[PaytonPlace]

I think I'm spending more time trying to pick a preschool for DD than I did picking the college I wanted to attend.

What's the best way to ask how concepts are taught without asking "what's your educational philosophy"? I hate that question because it is way too vague, in my opinion.

 

[mojumi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaytonPlace I think I'm spending more time trying to pick a preschool for DD than I did picking the college I wanted to attend.

FWIW Here are some of the things I did:

-visit the school by appt for a tour & to meet the director and teachers
-visit the school unexpectedly during school hours to see what they are like with their hair down

-ask specific questions about things that are important to you. For me, questions like "how do you prepare kids for kindergarten?" "how much time is spent in free play?" "do you go outside everyday & for how long?" "how is a sense of community fostered in the classroom?" "do you have a reading program?" "how long have your teachers been working with this age group?" "what is the student-teacher ratio?" "what is your discipline philosophy?"

Spending some time in the building, talking to staff and seeing how the place works in action should help you get a feeling for if it is the right fit for your family.

 

[eepster]

To a certain degree, your questions should be tailored to the specific concerns that you have for your child. If every child was the same and had the same needs, then they could just print up a sheet that answered everyones question.

The questions that I asked for my very shy percocious DS were:

• Can he bring his stuffed bunny?
• How do you handle seperation?
• What if he doesn't speak to his teacher?
• Does he have to sit through lessons he finds boring?(I think I worded it better back when I was looking.)
• What if he already knows the alphabet?
• Is it OK for him to bring his own soap? (DS has eczema.)
• Are the snacks ever not vegetarian?

For general stuff like educational philosophy the school usually has a standard schpeal. I like to just sit and listen to this with as nuetral an expression as I can muster. By letting the person talk before you get into your own questions and without leading you get a more acurate idea of what the person really thinks and believes.

Standard questions I also asked, if they weren't covered by the schpeal, were:

• How do you handle discipline?
• What about potty help?
• Do you have any religious affiliations?
• Do you go outside to play every day?

 

[MommaSuzi]

I found it helpful to bring my daughter- I found she was quickly able to assess her own comfort level with an environment. Some schools I thought would be absolutely wonderful turned out to be ones she adamantly opposed. We ended up in in a tiny Montessori more due to her response to some school visits than anything else. She hated any place with busy loud classrooms.

 

[BCFD]

First, what I did was look at all the preschool pedagogy's. Waldorf, play based, Montessori, co-op, and even Headstart. After narrowing down which method I felt was best suited for my children (Montessori), I started touring Montessori school's in the area. I went to 5 or 6 schools and narrowed it down to 2. We went back and forth on our decision and finally picked one (luckily we didn't pick the other because it's now out of business after many years) based on:

*How the teachers treated the children (we do positive discipline, choices, and I wanted mutual respect with no time out's).
*How comfortable my child was with the teacher
*Was this an authentic Montessori school that uses correct Montessori materials and methods.
*How the children interacted with each other.

I also met another Mom here online who had a child at the school we picked and she gave me a lot of good info. I think you should definitely get some parent references. Maybe ask the school if they can provide that for you. Good luck!