Be Sure To Do Your Homework, And Be Prepared to Walk Away

We get this question a lot at Kid E Nation: How do you choose the right pre-school for a child? It’s easy to give our best answer based on decades of experience, but, in the end, the decision is for the parents alone to make.

When people ask us what to look for in a pre-school, we never hesitate to tell them to check, check and recheck a prospective pre-school. You want to check the preschool’s record with state licensing agencies. You want to visit and tour the school, and you want to meet with and interview the people in whom you are placing the greatest trust.

After all, these are the people who will provide day-to-day care for the people you love most in the world. They will be the ones making decisions that affect your child’s safety, health and happiness, so we beleive no amount of checking is excessive.

We suggest you start looking for pre-school at least a year ahead of when you’ll need one. That gives you plenty of time to make the right choice for you and your child.

Some of the best places to learn about pre-schools is at pre-school fairs that some communities offer. We also suggest talking to friends and family to get their recommendations. In the end, you’ll want to narrow the selection based on location, programs and cost, and take the next step: Take a Tour.

Any pre-school that is hesitant to allow you to tour their facilities is a red flag. Run don’t walk away. When touring a school, pay close attention to how caregivers interact with children. Is it calm and organized or loud and chaotic? Look at the place with a child’s eyes and decide whether the premises are safe and stimulating for children, if the food served is tasty and nutritious, if the outdoor play area is safe and away from busy streets. Think in terms of what your child needs, not necessarily what works best for you. You want to pick a place where yourchild is going to excel.

Finally, and we can’t stress this enough, the last check you want is a gut check. Does the pre-school feel right to you. If it doesn’t, it probably isn’t right for your child, and that could be for a number of reasons — personality clashes, discipline philosophies that don’t line up with your values, any number of reasons that might mean this is a great pre-school, but maybe it’s not the right preschool for your little one.

At Kid E Nation, we want every child to succeed, and we are happy to answer any questions you might have about our child care philosophy or our facilities. Call us today.