Choosing a Preschool by Judy Lyden

Quite frankly, I'm opinionated about preschool because I've taught preschool since 1983. Preschool, which is a terrible name because it indicates it's not school at all but some kind of holding zone before a child goes to "real school," is supposed to "ready" children for real learning.

Um...excuse me...but children ages 3-7 will learn more in these years than any other time in their lives, so it better be "real school" or your wasting your money and your child's time.

Children who are three and have not been infantalized by parents are ready to really learn, so the program selected should include some real learning. Before age three, children are not ready. It's not fair, it's not good because children age two need another kind of training and play.

So your child is a corker...potty trained and listening to every word you say. It's time!

So what do you look for?

It depends. If you are blessed and can stay home with your child, you might be doing a remarkable preschool all by yourself. Are you talking about what you see on your adventures with your child, and is your child answering you in full sentences? Is your child seeing all kinds of people and things outside of your home? Is your child working with all kinds of art media at home? Are you teaching your child to write his or her name properly with upper AND lower case letters? How about counting, identifying colors and shapes and building stuff? You probably don't need preschool for more than socialization and separation anxiety.

If you are currently using a day care with the TV on 24/7, and your provider is kind but doesn't teach, it might be time to think about a place where the child is taught something. If you are lucky enough to have a place in town that is a full time school situation, go for it - but that's not necessarily a center.

The problem with center care is that most centers don't teach, and they don't hire anyone who can. The rep most centers have is that they nap the children WAY too long and the food is ick. That's institutional imprisonment for kids. Better the home with the TV blaring 24/7.

If I didn't own a little school for little people, and I had to find a place for my beloved grandchildren, I would look for a place that was reasonably clean but not super clean. Too clean means they don't ever do anything but sit. I would look for a place where the provider not only spoke properly, because children learn speech patterns from the adults who care for them, but knew something about the world and was willing to teach what she knew to the children in her care.

There are lots of things that people can teach children including things about animals, about weather, about art and socialization. Children should learn to get along with friends, give and take, share and be able to say enough that their needs and desires are made known. Too much TV and this doesn't happen.

The worst time to visit any early childhood place is 3:00 Friday afternoon. EVERYONE is chomping the bit for the weekend. If you like a place at 3:00 Friday, you'll love it most of the time. Go visit then. Nobody should still be sleeping!

Food? Ask to see the menus. Your child, in full time care, will eat eighty percent of what he eats in your provider's home or in the center. Is there thought put into food? Will your child grow fat and lazy eating junk?

Bathroom? Ask to use the bathroom. It should be reasonably clean. If the bathroom is sparkling, your provider is tending home too closely - probably won't last as a provider. Center baths should not smell or kids are not being supervised.

TV on? Mmmmmmmm no. Ask the provider - home or center- what the children did that day. Play day all day? Fine what did they do the day before? Nothing spectacular? Then what are you wasting your child's time buying?

Three year old children should learn their letters, learn to count to at least ten, learn colors, how to hold a pencil and write his or her name, learn shapes and be able to speak in full sentences, and your provider - home or center- should insist that your child learn these things.

Children should learn how to color, to paint, to glue, and to cut. They should use clay, play dough, chalk, and be able to invent with their media.

Children should be taught to listen to a story and to sing little songs. If your child cannot sing or listen to a story, he or she is either missing the point, or the point is not there. Listening is the most important thing a child will take away from preschool learning.

Not there yet? Keep looking. There is a happy place for every child. Just keep asking around or call your Resource and Referral group in your town and tell them what you are looking for.