Going through preschool can give your child a healthy start in life, helping ready him/her for kindergarten entry. It also equips the child with essential emotional and social skills that he/she will need to succeed in life.
A high-quality MacPherson preschool program can also support your family by providing reliable and safe care for your child. Not all preschools are made the same, though. Therefore it is important that you’re keen on the aspects to look for when choosing a high-quality preschool.
What does a High-Quality Preschool Program look like?
Now, with so many preschool program options to choose from, it is acknowledgeable that finding the right program for your child may not be a simple feat. To make your search for the best preschool in MacPherson easy, we created this simple guide to highlight the essential qualities you should look for in a preschool. Read on.
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Check for a Welcoming and Comforting Environment
The preschool is most certainly your child’s first experience away from the home he/she is used to and away from your comforting love and care as parents. Because of this separation, chances are pretty high; the child may struggle with separation anxiety and struggle to settle in the preschool.
A high-quality preschool program should, therefore, have practical programs for tackling issues like possible stress. One of the most appropriate ways is to offer a welcoming and comforting environment for parents and children.
The school should allow parent involvement to work hand in hand with the classroom teachers to benefit the child. Working with the school may also be necessary if your child has special needs.
Just to be sure that the preschool offers such an environment, visit them while the programs are running to see firsthand how they operate. Be sure to note how the teachers and caregivers interact with the children and how the children interact with the teachers and fellow children.
Importantly, you will also need to check the classrooms to see how safe and engaging they are. Importantly, they should also be full of fun and equipped with the necessary study and play materials that the children may need.
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Clean and Safe Facilities
Preschool-age children are practically very active and curious. Unfortunately, they have a lesser understanding of most risk factors and need to be monitored and only provided with clean and safe facilities to minimize the risks of possible accidents or falling sick.
There are specific safety standards that every preschool in MacPherson is required to meet, but you will also need to trust your gut. It is essential to check the facility and ensure practical safety programs like a safety evacuation process.
You may also need to seek clarification on issues like visitor policy to ensure that not any stranger can get access to the premises. Importantly, there should also be programs to ensure that the children don’t necessarily wander out of the facility.
The medications should also be locked and kept out of reach of the children. Be sure also to check the food preparation areas and ensure that they’re tidy and well arranged.
You will also need to check the design of the facility and the toys the children use. Notably, the toys should be free of hazards like having loose parts, etc.
The toys should also be clean, durable, and not be contaminated with any toxic chemicals. Regarding the design of the preschool in MacPherson, you will need to ascertain that the design allows the teachers and caregivers to supervise the children with ease.
To begin with, the outdoor play area should allow at least 75 square feet of space for each child. All the climbing structures should also be sturdy and in perfect condition with a soft surface for catching falls.
The outdoor space should typically allow enough room for running without collisions and any other possible risk factors. If there is no outdoor space, the preschool should have a safe and spacious indoor free play area which allows at least 35 square feet per child.
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Qualified and Passionate Staff
A high-quality preschool in MacPherson should only have passionate and qualified staff. The facility may be highly developed in terms of structure and technology, but then it is the staff that makes the program a good one for the children.
After identifying a preschool of your choice based on factors like the facility’s cleanliness and safety, you will need to ensure that the educators are qualified. Besides qualification, the educators should show kindness and respect in the way they speak with the children.
You can notice this by the efforts they put into ensuring that the children feel welcomed in the school and succeed. You may also need to pay keen attention to how the educators and caregivers interact with the children.
Therefore, qualified and passionate staff should exhibit excellent communication skills, be enthusiastic, dedicated, creative, and have a sense of humor. You can also determine whether the staff is qualified or not by observing how they structure questions about your child and their life outside the school.
Ideally, a qualified and passionate caregiver in a high-quality preschool in MacPherson should show interest in the child’s wellbeing. Therefore some of the questions you can expect from the caregiver may cover if the child has been sleeping well or not, whether they’ve experienced a loss and if they have allergies or certain food intolerances.
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Staff Balance
When looking for quality in the preschool, be sure to also check for staff balance. Importantly, the school should have an excellent teacher to pupil ratio to ensure the efficiency of their programs.
The teacher to learner ratio reflects the total workload that the teacher has and his/her availability to offer t essential services to the children. Considering that the preschool teachers play a pivotal role in laying the foundation for the child’s future, it is important that they be able to accommodate the children they handle in the school. For instance, it would be better if the school have a teacher to children ratio of 1:6 for children averaging 12 to 36 months.
Final Word
Are you currently searching for the best preschool in MacPherson for your child? Get in touch with us today to book a spot for your child.
We have a qualified team of caregivers who are committed to ensuring the success of your child. Our programs are also custom-tailored to ensure the all-round development of children in our childcare center.
