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PrintWhat parents should look for when choosing a preschool for their child
Local experts share their insight.
It seems like just a few days since you proudly brought home that bag of new clothes from Gymboree for your little tyke’s second birthday. Before you know it, you will be deciding what outfit to bring home for your child’s first day of preschool.
“At this age, children are developing rapidly, acquiring many new cognitive, social, emotional and physical skills,” says Dr. Amy Halliburton, assistant professor of human development and family sciences at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa. “Early childhood education can serve to lay the foundation for helping children become successful, contributing members of the community.”
Quality preschools and early learning centers are linked to positive social and academic outcomes, Halliburton says. Through these early learning experiences, children acquire social-emotional skills, such as communication skills and cooperative play, as well as early language and math skills.
Over the past few decades, research has led to an increased understanding of the best ways for children to learn, Halliburton says.
“Children construct their own knowledge about themselves and the world around them through social interactions, hands-on learning experiences and — importantly — through play,” she says.
When looking for a quality learning center or preschool, parents should tour the facility before ever filling out enrollment paperwork, says Karen Smith, director of Child Care Resource Center of Tulsa.
“Parents need to go into an environment where there is a whole variety of exciting things for their kids to do,” Smith says.
Learning centers should not merely focus on preparing children for the basic pre-reading, language and math skills they will be learning in kindergarten, she says.
“Best-practice preschools focus on developing the whole child, not just academic learning,” Smith says. “The reality is, children need so many other things to get to that point.”
Check to see that children rotate through different units, such as a wide variety of learning opportunities, including indoor/outdoor play, she says. Children should also participate in art projects where they can get a little messy.
“If a parent expects their child to come home clean, something’s not right,” Smith says. The facility should also set aside time for large and small movement; dramatic play, in which children play with anything from a kitchen set to baby dolls; and outside playtime.
Halliburton recommends looking for certain marks of quality in early childhood programs.
For example, parents should check to see that teachers have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or a closely related field. Also, look for small class sizes, along with low adult-child ratios.
Of course, both Halliburton and Smith say to trust the one thing only you can have with your child — a parent’s intuition.
“Different kids have different needs, and what is best for one child may not be best for another,” Smith says. “A lot of it has to do with you as a parent knowing where your child feels comfortable, and trying to match that up with your goals and values.”
