Intro

A great preschool is a dream come true for many caring parents around the world. Preschool is the first step in your child’s education process. Such early learning centres aim to set a foundation that will ease children into the entire process of education. For that reason, you should make sure that it offers quality child care. When we say child care, we mean in every sense: physically, mentally and spiritually. One way to ensure that is to start searching for a quality preschool on time. You should begin by making a list of potential preschools in your area and then narrow your choice down by taking into consideration certain factors. We’ve prepared a list of 5 features that make up a great preschool – keep reading to learn more about them.

When it comes to choosing the perfect preschool for your child, you should pay attention to several aspects. The first one is the environment – it should be safe and nurturing. Then, the educators – they should be attentive and caring. As far as learning is concerned, it should be age-appropriate and planned. Moreover, the communication between educators and parents should be open. There are different learning designs used and we’ll try bringing them closer to you.

Great Preschool Feature #1: The environment is safe and nurturing

A great preschool is characterized by a safe and nurturing environment. — Environment is safe and nurturing.

Speaking of preschool, the environment is one of the single most important aspects when considering the quality of a preschool. Preschoolers are quite young and probably dependent on their parents. Preschool is the period when they start learning how to be independent. They learn to respect other authoritative figures, such as their teachers. They simply need time to adjust. An ideal preschool environment is thus, safe and nurturing. Children should be able to figure out things on their own. As they are still learning about socially acceptable things, their teachers should understand that and approach them carefully. Educators should encourage children to produce their original and creative drawings and praise them a lot for whatever, even the littlest thing, they do well. Needless to say, there should be plenty of educational and free play toys for all kids.

Great Preschool Feature #2: The educators are attentive and caring

The second key aspect, besides the environment, is the educators. They should possess all kinds of desirable characteristics. First of all, they should have a proper education in early child development. Then, they should love their job and love working with children. These are a must. Besides these, educators should also be attentive, caring, considerate and patient, among other things. Children are still developing and they are very sensitive. The way their educators treat them in this early stage of life can mark them either positively or negatively. When browsing through preschools, pay attention to the staff. It’s not easy finding the right people to do this job.

Great Preschool Feature #3: Learning is age-appropriate and planned

Even though it seems at times that preschool is all about play, it is not quite so in fact. Child care programs in preschools are composed carefully, with a lot of teams, by teams of experts in the field. Every activity is carefully planned along with its expected outcomes. Children learn something new or acquire a new skill with each activity regardless of how silly or playful it might seem to us. When it comes to children of such young age, they should have fun in order to learn. And one way to do that is through controlled and free play. High-quality preschools are aware of this and they do their best to integrate fun into the learning process. Children can then learn about animals, numbers and generally the world around them through meaningful play.

Great Preschool Feature #4: Children – educators ratio is optimal

This is an aspect that we often overlook. And we shouldn’t as it is key due to several reasons. In order for teachers to be able to dedicate a certain amount of time to every child individually, there should be a sufficient number of teachers. Every child deserves an individual approach in order to develop and make progress. Hence, the proposed number of teachers per child is 1 teacher per 10 children. So, pay attention to this information when searching for the right preschool. It is essential to have enough teachers as not all children are the same. As a matter of fact, every child is different and requires a special approach. Children should be actively engaged in the learning process and teachers should be able to recognize their unique learning patterns.

Great Preschool Feature #5: Communication between parents and educators is open

In today’s digital world, communication has a new form and it is omnipresent across various devices. We should take this to our advantage and use it. Essentially, the communication between parents and educators should be open. Educators should write reports and inform parents about their child’s progress as well as any other specific behaviours. Different forms can be used for communication: emails for more formal things and instant messaging apps for informal announcements.

Typical learning designs used

Parents want only the best for their children, that’s why they aim for a preschool that offers appropriate education. And that encompasses a few things, including circle time, math, phonology, social skills and outside time, as the most important learning designs. Let’s what they are all about.

Circle time

Circle time should be short and sweet as children have a short attention span. It is often lively and it involves singing, dancing and playing. It fosters team spirit.

Art

When it comes to artistic activities, they induce creativity, independence and initiative. It often comes in form of open-ended activities such as painting, drawing, collage making and hand painting. However, it doesn’t involve using a colouring book.

Math

Preschool is also the time when children start learning about numbers and math. It is often active, enjoyable, experimental and meaningful. Different math concepts including subtraction, addition, counting, and measuring are introduced during playtime with blocks.

Phonology

Phonological awareness is introduced through reading stories, plays and rhymes. Children listen actively and identify things.

Social skills

Socialization is also one skill preschool programs focus on. Children learn how to behave as well as what is socially acceptable and not. They learn to share, take turns and respect others.