Thread: Parents want to know these things about a preschool

How do you handle discipline? Do you sit them in the corner, talk to them, separate them from each other? Also, have the parent cover any known food allergies or other allergies with you. I had a son with sever food allergies and we really had to watch what he ate. Just a few suggestions here.

Honestly I have never taught preschool and this really amazes me. I'm a teacher in a small town and I don't think our school offers extra activities like that. I am going to check this out though, you have peaked my interest.

BobbyC, a good preschool will work activities into the curriculum that enrich the students as opposed to babysitting them. Little kids learn by playing, and directed playing helps them learn. For example, they can sing the alphabet when washing their hands. They can learn new vocabulary by "skipping," "tippy-toeing," "wandering," "rushing" or even "swimming" down the hall. Art, music, drama and all the enrichment activities can be worked into children's play. All it takes is one capable teacher and young minds.

A lot of preschool parents want to know about the staff members. They want to make sure none of the employees have a criminal record. They also want to know about meals because many children have allergies.

How discipline and nap time are handled; what a typical daily schedule is; what are the policies for payment and picking kids up. All should be answered with ease, a smile, and a flair of professionalism.

I think all the basic concerns of preschool parents have already been mentioned. If I were a parent, I would ask about the number of kids in a class and make sure that the teacher-child ratio is pretty much with in the acceptable figures.

My main concern would be to make sure that my child was learning but also doing things that she was interested in. I would also want to know how the teacher dealt with discipline.

Parents also are concerned with safety, fairness and making sure their child progresses and learns through the course of the year. This goes for extra bright students who start well ahead of the rest as well as those who tag along behind the pack. Every child deserves an education.

I taught pre-school for years and I have never let my children attend one because of the many things I have seen. The first questions I would recommend that you ask are "what is your staff turnover rate" and "do you drug test your employees". All states require that anyone who works at a daycare or school have a background check, but of all the daycares and pre-schools I worked at there was never a drug test.