Planning for Your Child’s Early Childhood Education
To breastfeed or baby formula is probably the first thoughts you had for your newborn. Your consideration should be based on what is best for them. Of course, with the latest advocacy on the benefit of breastfeeding, this decision has become an easy one.
Children do grow up fast. Being a parent myself, I can speak from experience. We breastfed our baby, but we did switch to baby formula, and there goes another decision making process; which baby formula. So we chose one brand, and I remembered myself buying in bulk from a supplier to save some money.
After that comes her education, to be specific early childhood education, we didn’t have many thoughts in choosing. We chose simply based on the one thought best based on reputation and the proximity to our home. I had the opportunity to work with someone related to this field of early childhood education. I only then realised how important and significant the child’s early childhood learning years, especially from the age of 1 to five. Even the government is coming into the picture, making these pre-school teachers to be qualified and trained. Hence it would be wise to give some thoughts in choosing a kindergarten for your child. Here, in my opinion, the ten considering factors in selecting a kindergarten.
Your 10 Considering Factors While Choosing A Kindergarten
The Necessary License and Business Registration
First and foremost is the kindergarten have the necessary license. As the business license for kindergartens has included the safety requirements of the premise such as fire escape. So you may I want to look for kindergartens that is legitimate.
Qualification of Teachers
Are the teachers qualified? Since even the government is moving in to regulate making it compulsory for teachers to be equipped with at least a diploma in early childhood education, they see the importance of it. In other parts of the world, pre-school teachers are considered professionals.
Teaching Method and Approach
There are many teaching methods and approach, such as experiential teaching. You would also want to see what are their learning outcomes. For example, certain teachings are stimulating creativity and some builds character of the child.
Curriculum
A properly structured kindergarten will have a proper curriculum, a teaching plan and schedule that they would follow throughout the year.
Teacher Student Ratio
Another consideration is the ratio of teacher to student. One teacher to fewer student doesn’t mean their business is not good, it means that one teacher will have more attention to the children as oppose one teacher too many students.
Kindergarten Alumni & Activities
What would interest you further is to see the potential of a child’s growing process and growing ability. Ability to draw, ability to interact and communicate with friends, ability to tell stories and many more. By looking into the alumni or the existing students you probably get the foresee the potential of your child may develop into.
Talk to the Parents
Yes. Talk to the parents, they would probably share some tips with you, like who is a good teacher and what the kindergarten do best. Let them share their experience if they have a good and happy experience very likely you would share the same.
Cleanliness and Orderly
As hand foot mouth disease (HFMD) is one painful experience that a child can go through and is highly preventable if the premise practices proper hygiene. Hence it is important that the administration maintain the kindergarten clean and things are in an orderly fashion.
The Food they Provide
It is good to know what they are feeding your child. Having a good auntie preparing some food will also give you the confidence that your child would be eating right while at school. Personally aIl against feeding children too high sugar food, fried food, especially those processed ones such as sausages and nuggets
Location
This may not seem to be very important as sometimes parents are willing to compromise the distance for a better kindergarten. You have to be the judge of this. The location has to be near or accessible by you or spouse. It will make it so much easier if you would need to pick up your child or even the need to come in to attend the activities. You can still participate and watch your child’s activities in kindergartens. You won’t get that when your child is in primary school. Trust me, you won’t want to miss any of their activities.
There you go, these are my 10 considering factors in selecting a kindergarten. You can use this a guide but do use your own judgement and gut feeling in the consideration. Sometimes is about everything seem right as you step into the place, of course, you may have already had those mentioned above in mind already since you have reached this part of the article. I would say that it is not that they have to score full marks in every aspect but weighing those aspects as a whole. Above all, which I have not mentioned in the 10 considering factors is; do they care? Care. Is a very powerful attribute.
