Kansascity.com
Parenting: How to choose a preschool
“We really feel strongly that a quality early childhood experience is essential for the growth and development of young children, and can give them a wonderful start for understanding what they need in order to learn,” says Nancy Schulman, director of the 92nd Street Y Nursery School in Manhattan. “But it doesn’t have to be in a particular place.”
Schulman and associate director Ellen Birnbaum are used to encountering real preschool anxiety.
In hyper-competitive New York, the preschool application process is fraught with worry: Limits on application numbers. Play sessions that serve as school interviews. Worries that somehow, whatever happens when children are just 3 or 4 years old will make or break their chances for success in life.
A spot at the 92nd Street Y — where teachers are considered among the best in their field and tuition runs $21,000 a year for 4- and 5-year-olds — is coveted by many, including boldface names such as Woody Allen, Michael J. Fox and some of Wall Street’s top executives. It’s sometimes called the Harvard of preschools.
But in their new book, Practical Wisdom for Parents: Demystifying the Preschool Years, which covers home and school life, the educators say parents need to set aside all that.
Go with your gut when choosing a preschool, and don’t worry much about reputation, cost or any of the scores of bewildering factors a parent weighs, they say.
EXPERT ADVICE
Q. It’s time to make that crucial first visit. What should I look for?
A. Schulman: The very first thing that will happen is you will have a gut feeling, and that will speak volumes. Does this feel like a happy place? Does this feel like a place I would feel comfortable leaving my child? You’ll know that because you’ll see a clean, organized place, you’ll hear a buzz of children engaged in activities and teachers talking with them in a warm, direct way.
What should I do to prepare ahead of the visit?
Birnbaum: The lead teacher for most classrooms in most states should have a master’s degree and be certified in early childhood education. Certainly at least one teacher in each classroom has to have that qualification. Assistants may not all have those qualifications, and that’s OK. The other thing is the ratio of adults to children. The National Association for the Education of Young Children recommends that for 2-year-olds, one adult for every five children. For 3-year-olds, one adult for every seven children, and for 4-year-olds, one adult for every eight children.
What about my child’s reaction to the school?
Birnbaum: When we have children come to visit, we know that on any given day, they may or may not be the same. So I wouldn’t take the child’s reaction into consideration in that way at all. But to see it from your child’s perspective is important. If you go to a school and it’s very busy and maybe you have a child who’s easily distracted or overstimulated, you might not want that school for your child.
Physically speaking, what are some things I should be looking for no matter what?
Birnbaum: Clean, safe and well-equipped; a certain level of organization. Children really need and thrive on things that are neat and in order.
Schulman: You really want to see that there’s a sense to the day, that there’s a thoughtful plan for children.
Comment: First thing IS gut feeling. Second thing to ask is "Would I want to spend time here?" or "Would I have wanted to play here as a child." Then transfer the questions to your child. Part of the parent job is to know your child well.
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