers they have, to encourage interaction and development.

Clean, safe facilities

A good preschool is clean and safe. Make sure floors, walls, and the kitchen area are clean, food preparation areas are far from toilets, trash isn't left sitting out, and the building is adequately heated, lit, and ventilated.

Make sure the preschool follows the basic rules of safety, too. Toys and play equipment should be in good repair, upstairs windows (if any) should have screens or bars, all medicines and hazardous substances should be out of children's reach, and the outdoor play area should be level and secure. Smoke detectors should be in place and working, radiators and heaters should be covered or otherwise protected, and a first-aid kit and fire extinguisher should be close at hand. The school should be secure as well so strangers can't just walk in off the street.