Choosing a Preschool?

Antonia Quinnett: At this age, leave him with the neighbor. Preschool is most successful with lasting benefits when starting at age 4, the year before Kindergarten. He needs to play and be a kid. Too many preschools today push down academics into preschool. before kids are ready. As for Head Start, they too are required to follow education standards on what to teach the children. Keep him where he is at until older.

David Kuper: In my opinion, the best way to choose a preschool is to start by talking to friends, family, and neighbors. Get their opinions on area schools, their approach, and get reviews. Next, visit some of the schools. They should be willing to have you observe and see how a typical school day runs. Watch to make sure that the children are engaged, have a variety of hands-on materials, and aren't sitting doing busy work or worksheets, and that the teachers are loving and encouraging. Ten check the schools credentials. Make sure they meet state standa! rds and that their teachers are degreed and trained to teach young children. I suggest that you put him in a morning only program. A full day is too much for him at this point. Perhaps your neighbor can pick him up at noon and he can nap or just have some down time....Show more

Toya Braskett: you are looking for good preschool or play school. Before finalising on any list look for - "Reality Check for Parents preschools in India" on the website of - “Preschool for Child Rights” and read the article â€"http://www.preschoolforchildrights.com/home/presch... The fact is that none of the preschools / day care / creche etc are having any proper syllabus and curriculum. The problem of preschools in India is so grave that even the Government of India is awakened to this reality and is coming up with Curricular Laws. I also suggest you to go for Five Point Formula from “Preschool for Child Rights”, which is mentioned here â€" http://www.preschoolforchildrights.com/fr! ee-articl...List of websites :http://www.preschoolforchildrigh! ts.comhttp://www.preschoolforchildrights.orghttp://www.preschoolforchildrights.nethttp://www.blog.preschoolforchildrights.orghttp://www.thezerocurriculum.comMany things regarding Preschool etc is also explained in this video â€" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKgNSDBs_YQ

Dionna Doyel: This is a good place to start, but you can do some research in regard to HOW to choose a preschool for your child. There are studies that show that children who attend preschool do better in secondary school and are more likely to go on to college. BUT - if parents are working with kids at home, I believe it can be just as beneficial except for the social aspect of things.I work at a preschool that is pretty academic. We work very hard to make the academic portion of the day (math, phonics, science) fun. We use songs, puppet play and lots of different games and hands-on activities when we teach our lessons. So - usually the children are engaged. However - there are children that si! mply cannot sit for the amount of time we expect them to do so. We do a paper in math and phonics every day - and there are children that don't have the fine motor skills to even grip the crayon. There are children that don't speak English and their parents are not making an effort to help them learn. There are children who have their own agenda, cannot follow directions and only want to play. There are children who work very well independently but not in a group. These children - in my opinion - could thrive in another school setting - but their parent heard that our school was s good one - and didn't do any more research to figure out what was best for their child. I applaud you for wanting to choose the right place for him.Since you have a neighbor who is willing to watch him - you might look at a two or three day program. Many schools offer them - and it give the children some socialization, and they learn to follow a routine.There are play based schools where ci! rcle time (for learning numbers and letters) is optional. The children! may come to circle time - or choose to continue playing. Children LEARN from PLAY - so it's usually fine if that's their choice. If your child has trouble sitting for more than a few minutes and cannot be engaged easily by a story or game - this may be the best place for him.There are Montessori schools where children are given "jobs" - a couple of times a day. These are things like stacking blocks - placing cylinders in order - etc. These jobs/tasks are all carried out in a very quiet setting and the teachers very quietly guide the children in the proper way to do the "job". There is also recess and circle time and music etc. Montessori schools are very good for children who work independently. The curriculum can sound very cold and strict - but there are loving teachers at Montessori schools too.Head Start used to have a very nice balance of cognitive and play. However, while Bush was in office (since it is a government run program) - there was a big push toward ! the cognitive - and it is more of an academic program now - with testing (and teacher's tend to teach to the test so they can keep their jobs). It used to be a great program. It is still good - but not as good as it was when it started - in my opinion.Get out on the internet (it's free) and do some research about what the best school choice would be for your son. With a Mom who is thinking thing through - like you - he is bound to do very well!I wish you the best....Show more

An Trebil: Go to GERMAN IMMERSION SCHOOL. Find it. Google it.

Jacques Teri: You can go on the website for www.abcmouse.com . It has many things you can learn for child from preschool to kindergarten. I see it in commercials. You can take your child to private school. There is bunch of preschools in St.pete, FL for my opinion. :)