Introduction
When we think about putting a child into a school of any time, we instantly seem to prepare ourselves for what we would be asked but often forget to line up our doubts and questions that we should find answers to before too late. You need to approve of the environment, infrastructure, curriculum and more because that is what you would see and adapt for quite some time. Children are quick learners, they pick up what they see and hear instantly, so it makes the school they start with very essential. A good play school sets a good foundation. You cannot expect the kid to learn a lot there, but very little but good values or even the basics. It is a vital time for learning and it is the time your kid’s brain goes through changes that it would not during any other period.
It is known that as Winter approaches most play schools and schools, in general, witnesses never-ending lines of anxious parents, waiting to fill out forms, and secure a place for their tiny tot. While most parents rely on other people’s perception or even word of mouth, when selecting an institution and infrastructure of the same, but these are quite shallow of focusing on the bigger picture is imperative. Your kid would spend a major time of their days in one place and you need to be absolutely sure of the fact that not only is it safe but the one that acknowledges the importance of the starting years, and offers learning experiences that would nourish and help the child grow during their times of drastic and dramatic changes. Here, we have listed a set of questions that you should ask when you approach a Play School for your child’s admission.
1. How skilled are the teachers?
We do not usually find parents going school hunting to meet the teachers which is actually what more parents should focus on. The teachers are who would mold your child for quite some time and they are the ones under whom your child would grow and learn for a considerable period of time. Instead of speaking you the ‘admission counselor’ that most institutions have, you could speak to one or two teachers and you would be quite surprised at the magnitude of information you could gather based on one conversation. You should know about the certifications that the educators hold, and children learn better when teachers come from different backgrounds. Everyone who works with your child should be a professional with independent credentials. Enquire about the degrees that the teachers hold, are students taught by fully-certified teachers, or by a teacher and an aide?
2. How is student learning and growth monitored?
Children at the age of 2 develop and grow at their own pace and take their own time. The same question is not to be misunderstood with inculcating feelings of competition in the child at a tender age, but in assuring the student’s progress, for which, a plan is necessary. You need to know what the school does to monitor your child’s growth, how they assess the students, how do they keep up with the child’s progress and what means do they make use of to keep a good note of student’s progress. Teachers cannot necessarily monitor the students all the time or follow what they do and be in loop about all their movements to make sure that they are up to date and can take on a more challenging task. You should definitely enquire about the plan they have.
3. Does the school support good and healthy nutrition?
Most schools offer lunches every day but they are not necessarily healthy or not what you had want your child to be fed with. Also, in a pre-school setting, nutrition has two areas of concentration. One is the above given, that is, the kind of food being provided and the second being, how children are educated about healthy and good food choices. You need to ask questions like- does the school teach what kind of food is better and healthy or does the school, once in a while, have activities like non-fire cooking? Do they teach about the food options that provide with energy and help be more active? These would not just educate them about their choices but also interest them.
4. How are the classrooms equipped?
Now, we know that we have already established that infrastructure is a shallow topic, but here, we are really discussing about ways to keep your child safe. The kids would be very young to understand what they should stay away from, and what to play with. So, here, you should ask about the kind of games and materials they have used, to assure that even if a child is being careless, they will not end up hurt. You should ask about the kind of games they keep and the kind of chairs or desks they have or even if there would be a couple adults accompanying them to playgrounds.
5. What is the curriculum like?
You should start with the question- what philosophy guides your curriculum and also, why they chose it? Every play school has a chosen philosophy and a way of interaction. You should definitely know about that and then ask about their curriculum and figure out if it aligns. It is not that we are talking about actually studying, but about how they teach about little things, like shapes or colors or general objects or even the stories they deliver. You should ask about how they plan on helping your child grow and how do they intend on making regular games educational and fun.
6. How does the school help children interact?
At a very tender age, one should learn values like sharing and respect and these are little things that take you a very long way. Becoming a good person is what is essential in the longer run, and children accept everyone, respect, trust and interact with them, they would be more likely to enjoy and learn better. Make sure you ask them about how they intend to develop appropriate social and emotional skills, do they provide opportunities of learning in small and large groups, how do they help the child become comfortable in the presence of many and make nice with them.
7. How does the school help inculcate manners or even basic values?
Manners and values take every individual a long way. Considering the fact that the child would spend ample amount of time in the school, it is necessary for the teachers to teach them about these lessons. Ask the teacher if they would ask the children to eat in a particular way, with older people. Ask them if they would tell them tales about little values and explain to them how to learn from it and know better, if they would try to imbibe in them little habits of apologizing and thanking and how would they do it.
8. How does the school intend on making the parents a part of the program?
Despite the fact that the child is in school, and is being taught differently there, it is quite necessary for the parents to know where the teachers are going with the entire program. Parents’ involvement is one of the most necessary factors in the tender ages. There is quite a measurable impact on the child’s growth if the parents in a part of the child’s life, both at home and school. So, ask how are they planning on keeping you informed and involved, what opportunities would they provide and if would parents would be allowed to volunteer in the classroom.
