How to choose the best preschool for your child: Here is a checklist

Check if the curriculum allows for activities that help in development of the child’s fine and gross motor skills. It is crucial to look for aspects like the importance given to freestyle play in the day.

By Amita Bhardwaj

The positive impact of early education and a nurturing environment on a child’s wellbeing cannot be overstated. It is a given, therefore, that when it is time to send your child to a preschool you are worried about being able to make the right choice. While you do consider basic factors like distance from the school, how do you really select the right school that helps the child develop to his or her full potential? Here are some of the areas to research before making that ever so important decision:

Safety

This without a doubt has to be the key deciding criteria when you are sending a part of yourself out into the world. Remember to look out for these aspects:

• How stringent are the school’s pick and drop guidelines?
• Does it offer live CCTV footage?
• Is there a reliable verification process for visitors at gate beyond manual registers?
• What mechanism does the school follow in recruiting its staff? Are there enough background checks?
• What are the fire safety measures?
• Are classrooms child-friendly? What kind of study/play material is being used?

With enough and more untoward incidents where child safety has been compromised being reported, this is an area you wouldn’t want to leave unattended. A good measure to follow is to visit the school premises and witness the safety measures firsthand instead of reading about them in fancy brochures alone.

Educational philosophy

A large part of the child’s brain development occurs between 0-6 years. You therefore want to be doubly sure that the child is being exposed to a well-researched curriculum that caters to his holistic growth. Highscope, Playway, Reggio Emilia, Montessori, Waldorf, these are different approaches to early years learning and hence it is critical to understand which philosophy the preschool advocates.

Also, do get into the details to figure out if the curriculum allows for activities that help in development of the child’s fine and gross motor skills. It is also important to look for aspects like the importance given to freestyle play in the day. Above everything meeting the centre director and gauging his or her passion towards the cause of education is key.

Cleanliness

With young children still developing immunity, cleanliness is something that cannot be compromised. Do not just look at how clean the classrooms are but also the hygiene levels maintained in washrooms as well as the kitchen.

Food

Speaking of the kitchen, hygienic food is yet another aspect that needs to be on your list. Not just because healthy food is the key to the child’s physical and mental growth, but also because the relationship with food is formed early. Watch out to see if the child is being provided nutritious food and whether any junk food is on the menu. Also, who designs the food menu — is it approved by a nutritionist or pediatrician? It is also worth checking that in case the child is allergic to any food, is the school capable of catering to individual requirements?

Teacher-child ratio

The only way a child can get personalised attention important for his development, is when the school maintains a healthy teacher: student ratio. At the preschool level, the ratio should not ideally exceed 1:8.

Updates

It is imperative that you receive regular updates from the child’s school. It works best therefore that the school is technology friendly and that you can interact with them in real time by way of a mobile app.

Parent Reviews

This aspect is something that you wouldn’t want to miss out on, as there is nothing that can serve as a better testimonial for the school than happy parents. Besides checking the Google and Facebook Page reviews and rankings, do make the effort to speak to parents and get firsthand inputs about the various parameters of the school ranging from safety to the curriculum.

Team

While the team running the school may be behind the scenes, do make the effort to know them. This includes knowing the teachers surely but also importantly the founders and their vision for the school. This will help you judge if the preschool is just another commercial venture or if it is a labour of love.

The above research done, trust your instincts on what will work best for you and your child. Here’s to a fulfilling journey for you and your ward!

(The writer is VP-Curriculum, Footprints Childcare.)

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