How to Choose the Best Preschool for Your Child : The Ultimate Guide to Finding, Getting into, and Preparing for Nursery School

by Wana, Jenifer

• ISBN13: 9781402242083
• ISBN10: 1402242085
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-08-10
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Inc

Summary

With very few resources available to help parents navigate the preschool process, How to Choose the Best Preschool for Your Child fills the void with this excellent one-stop resource. Whether the preschools near you enroll every child, or they're so competitive that they only accept a few applicants, this book offers tools to find, research, and choose the best program for every child. The book features: How to find high-quality schools in your area Insight into popular programs (Montessori, Waldorf, play based, co-op) Key criteria to consider when choosing a preschool Strategies for paying for preschool (financial aid, tax benefits) How to help your child prepare for the first day of preschool Advice for gaining admission into selective programs, including getting off the waiting list, preparing for child and parent interviews, and writing application essays.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. xiii
Preschool Primer	p. 1
What Is Preschool?	p. 3
Do I Have to Send My Child to Preschool?	p. 5
What Are the Benefits of Preschool?	p. 6
Is Private Preschool My Only Option? Is There Public Preschool?	p. 8
Getting Organized	p. 13
It's Never Too Early	p. 13
Preschool Search Time Line	p. 15
Tips for Keeping Organized	p. 19
Choosing a Preschool: The Basics	p. 21
Know Your Child and Your Family	p. 22
At What Age Do I Want My Child to Start Preschool?	p. 25
What's the Best Location?	p. 28
What Schedule Works Best For Our Family?	p. 30
How Much Can We Afford to Pay for Preschool?	p. 33
What to Look for in a Preschool	p. 37
What Is the Classroom Like?	p. 37
What Are the Teachers Like?	p. 40
How Is the School Run?	p. 42
What Is the Community Like?	p. 47
Dedicated Preschool or Ongoing School?	p. 48
What Does the Admissions Process Tell You?	p. 51
What Are the School Policies?	p. 55
What Matters Most?	p. 60
Types of Preschool Programs	p. 63
Child Centered versus Teacher Directed	p. 64
Play Based	p. 65
Montessori	p. 67
Reggio Emilia	p. 70
Waldorf	p. 72
Academic	p. 74
Preschool Settings	p. 75
How Much Does It Matter?	p. 81
Researching Preschools	p. 83
How to Find Preschools	p. 84
Narrowing Down Your List of Preschools	p. 87
How Many Preschools Should You Apply To?	p. 90
Visiting Preschools	p. 93
Deciding Which Preschools to Visit	p. 94
Opportunities to Visit	p. 95
Arranging the Visit	p. 97
Preparing for Your Visit	p. 99
During Your Visit	p. 101
After Your Visit	p. 113
The Preschool Admissions Process	p. 115
Open Enrollment	p. 116
The Waiting List	p. 117
Regular Admissions	p. 121
Lottery System	p. 123
How Do Preschools Decide Who Gets In?	p. 124
Dos and Don'ts of Applying	p. 128
Submitting a Strong Application	p. 131
General Information Section	p. 131
Application Questions	p. 132
Tips for Writing	p. 134
Common Application Questions	p. 135
Sample Essays	p. 139
Recommendation Letters	p. 140
Child and Parent Interviews	p. 143
Child Interviews	p. 143
Parent Interviews	p. 149
Making the Final Decision	p. 155
But We Still Haven't Heard	p. 157
We've Been Wait-Listed-What Now?	p. 157
Our Favorite Preschool Turned Us Down-What Now?	p. 160
Our Child Didn't Get a Spot at Any Preschool-What are Our Options?	p. 162
Accepting an Offer	p. 163
Paying for Preschool	p. 165
Determine Your Budget	p. 166
Keeping Preschool Costs Down	p. 167
Financial Aid	p. 169
Dependent-Care Flexible Spending Account	p. 171
Child Care Tax Credit	p. 173
Child Care Subsidies	p. 175
Preschool Readiness Skills	p. 177
Social and Emotional Skills	p. 178
Cognitive Skills	p. 184
Physical Skills	p. 187
Separating from Parents	p. 188
Potty Training	p. 189
Countdown to the First Day of Preschool	p. 193
During the Summer	p. 193
Three to Four Weeks before Preschool Starts	p. 195
One to Two Weeks before Preschool Starts	p. 198
The Day before Preschool Starts	p. 206
The First Day of Preschool	p. 208
Supporting Your Child Throughout Preschool	p. 213
Be Patient-There's an Adjustment Period	p. 213
Communicate with Your Child and the Teacher	p. 217
Be an Involved Parent	p. 221
	p. 225
	p. 229
	p. 233
About the Author	p. 239
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

<p align="center">Introduction<br>This is the book I wanted to read when I started looking for a preschool for my son, Josh. Unfortunately, it hadn't been written yet.</p><p>Like any parents, my husband and I wanted to find the best place for our son-a preschool that would nurture him, teach him, and be a good fit for our family. But I quickly learned that this would not be as easy as it seemed. I was over­whelmed by the options-when I was growing up, kids just went to the nursery school closest to home, if they went at all. I didn't know where to begin to find the best preschools in my neighborhood or what characteristics defined a high-quality program. Terms like <i>Montessori</i>, <i>child centered</i>, and <i>co-op </i>were foreign to me. School tours gave me a clearer picture of what each school was like, but I wasn't sure what I should be on the lookout for or what questions I should ask to see if it was the right place for us.</p><p>What I also discovered about the preschool process was that there is no process. Unlike college or graduate school, there are no standard time lines or admissions procedures that all nurs­ery schools follow-and very few resources to help parents navigate the process. So I went to preschool fairs, attended seminars and panel discussions, read books and articles, and had countless conversations with other parents who had been through the process. I pored over school websites and bro­chures, toured schools, and filled out endless applications. For a few programs, I brought Josh in to be observed at "playdates" and wrote essays describing his strengths and challenges.</p><p>In the end, we were fortunate, and Josh was accepted to our first-choice school-even though, as we learned later, there were over two hundred applications for thirty spots (most of which went to siblings of students already at the school).</p><p>After helping countless other parents navigate their pre­school search on the basis of my experience, my research, and the advice I'd received, I decided to pull all of the information together into a book to benefit other parents of soon-to-be preschoolers. I hope to demystify the process for those who don't have access to all the mommy lore from knowledgeable friends and family.</p><p>Whether the preschools in your town enroll every child that signs up or are so competitive that they can accept only a few applicants each year, this book will give you the tools you need to find, research, and choose the best programs for your child. You will learn about the different types of preschool philosophies and know how to put your best foot forward when applying to selective schools that can't admit every ap­plicant. This book will also give you practical advice on how to help your child prepare for his or her first preschool experi­ence and have a great first day.</p><p>Preschool is the first step in your child's educational journey. I hope that with this book as your guide, you'll be able to find the school that works best for your family, and you will start your child on a lifelong adventure of learning and discovery.</p>