The Essential Indicators of Quality Preschool
When it comes to selecting the right preschool for your child there are some essential indicators to look for within a quality preschool option. Today we’re discussing what to look for and how to tell if you’re choosing a quality preschool for your toddler.
The most successful preschools will have smaller class sizes. Whether you’re looking for an online preschool or in-person preschool this factor plays a key role in whether the preschool is a quality preschool or not. There should be a small number of children per teacher to ensure that each child gets the attention they need.
Two Dimensions of Quality Preschool
There are two dimensions to look at when it comes to the essential indicators of a quality preschool; process and structure. You’ll want to have friendly faces, calm or tranquil room, or a place for your toddler to have time away when feeling overwhelmed at preschool. The preschool should have a structured day so your toddler knows what’s expected of him or her during their school day.
Preschool Affordability Gap
You’ll typically find that the higher quality preschools are more costly than the lower-quality ones which leave a gap between low income and higher-income families. While times are changing with online preschool and in-person preschool options, this is a sad reality for many families. They must make the difficult decision of whether or not they can afford a quality preschool.
Quality Preschool Essential Elements
If you’re looking for some essential indicators of quality preschool so that you can make an educated decision on which preschool will fit your toddler’s needs, please review the following elements of the preschool selections you have in your area.
Elements for High Chance of Quality Preschool
1. Familiar faces.
2. A calm, unhurried, tranquil (though not necessarily quiet) room.
3. A clean environment with a balance of familiar and novel toys and materials, both commercial and teacher-made.
4. Places to be all alone, side by side near a friend, and close to a caring adult.
5. Respectful connections between adults and children – teachers on the floor and at tables near children, children in adult laps, quick responses to crying, lots of narrating and describing by adults.
6. Opportunities to go outside every day, to change places and positions, to try new experiences.
7. Pictures of infants and toddlers that look like the children who are in the classroom posted where children and adults can see them.
8. Children spread throughout the room, not clumped together vying for limited adult attention.
9. A place to regularly leave important information and review accurate records of daily experiences.
10. Recognition that parents are the most important people in their child’s life through pictures, welcome participation in the classroom, and warm greetings upon arrival and departure.
The above elements are significant indicators that the preschool will provide a quality education for your preschool child. If you’re struggling with determining which quality preschool program you can afford, then you’ll need to look at the above elements to determine which essential indicators of a quality preschool are something you refuse to go without.
You may find that you don’t mind if the school has pictures around the classroom and you might not care about having a place to be alone. Some parents may need these two factors but aren’t as concerned about how children are spread out in the classroom.
Maybe a final decision on what preschool your toddler attends is all a matter of preference for each family. Every family has different values, morals, and goals for sending their child off to online preschool or in-person preschool. Please use our list shared above as a guiding light to make the best decision for your toddler and family.
Choosing a quality preschool or childcare program is one of the most important decisions you will ever make for your child. This guide will give you 10 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN LOOKING FOR A QUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM
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