6 factors to consider when choosing a kindergarten

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The choice of a kindergarten should be approached responsibly, because your child will have to spend a lot of time there. Here are the basic criteria to help you decide.

1. Group size

In kindergartens, there are different norms for the number of children in a group. You need to understand what quota exists in the institution you are interested in, as well as whether it is customary there to divide children into subgroups for conducting specialized classes.

More or less children in a group have their pros and cons. For example, if there are more than 12-15 people in a group, the teacher cannot always keep track of everyone at once. So children have more opportunities to independently solve their small tasks: to get dressed, to cope with the toilet, to defend the toy in an argument. This means that the process of socialization is progressing at a faster pace.

However, oversight is also a disadvantage of such groups: children are more often left to their own devices. It is more difficult for them to concentrate in the classroom, and it is more difficult for the teacher to pay attention to everyone. Consequently, training may not be effective enough. The teacher in the group gets tired more, controls difficult children less. This fact can lead to an increase in the number of conflict situations or even trauma.

2. Teachers and educators

If you expect from kindergarten not only child care and supervision, but also an educational program, pay attention to who will teach it.

Preschool educators are usually all-round educators: they are often assigned to teach any discipline. It turns out that the preparation for school, the lessons of creativity and construction for children is led by one person, who must simultaneously look after them during the day. Such a load on educators often affects the quality of teaching, unfortunately, not for the better.

The situation looks much more promising when the garden has good funding and can assemble a large team of narrow specialists. Then each teacher will be passionate about his subject, and therefore, the classes will be more varied and interesting.

3. Children's activities

The more modern and creative the team that works in your chosen kindergarten, the more intense and interesting the child's stay will be. Find out what activities are in store for your little one. In addition to the standard matinees dedicated to the autumn holiday, New Year, March 8 and graduation, there can be field excursions, theatrical performances (now there are many theaters going to the gardens), themed holidays and much more.

In kindergarten, the child will spend a lot of time. It is very important that this period of his life be bright, funny and interesting.

4. Availability of feedback

Pay attention to the ways in which it is customary in kindergarten to give feedback to parents. The more modern the garden, the more transparent its life for you and the more opportunities to observe (and control) what is happening there:

• Weekly reports sent by the teacher by mail about the classes and topics discussed, the peculiarities of your child's behavior, his successes and difficulties.
• A group of parents in the messenger, where the teacher daily uploads photos, announcements, information about the life of the group. There you can also ask questions and communicate with other parents about current problems.
• CCTV cameras, to which you can connect in real time or offline to watch the recording of the fragment of interest of the day.

5. Health measures

For most parents, one of the most important issues is the child's illnesses, which inevitably become more frequent from the moment they go to the garden. Find out what health care measures are taken at the selected institution. Does a health worker examine the children in the morning, how often is general cleaning of common areas carried out, is quartzing and airing accepted in the garden, are measures for hardening children carried out?

The more seriously the kindergarten monitors the health of the children, the less often diseases and all the accompanying troubles will come to your house.

6. Trial visit

You can endlessly analyze all the pros and cons when choosing a garden, but one of the most effective ways to evaluate is a trial day or trial week. If a kindergarten provides such a service, be sure to use it.

Attend classes with your child, observe the teachers and children of the group in live, everyday communication. The resulting sensations will be able to tell you about the climate in the kindergarten in general, and will also help answer the question whether this particular kindergarten is right for you and your child.