<p>The initial five years of a child’s life see quick and significant development across various domains. Hence, preschool is considered as the first and most important step of a child’s academic journey. In a preschool set-up, children learn to socialise and create their own learning. They learn to share and care, and train themselves to become independent individuals.<br /></p>.<p>Some of the major areas a preschool focuses on are communication, creativity, social skills, personality development, critical thinking, physical development, emotional development, and so on.<br /><br />Therefore, zeroing in on a preschool for your child can be an overwhelming task. The easiest way to start off is by inquiring about basic practical matters related to the preschool. These would include, the school’s hours, distance of the school from your house, availability of transportation, after-hours options, fee structure, class size, and staff-child ratio. Following which a more detailed research will help you understand the available options better. <br /><br />Here is a checklist to help you choose the right preschool for your child:What is the right age?<br />If the preschool programme offers a good parent-toddler programme, then you can enrol your child when she is 12 to 18 months. This programme will not burden the child but will help her achieve the developmental milestones in a secure environment. Do ensure that the programme aims at guided free play and not forced teaching.<br />Preschool’s educational philosophy<br /><br />Do take an active interest in understanding the curriculum offered by the preschool. Ensure the pedagogy is not aimed at achieving scholastic goals only. A discovery-based programme will work wonders for your young toddler as compared to one which promotes rote learning. <br />Transparency helps It is important that the parents are welcomed into the preschool set-up. Ensure that the preschool shares feedback related to the child’s development periodically through parent meetings. Understand what the preschool does to make you, as a parent, feel as an effective partner.<br />School hours and flexibility<br />It is important for you to be aware of how child friendly the school hours are. Do they allow the children time to settle? Do they allow the parent to be present to reduce the separation anxiety? Do they understand what is in the best interest of the child with respect to time, as well as parent presence?<br /><br />Quality and experience mattersDo make sure that the preschool hires experienced and qualified teachers and staff. They must be qualified and trained to work with children through a developmentally appropriate curriculum. They must be qualified to answer all the idiosyncracies of a growing child.<br />Provision of meals and snacks<br /><br />Check if the school provides the meals or whether you will have to pack them for the child. Also, in case the preschool provides meals and snacks, check if the food options are nutritious, and well-balanced and ask to see a menu shared with parents.<br />Safety policy <br /><br />Make sure that the preschool has a safety policy in place and follows preventive measures to ensure an abuse free environment for the children. Please check for how well the staff are trained to manage crisis of any kind. Check for CCTVs in the premises and seek to understand how the process works.<br /></p>
<p>The initial five years of a child’s life see quick and significant development across various domains. Hence, preschool is considered as the first and most important step of a child’s academic journey. In a preschool set-up, children learn to socialise and create their own learning. They learn to share and care, and train themselves to become independent individuals.<br /></p>.<p>Some of the major areas a preschool focuses on are communication, creativity, social skills, personality development, critical thinking, physical development, emotional development, and so on.<br /><br />Therefore, zeroing in on a preschool for your child can be an overwhelming task. The easiest way to start off is by inquiring about basic practical matters related to the preschool. These would include, the school’s hours, distance of the school from your house, availability of transportation, after-hours options, fee structure, class size, and staff-child ratio. Following which a more detailed research will help you understand the available options better. <br /><br />Here is a checklist to help you choose the right preschool for your child:What is the right age?<br />If the preschool programme offers a good parent-toddler programme, then you can enrol your child when she is 12 to 18 months. This programme will not burden the child but will help her achieve the developmental milestones in a secure environment. Do ensure that the programme aims at guided free play and not forced teaching.<br />Preschool’s educational philosophy<br /><br />Do take an active interest in understanding the curriculum offered by the preschool. Ensure the pedagogy is not aimed at achieving scholastic goals only. A discovery-based programme will work wonders for your young toddler as compared to one which promotes rote learning. <br />Transparency helps It is important that the parents are welcomed into the preschool set-up. Ensure that the preschool shares feedback related to the child’s development periodically through parent meetings. Understand what the preschool does to make you, as a parent, feel as an effective partner.<br />School hours and flexibility<br />It is important for you to be aware of how child friendly the school hours are. Do they allow the children time to settle? Do they allow the parent to be present to reduce the separation anxiety? Do they understand what is in the best interest of the child with respect to time, as well as parent presence?<br /><br />Quality and experience mattersDo make sure that the preschool hires experienced and qualified teachers and staff. They must be qualified and trained to work with children through a developmentally appropriate curriculum. They must be qualified to answer all the idiosyncracies of a growing child.<br />Provision of meals and snacks<br /><br />Check if the school provides the meals or whether you will have to pack them for the child. Also, in case the preschool provides meals and snacks, check if the food options are nutritious, and well-balanced and ask to see a menu shared with parents.<br />Safety policy <br /><br />Make sure that the preschool has a safety policy in place and follows preventive measures to ensure an abuse free environment for the children. Please check for how well the staff are trained to manage crisis of any kind. Check for CCTVs in the premises and seek to understand how the process works.<br /></p>
