Numerous studies show the benefits of having a child receive a preschool education. Attending preschool helps your child to be fully prepared for kindergarten. Many parents are placing their children within private schools. Statistics show that the average private school classroom is smaller, having 12.5 students compared to 15.4 students in a public school. Here are six things you’ll want to find out while choosing a private preschool.
- Plans and Procedures for Unscheduled Events
The best preschools will have plans in place should unforeseen events occur. You’ll want to ensure that a preschool has fire alarms that are easily accessible. It’s common to receive information about the school before or during a visit to the facility. You’ll want to ensure the preschool has plans in place in the event of a fire, bad weather, and other dangerous situations. If a school doesn’t have these plans in place, you might want to begin looking at another preschool. - Interior of Classrooms
It’s understandable to want to physically see the preschool your child might attend. You’ll want to check and see how safe the environment looks for a small child. For instance, it’s a comforting sign to see objects with rounded corners as opposed to sharper edges. You’ll want to ensure that the facilities are clean. If you’re seeing a lot of stains and general disarray, it’s probably best to find another school. The best preschools are ones that know the importance of cleanliness. Placing children in an unclean preschool can drastically increase the potential of them becoming sick more frequently than normal. - Pretend Play is Important
Experts in the field of child development believe it is important to have children pretend play. You’ll find the best preschools have some sort of pretend play activities. When a young child pretend plays, they are thinking creatively. It’s imperative that a child learns while being able to develop creative ways to solve problems. You’ll likely find many instances of pretend play occurring during your visit to a preschool. - Behavior of Children
You can learn a lot about a preschool by seeing how the children behave. If you walk into a classroom and the children and teachers all look frazzled, it’s not a good sign. The best preschools should have happy children and enthusiastic faculty. It’s understandable that there are times where children are actively learning. You might want to plan a visit during scheduled activity times for the students. - Size of Classrooms
The best educators can struggle to reach students in an overfilled classroom. You’ll find that many private schools have a great teacher to student ratio. Nearly 86% of all private schools have under 300 total students. A lower amount of students in a private school helps to ensure your child receives adequate attention. Many parents feel it’s this attentive teaching environment that allows their children to excel throughout life. - Check for Online Reviews
It’s important to take these reviews with a grain of salt. You’ll want to read reviews and then do a visit on see how your experience turns out. Remember, you don’t need to commit to enrolling your child during your first visit to a preschool. Don’t let one disgruntled reviewer potentially lead to missing out on one of the best schools for you child.
In closing, there are many considerations to make when choosing a private preschool. Statistics show that private schools make up for 24% of all schools in the United States. It’s understandable to want to look at only the best preschools for your child that are safe and clean. It’s important to see how clean the classrooms are your children will be attending. If you see that a preschool needs repairs and renovations, it’s time to visit another facility. Pretend play activities are important for preschoolers to foster their brain development and critical thinking skills. You’ll want to inquire about which pretend play stations or activities a preschool plans for their students. It’s best that preschool classrooms are small in size, with a good teacher to student ratio. If possible, check into online reviews of a preschool before visiting it. Enrolling your child in the best preschool is a wise decision for any parent to make.
