Need tips for finding a good preschool?

[zumbergc]

I'm currently taking my ds to the gym daycare where I workout, when I workout. But honestly I hate the place, my ds attitude is horrible when I started taking him there. We have done periods where we do the gym day care in the morning or I workout in the evenings. We are back to mornings and he is whining and complaining non stop. There is lots of crying going on at the day care, and I don't particularly think they watch the kids that well.
Ds is almost 2.5y/old

Its a free for all in there and make me nervous.

So, I'm thinking about a couple days a week doing a morning preschool.

What do I need to look for?
Thanks,

 

[NatalieCA]

My full time job is with the State in which I live and I am what is called a Licensing Program Analyst. I am responsible for a caseload of about 250 child care homes and centers in a certain geographic area. I conduct annual visits and investigate complaints against those family homes and centers. In my state, gyms are not required to be licensed, therefore not required to hold to minimum standards, which may be the chaos that you observe.

I advise people all the time to call your local Licensing Office for a complete file review of centers/homes that you have narrowed it down to. Get that perspective. Find out what the violations were, if any. Ask the provider if about any violations, then follow up with the Licensing Office. If the director/Licensee was not forthcoming, there is a problem. Also, don't hesitate to go with your gut feeling. Visit during all times of the day. Drop in during unusual times, both before and when your children are enrolled. And, most importantly, listen to your children. They are there all day.

Best of luck, I see all kinds of places, there is a full spectrum out there. It can be scary...

 

[dimimi]

I would ask friends, neighbors and family. Right now most pre schools will be full, many register in the Spring for the next fall.

My kids loved pre school. Some day care's also have pre school programs.

 

[danygirl]

I taught preschool for 9 years. I firmly believe that children learn best through play and would recommend looking at the curriculum to see what is emphasized. I would look at the facilities. You want clean, bright and spacious. Ideally there is both an outdoor play area with age appropriate equipment and a large indoor space for play in bad weather. Teachers should have a certification or degree and the ratios should meet state regs.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I am a preschool director. It sounds like a church morning preschool may be a good choice for you. Most have classes for two year olds 2-3 days a week for a few hours. Cost is fairly low.
You however want a good school. Look for low staff-child ratio, low staff turnover, a bright/safe inviting environment, lots of free play time and experienced teachers. It may be hard to find a good school with openings now but you might get lucky. Ask friends and check with your local early education center. Ours is call Smart Start. I think your child would do much better in a program where there is routine and order.

 

[mommyto3girls]

My kids all went to the same preschool that is part of the catholic school. All of the preschools that I am aware of are affiliated with a church or the Y or the community college. There are a few programs in particular that I hear good things about from other moms and they all fill up and you cannot get in unless you are on the waiting list for a while. We chose ours because we happen to be Catholic and it is a Montessori program which we liked and it goes M-F half a day. We felt it prepared the girls for school. You could visit and talk with the teachers and get an idea of the structure of the program and what your child will get out of it. If it's a free for all it doesn't really sound like preschool but babysitting-and maybe bad babysitting.

 

[mommyto3girls]

I should say I am aware of that are available in our town. I'm sure some areas of the country have more. There is also a public preschool through our school district but that did not seem right for our family.

 

[Lisa71]

Look for NAEYC accreditation and pull the file from licensing. Visit more than once. More play and less sit and listen and they learn more. Our daughter loved her school and still says it was so fun. She learned a lot and learned to love to learn and love school time. My Mom worked and a preschool teacher for years and the as a teacher at elementary and my Dad was a state social worker and licensing specialist and now teachers child care administration and consults .

 

[My5Mouseketeers]

I also looked for accreditation. For us creativity was much more important in a preschool than academics.

I could immediately cross off any school that had art work that all looked similar. Any teacher that would tell my child that they had to make there craft project the "correct" way was off my list. I wanted collages, free draws and clay.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I also looked for accreditation. For us creativity was much more important in a preschool than academics.

I could immediately cross off any school that had art work that all looked similar. Any teacher that would tell my child that they had to make there craft project the "correct" way was off my list. I wanted collages, free draws and clay.

Part of art time is learning to follow directions and visually approximate their own project from looking at a model. It depends on the project. Watercolors, collages, and drawings foster creativity. Some of our projects require the child to listen and think before placing pieces. We might ask them, "Where do the eyes go?" "Where do his legs go?" We also teach spatial concepts through art. "Put the apple under the tree." "Put the bird on top of the tree." Yes, the projects end up looking similar, but there's usually a concept being reinforced with each one.

 

[danygirl]

I agree with pp. you want a mix of art Both free form and cookie cutter. Those cookie cutter projects teach sequencing, fine motor, listening and following directions, provide an opportunity for the teacher to ***** student progress and more. They are often tied to literature and the sequencing of the work steps follows the sequence of the book. Also, at our school the kids in the 4 s study a particular artist and then create work in that style. They also do free work. You want a mix!!!