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Tips on Choosing Kindergarten

KINDERGARTEN HUNTING

When choosing a kindergarten for your child, what are your priorities?

The type of syllabus?

Method of teaching?

Vicinity of the school and distance from your house?

Facilities provided by the school?


In this era where information is just a click away, anyone would have done researches on the various syllabus and methods used in education. Many would have made up their minds on these aspects and looked specifically for such schools.

To me, there is no such thing as "one system fits all" kind of education. It all depends on the child. Every method has its pros and cons, be it Montessori, Charlotte Mason, Waldrof, play-based, academic based, etc.

Some may just opt for schools nearer to their homes for convenience while others may choose based on recommendations by their trusted relatives and friends.


YOUR CHILD'S SECOND HOME

Regardless of syllabus, method, facilities and convenience, I would like to share with you some important aspects to look out for when choosing a kindergarten. These are mainly based on my experiences of sending my children to kindergarten.

Before anything else, you have to bear in mind that:
  • It could be the very first place where your child will be spending a considerable amount of time without you so you would want your child to feel secure. 
  • It is also a place where your child will receive his/her first formal education and you want it to be a pleasant experience. 
  • It is going to be where your child will be spending the first few years of his/her life - playing, learning, socialising with children his age and adults (teachers, helpers, bus drivers) so you want them to be in the right community so they will pick up the right values. 

So, what would define a good kindergarten for the above?

I have come up with a few points here.
  • transparency
    • Parents should be allowed to enter into the premise at any time to meet their children or the teachers. 
    • Parents should be allowed to talk to the teachers, deputy principal, principal and other helpers of the school freely. 
  • cleanliness
    • The premise should be clean. Check out the classrooms, playground and most importantly, the toilets. 
    • Observe the students. Are they healthy or sickly? Some kindergartens, especially those that also offer childcare, allow students to attend school even when they are sick. So, if you have concerns on this issue, do ask the school about it.
  • more interactions, less authoritative
    • Observe how classes were being conducted. Do the teachers use a lot of command words? Is it a one-way teaching or more of an interactive kind of learning? To me, teachers who are more willing to interact with students will produce better results and, at the same time, nurture better social skills in their students.



RELATIONSHIPS

  • good teacher - student relationship
    • Observe communications between the students and their teachers. Are they communicating pleasantly? Do you see mutual respect? Kindness or gentleness? Friendly smiles? Do the students show self-confidence? Are they secure? You can see these from their facial expressions. 
  • good teacher - parent relationship
    • When surveying the kindergartens, observe the relationship between the teachers and the parents. Well, I am not encouraging eavesdropping but if possible, listen to their conversations. Are they the positive kind or negative ones? Are they encouragements or complaints? The conversations speak a lot on the relationship between teachers and students, students and students, teachers and parents, etc. 
  • good parent - parent relationship
    • Perhaps I am the chatty type of parent. I see parent-parent relationship as a model for our children on social networking. Do also observe the relationship between the students and other parents. They speak volumes. I have had bad experiences from kindergartens where parents hardly talk to each other. I felt so awkward. 
  • 😀😃😄😆😊😍😎 VS 😡😠😟😢😨😭😧
    • Which group of faces do you see more of? 

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST (in fact, the most important)

You have to personally visit the kindergarten during school hours AND bring your child along.

You might ask. Why?


  • The child has to see the real thing so he/she will have an idea of what schooling is like. 
  • Observe the interactions between the teachers/school principal/deputy and your child. Were they friendly to your child? Did you talk to your child? Or were they just focusing on marketing?
I hope this article would provide some help to parents during decision making. 

If you have anything to add, where I have missed out, please do so in the comments. 






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