parents not allowed to observe pre-school class. Ages 3 & 4

[CathMac]

Does a parent have a right to observe their pre-schooler's classroom? Does it make a difference if it is offered through the local High School, which is part of the public school system? We pay tuition so I don't think it's a public program in the truest sense.

We are in Massachusetts.

Is this something you would make an issue of or wait to see how your DC did in the program?

Thanks, ~Cath

[Aeress]

I would never tell a parent they couldn't observe their child. I don't agree with any policy that does not allow access to their child.

[eclipse]

I would not be okay with that.

[LynnS6]

My child would not be in a program that did not allow parents to observe.

Our dd has two schools that she attends - daycare and our church preschool. Both have an 'open door' policy. Parents are welcome ANY time (well, OK, if you come during nap time at daycare, there's nothing for you to do). Our church preschool keeps the doors to the outside locked (from the outside, they open from the inside only) because there's no one to monitor them, and they don't want strangers wandering into preschool. But, if we want to drop in, we can just go tap on the window and they'll happily let us in.

I don't understand WHY parents would be excluded. I would question that. Good programs welcome parents, partly because the home-school connection is so important.

Does this preschool meet the "10 signs of a good preschool"?http://www.naeyc.org/ece/1996/01.asp #10 is "Children and their parents look forward to school. Parents feel secure about sending their child to the program." If I couldn't observe, I wouldn't feel comfortable. Period.

[Lousli]

The only instance I could see is right in the beginning of the school year when it might be really upsetting for the child if the parent is prolonging the goodbye. But otherwise, ITA with the posters that said the parent should always be welcome to observe.

[loriforeman]

not only am i WELCOME to watch, i'm invited to participate. any time i so choose.

if i wasn't, i'd find somewhere else for my little one to be.

[rabrog]

While it's not something I agree with, it's becoming more common to have parents just drop off their kids for preschool.

DD's school has an open invitation also.

Jenn

[Naless]

If I can't drop in whenever I want my child does not go period.

[Momily]

Is this a year long policy or just at the beginning of the year?

I work in a PreK -- 1st grade program in a public school and while we certainly ALLOW parents to observe at any time we actively discourage it during the first 6 weeks of the year. At the beginning of the year there are a number of children who struggle with separation. Having a parent come into the classroom, even if it's not a parent whose own child is upset can be upsetting to others. In addition, the beginning of the year there's a lot of emphasis on building routines and a sense of community/safety. Interruptions can make this difficult.

So, if a parent comes to the classroom door I or another administrator will intercept them and ask "Can I help you?". If they say they really want to observe I'll help make that happen as unobtrusively as possible. If they say "I want to tell my child X or put Y in their backpack", then I'll ask if I can bring the child out, or pass the message or get the backpack to avoid having them in the classroom.

The exception to this is if a specific child needs the help of his parents to adjust. For example on our first day this year we had a little boy who was clearly kind of overwhelmed. His dad happened to arrive a little early to pick him up, and we invited him into the classroom to sit with his son and eat lunch together. For this kid it was the right choice.

[MomInCalifornia]

In California, Community Care Licensing requires preschools to have an open door policy.

I also would not feel comfortable at a school that did not allow parents to be in the classroom at any time they wished.

[USAmma]

That would bother me, too. Abi was in a preschool like that briefly. I was not even allowed to peek through the small window in the door-- the teacher put a paper over it. Abi was not happy there and wet her pants a few times even though she was PT at the time. I pulled her out and she became much happier.

Nitara is now in a program that has big windows where you can see in. They don't want parents IN the classroom but they have nothing to hide if you want to watch.

[KJoslyn78]

my dd#2 is in headstart and they have a open door policy. In fact they try HARD to get MORE parents IN the classroom!

[eclipse]

Originally Posted by Momily

At the beginning of the year there are a number of children who struggle with separation. Having a parent come into the classroom, even if it's not a parent whose own child is upset can be upsetting to others. In addition, the beginning of the year there's a lot of emphasis on building routines and a sense of community/safety. Interruptions can make this difficult.

This is the exact opposite of what I experienced at my son's kindergarten last year. At the begining of the year, the parents were encouraged to stay as long as they wanted and to drop in whenever they wanted to. Some kids pushed their parents out the door and others wanted them to stay longer. I remember exactly 1 child crying because she missed her mom - so they had her big brother come downstairs from middle school to eat lunch with her. I was impressed with the respectful way they handled individual children's needs and how they didn't treat parents as if they were annoying, interupting, or interfering.

[RomanGoddess]

I take the opposite view of Louisli. I think that it is entirely appropriate for a parent to stay on a bit at the beginning of the year during a kind of adaptation period during which the child is just getting used to preschool. Apart from that, I do not think that parents should be hanging around unless invited to do so to help out. First of all, how does that make other children feel, when one kid's mother is present and the his mom is not? Secondly, if all the parents stick around, this makes the room a lot more crowded and impedes activities from happening (not to mention being a fire hasard). Thirdly and I think most importantly, the presence of a parent creates a different ambience for the children than when the children are just with the teacher, and can impede learning (ex., child not listening to teacher because paying more attention to mom, who happens to be there.)

In France and in Italy, where preschool is public and universal from age three, we parents have to leave our children at the door of the classroom (or even at the door of the school) and then leave. We are even explicitely asked not to hang around in the hallways.

[RachelGS]

I'm in MA, too, and there's no way in hell that I'd send my small child to a program that I wasn't allowed to observe. I was more than welcomed at my dd's preschool-- and at her Kindergarten, too, for that matter.

[CathMac]

Thanks for the feedback. DH now advises me that he can visit by appointment. Apparently his problem isn't the academics so much as DD1's personal safety.

When I put it in writing it almost sounds silly but after all isn't that why they recommend that parent's choose DayCare that they can just drop in on?

The school's policy is due to the disruption it can cause for some of the students, especially those on the autistic spectrum.
~Cath

[MaddieMay]

My first classroom was pre-k and I had an open door policy. I wish more parents would have taken advantage of it. While I stressed that they were welcome at any time and could certainly drop in, I also asked that (if possible) they give me notice before they came. That way if a parent actually wanted to participate in activities and it was rest time, I could work with them on a better time to come. Also, if there was already a parent scheduled to come during that time we could work out a different time. (Our classroom was small and we already had 3-4 adults/16 children in it at a time. It got crowded.)

How long has your child been in school? A couple days, weeks?

[LynnS6]

Originally Posted by CathMac

The school's policy is due to the disruption it can cause for some of the students, especially those on the autistic spectrum.
~Cath

That DOES make sense -- children on the autism spectrum often have extreme difficulty with changes in routine, and if they're not prepared for them, it can be very, very difficult for everyone.

I would still prefer that the parents be able to look in and make sure the kids are OK. Would the consider installing a one-way mirror for parents to be reassured that their kids are OK?

[natashaccat]

I taught preschool for five years and parents were always welcome to drop in uninvited at any time, yes sometimes it was a little disruptive, but worth it to help parents feel safe and comfortable.

I would absolutely never ever allow my child in a program that this was not allowed, that is sleazy and scary. In cases where children's special needs are an issue IMO there needs to be some means of unobtrusive observation, one way mirror or web cam.