Preschool selection takes time

Decision shouldn't be rushed

By Mary L. Meyer, Special to The Free Press

Choosing a preschool program for your child isn’t easy. For Cory and Lilian Ingram, the decision to enroll their 3-year-old daughter, Lauren, at 5C’s Preschool last year came after consulting friends and neighbors and then making a personal visit to the facility.

“It just felt right, like a natural extension of our home. It was a good match for us,” Lilian said.

As newcomers to the community two years ago, the Ingrams, like many parents, relied on word-of-mouth recommendations and on-site observations of the preschool’s activities to evaluate it. They visited other preschools before selecting 5C’s as the best fit for their daughter, Lilian said, citing the structured curriculum, the range of activities provided and the positive, encouraging attitude of the teaching staff as the basis for their choice.

Connie Robinson, director of 5C’s, believes parents choose one preschool over another for three reasons. Parents look for established, long-running programs that have built a solid reputation in the community, she said. They may also seek a program that includes a Christian component and a well-developed curriculum as well as social interaction in which children learn to play and work together and develop self-help skills.

“With all-day kindergarten in our district now, more parents want their child kindergarten-ready,” Robinson said.

Without a doubt, early childhood education like preschool is invaluable, according to Dr. Linda Good of Minnesota State University. Good, who specializes in elementary and early childhood education, said a long-term research study of children who participated in early childhood education programs revealed that “for every dollar spent on quality early childhood education, society saves $7 to $10 later on.”

Good emphasized that the program must offer quality education with the emphasis on “quality,” which often is not the case in choosing a preschool.

“Research says that many parents look for the least expensive and the closest to home, which isn’t the best facility,” Good said, indicating a new pilot program, Parent Aware, launched in August in Blue Earth and Nicollet counties, can provide answers for parents who are unfamiliar with the options available.

Parent Aware was designed to utilize a star-rating system to help parents find the type of quality, nurturing child care and preschool programs they want to prepare their children for school. To receive a maximum four-star rating, facilities are assessed by an outside evaluator who reviews many factors, including staff qualifications, adult-child interactions, nutrition, equipment and environment. Parents can review a preschool’s rating online.

Preschool programs vary in duration depending on the provider. Some offer half-day preschool from two to five days per week. Little Stars Early Learning Center offers preschool for 3- to 5-year-olds three days a week along with full-day child care, director and owner Collette Sternitzke said.

To ensure a place in the classroom, parents of preschoolers need to plan ahead, Sternitzke said, because there is a waiting list. The length of the list varies from facility to facility.

Robinson said parents who wish to enroll their child should contact 5C’s Preschool in the fall or early spring prior to the year the child will be entering the class.

Preschool readiness is a decision that is often based on several factors, Good said. Parents of single children may choose preschool because they believe their child needs socialization with other children. At-risk children benefit greatly from early childhood education that emphasizes teacher-child or child-child interaction, she said.

“Each child has individual needs based on social, emotional and developmental stages,” Sternitzke said.

Selection of a preschool requires the consideration of many components, Good explained.

The preschool should be accessible to parents at all times, she said. If parents are not welcome to drop in any time, that might raise a red flag about the activities at the facility.

The number of adults in the classroom should be a consideration. A teacher-student ratio of one to 10 or less is desirable, she said.

Good said there should be many curriculum areas and learning centers in the classroom, as well as a balance between active and passive time in the schedule.

“If it’s a quality environment, they’ll have rest times,” she said.

In light of the rise in childhood obesity, Good said, parents should ascertain if nutritious snacks, not junk food, are served at the facility.

Lastly, Good said, a simple observation might give a clue to the preschool’s quality.

“Do the children look happy?” she said.

That was apparently the case for Lauren Ingram who missed preschool during the summer. Her mother said she was eager for the program to begin again this fall.