Choosing the Right Preschool For Your Child

Choosing right preschools for your kids is very important. Preschools play a wonderful role in shaping child’s educational life. Parents, now a day are looking for quality preschools for their kids. For some parents, lack of quality time is the main reason behind sending their kids to preschools whereas for some others, preschools offer a wonderful way to prepare their children for kindergarten.

The reasons could vary but objective remains the same, hence parents need to be very selecting about choosing right preschools. There are several factors that should be kept in mind while zeroing in on appropriate preschools.

Location is first important factor. A preschool kid is very young and he will need to be picked up and dropped off by you. It will be better for him as well as you if the school is nearby. Long distance can make child uncomfortable and he will always be worried. He can also suffer from separation anxiety so choose a location that you can easily travel. Once you have selected the preschool, look for the curriculum aspect.

Parents must be aware of what their child will be learning in the school. You can have a look at different preschools and their curriculum's. Some preschools will not be more than a day care center whereas some others will have well developed curriculum designed to prepare your child for kindergarten.

A preschool should be able to foster academic growth. It is also important that child learns basic things like being introduced to reading and writing, alphabets etc.

Cost is also an important factor in deciding preschools. Check out the fee structure of the preschool. It can be monthly, weekly, annually or can offer subsidized costs. A preschool charging exorbitant amount does not guarantee to provide best of education for your kid. Talk to other parents and get their feedback. It is also important to notice teacher/student ratio in the preschool. A child is likely to learn more if he/she has more attention from the teachers. Considering these factors will help you in choosing perfect preschool for your child.

How to Improve Preschool Education System

A child’s future is very much determined by his education. In that context, it is important to create a perfect preschool education because that’s where kids start the journey of their life. Preschools or nursery schools are an important cog in the wheel of society. The quality of preschool education directly affects the children which in turn has a major effect on the country. Most of the child care centers or preschools have quality staff & preschool supplies. These staffs and teachers join preschools less due to any major financial incentive and more because of their love for kids. The success of a preschool is very much dependent on the ability and intentions of its teachers. If teachers have best of child’s interests in their mind that will automatically reflect in the way kid shapes up. However, it is estimated that preschool education will suffer from lack of quality nursery teachers in coming times.

To improve the quality of preschool education, it is important to groom teachers and offer them appropriate remunerations. Preschool teachers should have equal standing to that of primary or senior school teachers. There should be constant focus on improving the levels of nursery school teachers. This can be done through providing more respect and incentive. Teachers should be encouraged to go for their university degrees.

Worldwide, there is more emphasis on secondary education. Most of the governments and organizations talk about improving secondary education. The primary education is yet to receive its due share in education sector. We should not forget that a preschool or nursery school is the place where child takes his/her first step to the real world. His experience at preschool can change his approach towards education forever.

Montessori education should have more participation from the parents for the proper development of the children. There should be consistent focus on structured parental programmes in which parents would be given advice and the skills to develop their children at home. Finally, preschools should always give priority to developing curriculum that has right mix of fun and learning. The ultimate aim is proper growth and development of the children and this can only be achieved by equal contribution from all the concerned parties.

How to Teach a Child to Read

Imbibing reading skills in your child demands certain skills. Many parents express their inability to teach reading skills to their kids. But if you can read yourself then you can also teach your child. The first question that a parent needs to ask himself is whether child is ready to read? 

Usually, by the time a child attains the age of two, he/she is ready to read. But then, there are other factors also. Not every child is same so some may learn fast whereas some others take their own sweet time. It has been seen that some children have started developing an inclination towards reading as late as four or five years. As a parent you should observe your child keenly and check whether he flips through the pages or does he show any interest when you teach him letters. If your answer is yes then you can proceed to teach him reading.

First rule is to read aloud to him. Sit with him in a comfortable environment and read a story book to him. Keep your fingers on the word while you read. This will help child in associating the sound of the words with the printed words. If you read regularly, your child will also be interested in reading. You can also try to mix reading and writing. Try to mix reading, writing and seeing all together. This makes for a very effective strategy. Focus on teaching your child by emphasizing on the letter sounds more rather than on the letter names. Teach him one letter per day. Children take some time to learn so go slow.

Teaching kids to read should always be fun. Children should not feel any pressure. That’s why reading a story book is so very effective. Kids love stories plus these books have pictures which further piques their interests. You can also sing the letters and words to children. Do all these activities on a regular basis and soon your child will eventually learn how to read fluently.

Safety Tips for Preschoolers

It is not an easy task to nurture young kids. Toddlers and small kids are restless. They are on constant move. They require constant discipline and understanding. When it comes to the security of the kids in preschools or kindergarten, parents need to be on their toes. Little boys and girls are always prone to mishaps or unwarranted injuries and that’s why parents need to child-proof their house. Start with a thorough search of your house for anything that might be hazardous to your preschooler. Remove all the dangerous objects or keep them away from your child’s reach and sight. Remember that children tend to put objects inside their mouths so keep aside all objects that can make him choke.

Preschoolers must be kept away from all electrical objects. Power wire, remote control, batteries, plastics etc can prove to be dangerous. Consider obstructing path to power plugs so that toddlers cannot reach there. Kitchen has many potentially unsafe objects that can harm child. For instance, knife or forks etc should be kept on countertop and make them totally inaccessible to the child. Preschoolers can be intelligent though and can find a way to reach the shelf or racks. So put aside things like cling wrap, cutlery or other cooking instruments on counters and tables.

Preschoolers should be kept away from frying pans and pots. Playground equipment should be carefully monitored if they are beside pool. Parents should always be vigilant. Children are vulnerable to outside dangers but a little foresight on parents’ part can help avoiding accidents. If you try to look at things from a preschooler perspective, it will be easy for you to think of proper safety measures. Toddlers have no idea about what is safe and what is risky and that’s why parents need to maintain constant vigil.

Useful articles : Child safety and playground equipment