One of the most important decisions a parent makes is choosing
a childcare for their child. Not only do parents want somewhere that is safe
and comfortable for their child, but also somewhere that fosters a good
foundation of learning.
Here is a short list of questions to get you going in the
right direction. You will want to add questions that will help you find the
best fit for your family:
• Would I prefer my child in a center or home care
environment?
• What hours do I need care?
• What opportunities with learning and play do I
want my child to have?
• How does my child learn best?
Once you've found a childcare, here are a few more questions you can ask to ensure
you have all of the answers you need:
• What
are the child to teacher ratios?
• What
are the qualifications of the staff?
• What
are the meal plans?
• What
is the nap schedule?
• What is the daily curriculum schedule?
There
are so many important benefits of early education. Beth Letzsch, Owner of three Primrose Schools in the Denver metro area,
shared with us her thoughts when investigating the benefits of child care when
she found out she was having twins more than a decade ago. It was after
visiting several child care providers and learning about Primrose Schools that
she decided to become a Primrose owner herself. She decided to leave her
law practice, and become a preschool owner.
“When
looking at child care offerings, it's important to determine your priorities to
help guide you to what is best for your child. Are you looking for basic
socialization skills or elementary school readiness? Do you want your
child exposed to foreign languages, or to find the joy in reading? For my
family, we knew that we wanted to help instill a thirst for learning in a
positive, balanced educational environment with a proven curriculum. We
found that in Primrose.
We
know that children thrive on structure and routine, however too much structure
can stifle exploration and creativity. High quality preschools find a
unique way to maintain a healthy balance of structured, teacher-directed
activities, alongside unstructured time to play, explore and be creative.
Primrose offers a balanced curriculum where each day is specially planned to
offer both large and small group times, as well as individualized learning
instruction to help a child grow emotionally as well as mentally. This
balanced approach fosters both mental development as well as social
development, as children learn both from adults and other students in their
class.
There
have been many articles and news reports lately discussing the merits and
challenges of group centered care. In a private preschool setting, the
evidence has been uncontroverted that high quality early learning programs
which offer developmentally appropriate curriculum that is designed to create
building blocks for future academic success. Look for a program that is
carefully planned, so that at each crucial learning stage, your child is
exposed to challenges alongside reinforcement of learned concepts. Does
each classroom have a defined standard of core skills that each child should
master at a given age or stage? Will the student have these skills
reinforced in the next classroom, so that these skills are further solidified
and merged into opportunities to learn new concepts?
These
days, children are exposed to new ways of learning that were not in existence
just ten years ago. The dawn of the electronic era has accelerated the
avenues through which teachers can introduce concepts to children. At
Primrose, we've had computer stations in our classrooms since the beginning,
and we are introducing smart boards, ipads and other electronic platforms in
our classrooms so that when children graduate from Primrose, they are prepared
for forward-thinking learning approaches being introduced in many elementary
schools. We know that electronic devices don't mimic the love and
nurturing that is so important in early development, so we make sure to spend
lots of time allowing our youngest students to share with one another, and feel
supported by our loving teachers as they embark on their adventure of learning.”
Once last question I encourage you to ask is, are there
childcare benefit programs the facility offers or that are offered in your
area? There are many programs out there that families do not take advantage of
that can help with the costs of childcare. Don’t let cost be a deciding factor
in your decision for quality childcare.
For example, in the city of Denver, there is an amazing program
called DPP (Denver Preschool Program). This program helps support parents in
being able to afford the costs of high quality childcare. You only need to be a
Denver resident and choose one of the schools that participate in the DPP
program. All of the facilities in this programs are accredited programs to
ensure high quality care. PrimroseSchool at Stapleton is a preferred preschool for DPP, so all of you Denver
residents are eligible to participate!
Here is a great video about what the program offers and how
to get started!
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