The choice to send your child to a day school is hard for any parent. This is especially true if the child is only a year or two old. It is important to trust the people you are handing your child over to. You want to know that they are willing to communicate your needs for your child. Every parent chooses different methods of parenting so the school should accommodate your preferences. So how can you find the right day school and feel comfortable with your decision?
Ask Friends and Family for References
If you know anyone that has a child in day school talk to them about it. Finding someone you trust to watch your kids is a big deal. Finding a friend or family member you trust to give you recommendations will set you on the path to choosing the right school. If they already experimented with one school and found reasons to avoid it, wouldn’t you want to know? Don’t be afraid to ask around.
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Visit the School
Once you have selected a school or two to consider call to set up a visit. A lot of schools will offer escorted tours through the building and sit you down for questions at the end. Don’t be afraid to ask if you can visit during school hours. Doing so allows you to see how the happy the children are and how clean the classrooms are during the peak hours. If the kids are alert, content and clean it demonstrates to organization, control, and friendliness of the staff.
Safety Features
As much as we want to have a strong sense of the goodness of humanity recent events have proven that there are risk to leaving your child somewhere else. Find out if the school has locked doors. Make sure the school follows the same safety features you follow at home: locked doors, closed off stairways, no hazardous toys or materials. There is nothing wrong with being a little overly concerned about the safety and security of your child.
Educational Programs
Day school should not simply be a place to drop off your child while you go to work. Find out what educational programs the school uses for children the same age as your own. Do they create individual learning experiences to meet the needs of your child? Carousel Day School, for example, takes the time to find out what each child needs and cater their day school education to those needs (According to their LinkedIn page). After all, every child is different. Some are fast learners and others are slow. Make sure the school offers programs that your child can grow with. Find out if they offer classes year round so that your child can take advantage of summer lessons.
Classes Grouped by Age
It is important to make sure the school keeps different ages in different classes, especially if they cater to infants and toddlers. A two-year-old is not likely to have a clear understanding of how to handle a one-year-old. Some toddlers and pre-kindergarten age children have a hard time knowing what is too rough. This is partly because children are naturally rambunctious.
Handing a child over to someone else for care can be difficult for any parent, but there is no reason to keep that from doing so. There are educational and social benefits to putting young children in school environments together. Before sending your child to school take the time to research the school and prepare the child for their big day.