Making Decisions about Our Child’s Education

If you are looking for a day care that also includes preschool type learning and playing atmosphere, you want to do some research to make sure that you get the right type of balance. You want your child to have fun throughout the day, but to learn what they need to know before they get to kindergarten. Here are some of the things that you want to talk with the program director about when you tour the preschool and talk with the staff.

Time Breakdown

Ask the preschool or day care director if you can get a breakdown of the schedule throughout the day. This schedule should include the following:

• Resting
• Eating
• Learning
• Extra-curricular activities like art, singing and exercise
• Play
• Socializing

Open play isn't the same as socializing. You want your kid to be able to play with others and on their own, but also be able to work with other kids and socialize appropriately for their age.

Educational Professionals

You want to know what type of training the educational professionals at the facility have had if they are going to include educational activities for the preschool. These are people that should have some type of educational background in education, or training, and that can teach your child properly to help prepare them for kindergarten or preschool. These may be teachers, teachers assistants, or someone with a degree in education.

Safety Procedures and Staff Background

There are some important questions to ask to make sure that the staff is prepared to deal with emergencies that can occur in a day care of preschool facility. Ask the manager if the staff have these qualifications:

• First aid and CPR certification
• Property intruder training
• Criminal background check

You want to know that your child is in the hands of a professional that can handle an emergency situation if it comes up while your child is at the facility.

If you are looking for a day care that isn't just a place where your kid will go during the day, but a location where they can also learn and develop socially, these are some of the things that you want to inquire about. You also want to make sure that the facility is safe, and that the staff is properly trained to watch children. Contact a daycare, like Joyous Montessori or similar programs, and interview the facility to see if it would be a good fit for your child.