Some parents may assume that a playschool is a lot of fun, filled with the use of crayons and play-pens. The kids and the setting of all preschools may appear very innocent and similar but the kind of a preschool a kid steps into has far-reaching consequences on the child’s growth and development. A preschool lays the foundation for later academic success during formal education.
Considerations When Choosing a Preschool (In order to provide an easy overview of some of the basic factors to be considered while choosing a preschool, examples have been quoted by assuming a preschool, called abc preschool for the sake of comparison.)
• Credentials — most preschools are privately-owned and managed. Thus, they have the freedom to make their own rules.
A defectively-managed preschool, for example, abc preschool employs teachers that don’t have the essential Early Childhood Educational qualifications. Now, compare this with a reputed preschool like Shemrock. Every staff member there is well-qualified and experienced. Parents should check out a preschool’s accreditations and certifications.
• Time Schedule — this is something that parents often overlook as they can’t differentiate between a day care facility and a preschool. Day care centres often provide extended hours for taking care of kids, especially for working parents. However, a neighbourhood preschool, for example, abc preschool may offer shorter but more planned activities for the kids. Thus, the parents have to consider their personal schedule and the nature of preschool education they would prefer for their children.
• Discipline — the most integral part of preschooling is introducing the children to the concept of discipline. This is where preschool policies become very crucial. The parents have to be beware of schools with very a very liberal outlook towards teacher authority. For example, a preschool, abc preschool insists upon scolding the children harshly or punishing them severely for the slightest of mistakes. Does it make sense to introduce your kids to such an extreme form of authority, so early in their lives?
• On the other hand, a reputed preschool like Shemrock helps the children to make this transition into education and disciplining easy, by delving into child psychology and sorting out the emotional aspect of child behaviour.
• Nutrition — one very important aspect of any good quality preschool is the kind of meals/food provided to the children. Some neighbourhood preschools may insist upon feeding the children tasty but unhealthy/fast-food/sugar-loaded kind-of-meals. Whereas, prestigious preschools like Shemrock have personal nutritionists to make sure that kids are provided healthy, tasty and wholesome meals.
• School Safety — a close-by or neighbourhood preschool may be very convenient, but it could be compromising on the safety facet of a child. The security aspect is a very comprehensive concept and includes security in terms of the construction, infrastructure, transportation and even accessibility to the preschool campus by strangers.