Selecting a good quality preschool is an important requirement for your child’s early childhood education. Research shows a good quality early childhood program builds a solid foundation for your child’s future learning. It reduces the chances of school dropout and increases school readiness in young kids.
Furthermore, a good quality preschool also plays a vital role in developing cognitive and literacy skills and improving social and emotional development.
If you are a parent of a young child in India and looking for a good quality preschool, then the sheer volume of preschools may make you feel confused and overwhelmed.
To help you out, we are sharing some important qualities to look for in a good preschool in this post.
Read the post to know more.
Top 10 important qualities to look for in a good preschool
1. Start with basics: distance, duration of school and your budget
It is important to start the preschool selection process with basics, like school duration, distance and budget.
If you and your partner are working parents, then it is important to select a preschool near any of your workplaces. This is because in case of an emergency, an adult should be able to reach the school quickly.
Similarly, if you have a responsible adult at home to take care of your child and the child will be returning home after preschool then you can look for something that is closer to home.
Another dominant factor is the budget. While budget is critical, many parents make the mistake of simply comparing the quoted cost without factoring in hidden costs (uniform fees, library fees, admission cost, annual fees. Many parents also miss out on hidden disadvantages of a cheaper alternative. Remember that a good teacher goes a long way in building early foundation for your child. Parents needs to be mindful of the compromise on hygiene, quality and safety while comparing costs.
The right approach would be to first define the quality you seek for your child and then compare its cost per hour across comparable preschools.
2. School infrastructure
Check whether the preschool has appropriate child-friendly facilities, well-equipped age-appropriate classrooms, safe outdoor play area, clean washrooms.All count to determine a good quality preschool. Make a note of the way the infrastructure has been designed at the preschool. A child friendly campus would have injury-proof interiors and pinch-proof doors.
3. Child-staff ratio
Research shows that the child-staff ratio is one of the primary indicators for good quality early childhood education. A balanced child-staff ratio helps in increasing interaction among staff and students and as a result, improves the child outcome. Preschools must have a decent child-staff ratio in their classes.
The inappropriate child-staff ratio not only creates a hassle for teachers to handle kids, but it puts a negative impact on the quality of education as well. Preschool is the first time a child will step out of their protected environment and learn a lot of social, emotional, language and numeracy skills. This transition can be seamless only when they feel they are heard.
4. Qualified and well-trained teaching staff
It has been said that “All the Teachers are the backbone of our society and our nation”
The same principle applies to preschool as well. Do not forget to check how qualified the teaching staff are in the school. Apart from educational qualifications, it is equally important that they are passionate about providing quality teaching services to students. If you want, you can talk to teachers to get an overview of their teaching style or curriculum. A great idea can be to request for a center visit and meet with the teachers.
5. Curriculum (inclusion of ample hands-on activities, outdoor play etc.)
Nowadays, different pre-schools follow different curriculums. Each one has its unique methodologies. It is a good idea to discuss the teaching curriculum with the school principal and teaching staff. Try and understand if the curriculum has been designed with passion and vision towards helping each child shape her unique foundation or whether it is run-of-the-mill, cookie cutter approach of a large chain. Also assess whether the staff at the school have the ability to deliver the vision of the curriculum designer. Check if the curriculum is geared towards rote learning or includes plenty of hands-on activities like art, craft, DIY to allow the child to freely explore her creativity.
Also, outdoor play and fun activities are equally important in developing gross motor skills in kids. So, check out what outdoor activities options are available at preschool. A great preschool will find ways to reinforce concepts in playful methods to ensure kids learn while having fun.
6. Safety and security standards
Preschool is the first step for kids to explore the outdoor world on their own. They are vulnerable to falls and injuries. Thus, preschools must follow a higher level of safety and security measures on their premises.
During your visit, you can ask various questions (like the availability of security staff, CCTV’s, restricted/ gated access, app-based parent communication, sanitization routine, the process of pick and drop etc.) to know how seriously the school management follows safety and security measures for kids. Additionally, ensure a detailed walk-through of the school to check their approach towards hard flooring, sharp edges, injury-prone steps or fire hazards.
7. Effective communication
Educational experts suggest clear and effective communication between teachers and parents is key to making your kid’s educational journey successful.
During your visit, keep a check on how teachers and principal are communicating. How well do they respond to your questions? Are they transparent and responsive to individual family’s needs? Are they willing to make a positive connection to facilitate your child’s learning journey?
Good preschool management maintains clear and supportive communication with parents and is always willing to solve any query or confusion from their end.
8. Check Transportation, snack and meal services
If you are not able to pick and drop off your kid by yourself, then you will require a good transportation service from school. Make sure to check how good they are. Do they have skilled and licensed drivers and supporting staff?
You can also check if the preschool provides healthy and nutritious snack and meal services. This will ensure that every meal that your child gets is hot and healthy and will save you precious time in the morning rush.
9. Medical policies
We are living in a post-pandemic era. Small children are prone to catch infections as they have lower body resistance. Preschool management should have a formal medical policies and training on how to handle different illnesses and injuries till any medical support is available.
10. Do not forget to check reviews (in-person and online)
Reviews are important. Before making a final decision, it is essential to know the overall reputation of the preschool. You may ask fellow parents or friends and can collect feedback regarding their experience. Additionally, you can also check the online reviews to know the trustworthiness of the school. If your colleagues too are planning to send their children to the same preschool then you might want to exchange some notes before finalizing.
Hope you have found these pointers helpful. These things will help you in selecting a good quality preschool for your child and will make their educational journey successful.
