Finding an Excellent Preschool For Your Child
A proper education is the key to any child’s future success, and this means that parents are highly invested in finding the best day schools for their children. What does a good school offer, though, and when is a child old enough for their education? Most often, today’s preschools are meant for students aged three to five, but pre K for 2 year olds is also an option for interested parents. Meanwhile, it may also be noted that private preschools and public preschools both exist, and parents who can afford a private preschool may enjoy the many benefits of sending their child to a privately funded school. Still, a well funded and highly rated public school may be nearly as good in some regards, and parents can find them if they perform a careful search. What can a pre K for 2 year olds offer for young students, and what sets private schools apart?
Pre K For Young Students
Often, American children aged three or four are enrolled at preschool and similar pre K programs, but pre K for 2 year olds is also an option for interested parents. This is a very early childhood for a student, but if the child feels comfortable at the school and gets along with the staff, they can get a real head start on their education. Children of this age are still developing and growing in all sorts of ways, and expert teachers can help these young students learn all kinds of artistic, mathematical, and physical skills to prepare them for their later childhood. A pre K for 2 year olds can offer a basic education for math and science, such as predicting whether items will float or sink in water, identifying shapes, and even planting simple plants and caring for them. Children of this age can also learn to count simple numbers, and they may even learn the letters and how to spell their own name. Some parents choose to send their children to bilingual pre-K programs, which are often English-Spanish dual language learning centers. Children who speak one of those languages may learn the other, and studies have proven that the younger a child is, the easier it is for him or her to learn a language.
Finding a Good School
Preschool children aged two to five can benefit greatly from this early education, and now, more American children than ever are enrolled in pre-K programs of one kind or another. As of 2015, for example, 87% of American children aged five are enrolled in programs like these. So, how can interested parents find them, and what should they look for?
When the family moves to a new city or county, for example, the parents can look online for anything from pre K for 2 year olds to private preschools for a five year old. A fairly specific search should be entered, which will specify the type of school desired (private, public, or both), along with a phrase such as “best” or “top rated.” Entering the local ZIP code can also help keel the results more local. An online search will bring up a whole list of results, and the parents can strike out schools that don’t suit their needs, such as those that are deemed too far away or those with low ratings. Now, the parents can compile a short list of candidate schools, and visit them in person.
During a visit, the parents can get a full and fair impression of what a preschool is like, and consult the staff working there to look into the school’s level of funding and see what sort of programs it offers for students. This is also a good chance to review the credentials of each teacher working there. During a repeat visit to a promising school, the parents can and should bring their child along, so that youngster can form their own impression. The parents can check whether that child feels comfortable at the school and get4es along with the staff. If a child has particular needs, such as a physical disability or a mental one such as high-functioning autism, the parents may look for a school that can provide adequate special education programs.