As preschool programs around the country grow, parents need to know how to pick the best program for their children.
Take the case of New York:
“Mayor Bill de Blasio pledged that this year’s free pre-K classes would all be ‘high quality.’ But what does that look like?” Amy Zimmer asks in a DNAinfo NewYork article, “9 Signs of a Good Pre-K Program.”
DNAinfo New York consulted with experts, “including those who’ve spent years in classrooms teaching 4-year-olds as well as professional development experts responsible for training pre-K teachers…”
Here’s the resulting nine-item list of what to look for.
1. Safety
Parents should look to see that fire exits are not blocked and that playgrounds are padded. Is there a bell or buzzer that helps control who has access to the program? Is the kitchen clean? And are “child friendly” pesticides used?
2. Student/teacher ratios and staff certifications
“Parents should check whether there’s enough staff to cover the mandated student/teacher ratios,” and “ask for a list of teacher credentials… to find out how many head teachers are state-certified and the average number of years teachers have in the classroom.”
3. Happiness
“The kids should be happy. The teacher should be happy,” according to Mark Lauterbach, a professor of early childhood education at Brooklyn College. “And if you don’t see that, that’s a big warning sign.”
4. How do teachers engage children?
Look for teachers who get down on the floor with kids.
Maris Krasnow, a professor of early childhood education at New York University, who helped develop evaluation of Head Start programs, tells DNAinfo New York: “The first thing to look at is the adults in the classroom. Is the teacher a warm, engaging person who is listening and talking with the children, not to the children? If there’s an unhappy child is she going to scold the child or say, ‘I see something is bothering you. What can we do about that?’”
5. “Be wary of circle time and worksheets”
“No one under 6 should sit for more than 20 minutes,” Lauterbach says. “There is a mentality to prepare them to sit a lot for kindergarten or first grade, but I don’t know any research that says making kids sit longer at 4 will help them sit longer at 5. You kind of grow into it.”
6. Classroom organization
Many of the experts agreed that: “Rooms should be organized with “learning centers” that are clearly designated for certain functions.”
7. How is the day structured?
“What activities are kids doing? How many times do they go outside each day? Do they have any enrichment, like music?”
Krasnow adds, “Kids should be singing. Kids learn through singing… They make up songs and memorize things.”
8. Teacher/parent communication
Teachers should communicate with parents weekly, Krasnow says.
9. “Ask your child how it’s going.”
“For those who want to figure out if their kid’s program is off to a good start, rather than simply asking, ‘How was your day at school?’ Krasnow advised parents to ask, ‘Did you color today? Can you show me your picture?’
“If your child doesn’t have much to talk about, that can be a red flag, she said.”
To learn more about the traits of high-quality preschool programs, check out these additional resources:
NPR’s report: “What Exactly Is ‘High-Quality’ Preschool?”
NIEER’s policy brief: “High-Quality Preschool: Why We Need It and What it Looks Like”
The Seattle Times video: “Chat replay: What does ‘high-quality’ preschool look like?”
Leave a Reply