What Should Parents Look for in a Preschool?

What Should Parents Look for in a Preschool?

Please don't choose a preschool based only on who has an opening.

Visit.

Ask questions.

Pay attention to how the building feels.

Watch how teachers speak to children when they don't realize you're watching.

Look at the classroom materials.

Ask about teacher education and experience.

Ask how the school prepares children for kindergarten.

Ask how they support children through potty training.

Ask how often children are read to.

Ask how they handle challenging behaviors.

Ask how they communicate with families.

Ask what happens when your child struggles.

And don't be afraid to ask what makes their program different from every other preschool you could choose.

Then ask yourself one very important question:

“Can I see my child blooming here?”

Because the right preschool should see more than the child standing in front of them today.

They should be helping develop the person that child is becoming.

A Good Preschool Should Make Life Better for Parents, Too

This part doesn't get discussed enough.

Parents are busy.

You are working. Managing a household. Remembering appointments. Packing bags. Planning meals. Washing clothes. Answering emails. Trying to spend meaningful time with your children.

And somehow you're also supposed to remember that Tuesday is pajama day.

I understand.

A great early childhood program shouldn't create unnecessary stress for families.

It should become part of your support system.

Communication should be clear.

Expectations should be clear.

Parents should know what their child is learning.

Teachers should know their families.

And whenever possible, programs should think about the small conveniences that can make a working parent's morning a little easier.

Because supporting children also means supporting the people raising them.

Preschool Should Still Feel Like Childhood

Preparing children for kindergarten does not mean turning preschool into elementary school.

Four-year-olds do not need eight-hour academic workdays.

They need childhood.

There should be paint.

There should be books everywhere.

There should be messy projects and big questions.

There should be music.

Blocks.

Pretend kitchens.

Science experiments.

Outdoor exploration.

Dancing.

Gardening.

Storytelling.

Laughter.

Friendships.

And plenty of opportunities to play.

Play and preparation are not opposites.

In an excellent early childhood program, they work together.

A child can be laughing with friends while developing language.

Building a tower while exploring early mathematics and engineering.

Listening to a story while developing vocabulary and comprehension.

Serving pretend food while developing social skills.

Planting a seed while discovering science.

Children learn through experiences.

Our responsibility as educators is to make those experiences meaningful.

Before You Say, “My Child Has Plenty of Time…”

Remember this:

Childhood moves incredibly fast.

The little person who needs help putting on a coat today will soon be walking into an elementary school carrying a backpack that somehow looks almost as big as they are.

The question isn't whether we should rush children.

We shouldn't.

The question is whether we are making the most of these incredibly important developmental years.

A strong preschool doesn't push children toward childhood's finish line.

It gives them the foundation to arrive at kindergarten confident, curious, independent, capable and ready.

And parents, that foundation matters.

So, Does Your Child Need Preschool?

I believe so without bias...

But not simply because they're three or four years old.

Your child needs opportunities to build friendships.

To become independent.

To develop language.

To experience books.

To solve problems.

To learn routines.

To practice kindness.

To make mistakes.

To discover what they're good at.

To find out what challenges them.

To be surrounded by adults who understand early childhood development.

And to experience the wonderful realization:

“I know how to do this.”

That's what a great preschool can give a child.

And when you're looking for that kind of preschool, I invite you to discover Rose Garden Preparatory Day School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. At Rose Garden Prep, we've intentionally created an early learning environment where nurturing care and purposeful education work together—from our focus on kindergarten readiness, literacy, independence and successful potty training to our small learning environments, experienced educators, nutritious meals, diapers and wipes included in tuition, and extended hours designed for working families. We are proud to be a Keystone STAR 4 program serving children from infancy through Pre-K, but what matters most to me as Director is what happens inside our doors every day: children are known, challenged, nurtured and prepared for what comes next. If you're wondering whether Rose Garden Prep is the right preschool for your child, I invite you to visit us, take our readiness quiz, and come see for yourself what we mean when we say:

Where children bloom.

Mrs. Gia Director

Rose Garden Preparatory Day School

Pottstown, Pennsylvania