How to find a play school for your child - LazyAndSmart Way

Guest post by Madhav Bhartia. He is the founder of www.GoGuruCool.com.

As your child grows up, its important to plan for child’s preschool. Once your child is ready for play school, it’s time you to start your search for a good play school program. It’s always better to start your hunt for school early rather than wait. Many parents apply for good play school as soon as their child is born.

Once you’ve identified a few good play schools, apply to all of them in order. Most of the franchise based play schools in India take admission throughout the year. To find the best program for your child, you can follow the below steps.

Identify the parameters based on priority

First, decide what you want.
Convenience : Are you looking for a play school near your workplace, or would one closer to your home be more convenient?
Curriculum : Are you looking for a specific approach to learning? There are many of them like Montessori,Reggio Amelia, etc
Faculty / Support Staff : If you have any preference for faculty / staff of school?

Infrastructure: Is the school well-built? Are there enough space and not congested? etc

Write down the parameters in the order of your own priority, so that you have a list to refer to as you evaluate different programs.

Do your own research for  better understanding.

Search for different play schools at www.GoGuruCool.com sitting at your home or work location. Get the contact information and reviews for different schools from GoGuruCool.com .

You can ask a few basic questions over the phone w.r.t. fees or admissions, but you won’t get a good idea of what a preschool is really like until you go there. Visit the school in person and with your child, to meet the staff. It will also give you a good idea w.r.t. your convenience and locality of school.

Visit to the play school

When you visit the classrooms, check the teacher-child ratios and note how many children are in a classroom. Typical, recommendation for 2 to 3-year-old kids is in groups of no more than 18, with at least two teachers. For 3 to 4-year-old kids, we recommend groups of 20 or fewer, again with at least two teachers. As many as 20,  5-year-olds can be in a class with two or more teachers. It’s much easier to give a proper care and one-on-one attention along with having a better responsiveness when there are fewer kids in a class room.

Ask the director about everything from hours, fees, and vacation schedules to philosophies.Trust your gut feeling about the place and notice how the director handles your questions.

Observe how the teachers interact with the kids: Make sure they’re friendly, caring, and encouraging. You’ll also want a challenging curriculum, experienced teachers (who are paid well and satisfied with their job), and an environment that’s warm, clean, and safe.

Ask about staff turnover (This is very important). If the teachers change every six months, move on. Children need consistency and the opportunity to form strong relationships with their caregivers, so you don’t want a preschool where teachers come and go.

Ultimately, choosing a preschool is a personal decision. If, after visiting a preschool, you love the idea of your child going there, it’s probably the right place for you.

Check references

Positive word of mouth is a powerful endorsement. If a preschool has a certain buzz, ask parents what they like about it. You may even consider asking few schools, which you’re considering for a list of few parents whose children have attended the school. Call them and ask specific questions. Don’t just ask whether they like the preschool: Ask exactly what they like about it and what they don’t. If their child no longer goes to the school, ask why.

Let Kid also feel it

That way you can see how he and the teachers interact and whether he seems comfortable in the preschool environment. Do the teachers seem interested in getting to know your child? Does he enjoy the activities?

Apply

If the preschool of your choice has no openings, don’t feel bad. Put yourself on the waiting list, and while you’re at it, write a letter explaining why you like the school so much. It won’t guarantee you a place, but it can’t hurt to let the school know how enthusiastic you are about the program.

In the meantime, if you’ve applied to more than one school, it’s likely you’ll have other options to consider.