5 Things to Consider while Choosing a Preschool for Your Child

Choosing a preschool in Ahmedabad for your child can be a daunting task at first. With a plethora of options and everyone claiming almost the same thing, parents may well find themselves in a sweet headache. But there are ways to sort the best ones out of the good and then there are ways to narrow down the selection.

Start with sorting out the preschool based on location, distance from home and the fees. With every family having different considerations they prioritize based on these filters and hence it is highly subjective. Parents can start the initial scrutiny once they are done narrowing a selected few ones based on the general filters. The real scouting begins with visiting the preschool premise personally and it is recommended to leave the kids away to have a good look at the premise. Visits should be focused on observing and asking questions to staff and teachers at preschool.

Here are the 5 factors to consider while choosing a preschool for your child

The Schedule at Preschool

Every parent and family has different schedules and therefore a half-day or a part-weekly program may be an attractive option for those having flexible schedules. But then, there are those where both – mother and father are working fulltime and that’s where the full-time preschool schedule is required. Or else, it is best to go with the preschool having the after-care option to ensure that the child is busy and in safe hands after completing his/her routine.

Filtering such options right away are best in case your child is low on immunity and falling sick often. It’s a fact that morning slots are highly coveted with toddlers high on energy early during the day and they may require a nap during the afternoon. While there may be a certain section of children who’d want to have a leisurely morning at home and are ready to start the day, later on, an afternoon preschool is the best bet.

Teachers at Preschool

One thing you’ll notice in good teachers is that they will talk to children matching their eye-level. And parents need to consider the quality of teachers by gauging how they interact with them and probably go around in the sessions to see their behaviour with other toddlers at preschool. This way parents can know the real intent of the teachers and their interest in imparting education to children.

See if there is a healthy discussion between the children and teachers while focusing on calmly can teacher attend each child. Teachers must be trained and have a minimum qualification. Parents can validate the same by talking to trustees and management at preschool to get the fair idea of teaching staff in the preschool.

The Caretaking staff

While on a tour to choosing a prospective daycare school in Ahmedabad for your child, focus on the smiles and laughter inside the classroom. See how support and other staff members cater to children and their demands. They should be personally listening to and helping children in the preschool. During the breaks and snacks time, children must be watched over by caretakers and they should be catering to each child with patience.

Taking a visit to preschool as a parent would also demand a good look at the experience, expertise and the cool-headedness of the caretaking staff. Best if you could personally talk to them and have a small chat about their familial and cultural background. That’d give a quick check on how well can they handle the children at playschool. Staff having homecare and nanny experience is best suited for this role and therefore encountering any such personnel at preschool for children is a great way to ensure that your child is in safe hands.

Knowing the Academic Philosophy

One of the key ingredients of the best preschool is to have a unique, clear academic philosophy and ways to execute and reflect it through education. It may look simple at first that child may be spending the day splashing in puddles or learning the names of fruits and animals. The academic philosophy plays a major role in redefining the child’s future.

See what school and teachers believe in and how they are putting efforts for this belief. Check how the preschool balance out play days with academics. See if school emphasise holistic child development and that they have activities to cater child’s physical, mental, emotional and spiritual growth. Such a philosophy will reflect in their schedule and activities too. It is not uncommon to find dedicated teachers for each activity so as to help chart the progress report of children.

Playschool Environment, Premise and Infrastructure

Try picturing your child in the playschool environment before putting them in. This includes the environment of the playschool – where is it located? Does it have enough green and open spaces for children to play around and get fresh air? See if they have child-sized furniture and clean restroom facilities. It is always a great idea to check for CCTV enabled places which can be monitored from your mobile phones.

Another important aspect is to have immersive, print-rich classrooms and availability of books and other materials. Check what technology do the preschool use in terms of opening more ways to impart education. This includes Audio-Visual rooms, interactive games for learning and plenty of other gadgets to gain a child’s attention to academic learnings.

Final Words…

It all then boils down to considering the factors you think are important and ask questions to teachers and staff as much as you can. Parents know their child better and therefore, there cannot be anyone better to judge when it comes to choosing the playschool for children. The list above is not comprehensive since it considers only the usual factors that are important and that varies from family to family.

Usha Agrawal co-founder at LittleWings, one of the leading Preschool in Ahmedabad that focuses on the holistic development of children.