Top Tips For Finding The Right Preschool

by Presented by the Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP)

During the next several weeks, many parents with young children will be faced with a difficult decision that could affect their child's life for years to come: choosing the right preschool. A child's first exposure to school plays an important role in his or her growth and future educational success. A quality preschool program is designed to help develop each child's life skills and promote success as he or she moves into kindergarten and beyond.

Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP) is breaking new ground in early childhood education by working with preschool centers and family childcare providers to ensure that high-quality voluntary preschool is available to every four-year old in Los Angeles County regardless of their family's income.

Quality Standards LAUP is leading the way toward improving preschool standards in Los Angeles County. LAUP preschools have professional staff with highly qualified teachers, who operate in facilities that promote creative preschool education and use effective curricula that are age appropriate. Parents of children in LAUP classrooms can feel confident that their 4-year-old is in a quality program.

Benefits of Preschool Quality preschool lays a strong foundation that helps prepare children for future success - socially, emotionally and academically. Recent research studies show that children who attend a high-quality preschool program are:

More likely to graduate from high school and continue their education. Less likely to be held back a grade. Less likely to become involved in crime. More likely to succeed in school and beyond.

With so many choices of preschool programs, selecting the right program for your child may feel overwhelming. Here are a few tips to assist you in choosing a preschool:

Where to Begin Start looking for a preschool early and take your time. Ask friends and family members for recommendations, but trust your instincts. If you have doubts about a specific preschool, it may not be the right one for your child. Remember to consider the location as you go from home to work and work to home. Most important, you want to make sure that you choose a preschool with a safe, inviting, and nurturing environment. You want a preschool that encourages exploration, creativity, and discovery. It should build your child's confidence and give him or her a foundation for life-long learning.

Preschool Options

Preschool options range from family childcare providers who operate out of their home to preschools that are part of community centers and churches to preschool centers. It is very important to choose the preschool environment that best fits your child's needs and learning style. You want a preschool that supports his or her development socially, physically, emotionally, and intellectually – all while having fun!

Evaluating a preschool based on these tips will help you choose the right high-quality program for your child. To find an LAUP preschool in your neighborhood, visit www.laup.net or call toll-free at 866-581-LAUP.

Preschool Checklist

Questions to ask on your first visit:

Getting Started What are their hours of operation? What days are they closed? Is their program licensed and in good standing? Is the preschool well maintained both indoors and outdoors? Are classrooms, bathrooms and kitchen areas clean and free of odor? Do they have an emergency plan for natural and other disasters? Ask for details? What are the educational levels of the teaching staff?

How many children are there for every teacher? How do the teachers make sure that each child receives individual attention? What is their discipline policy? Do they offer nutritious snacks and/or meals? Ask to see a menu.

In The Preschool Will this program promote your child's social development with other students and adults? What is the quality and quantity of the teacher-child conversations? Are interactions between an adult and child taking place at your child's eye level? Are the children's artwork and other creations decorating the walls at the child's eye level? Did the teacher make them or did the children? Are the children engaged, eager and happy? Are they working both alone and in groups? Does the environment offer space to play and experiment? Does your child have space and time to be alone? Does the preschool offer both large and small group activities? Will your child be happy in this environment and thrive?

Learning Environment What curriculum does the preschool follow? Ask the staff to describe a typical day at the preschool. How does the curriculum promote critical thinking and problem solving skills? How will my child be introduced to language and literacy? What opportunities will my child have to experience activities offering mathematical reasoning and scientific discovery? What opportunities will my child have to express their imagination and creativity?