6 things to consider when choosing a preschool for your child

Proximity to home and play facilities should be considered the most important criteria when choosing your child's first school.

Last night a parent wrote to me, "I'm having a hard time finding a school for my child." Kindergarten is important because at that time the child is not yet able to protect himself. Here are some tips I've learned after seven years of teaching.

Choose a school near your home

A school close to home saves you time and keeps your child healthy. Preschoolers shouldn’t have to spend hours in the car getting to school and two hours a day sitting still in the middle of the road.

Photo: Hiroyuki Oki.

Read the information on the school's website carefully.

Read carefully the information about the method, educational model, tuition fee, parent handbook to see if it is a suitable culture for your family culture. You should choose a school that suits your lifestyle. There are many educational methods in the world that meet the different needs and styles of parents such as Montessori, Steiner/Waldorf, Harkness, Reggio Emilia...

Choose a school where children have the most play time.

Vietnamese children do not have a place to play, so you should choose a school that allows children to play the most. Having a large yard does not mean they can play a lot. Read your child's daily schedule to see how many hours they can play outdoors during the ten hours at school to develop best. Your child was born in Vietnam, your child needs to adapt to the natural conditions in Vietnam and needs to play outdoors to increase resistance.

Visit the school before deciding to send your child to study.

When you visit the place, you will know more about the space where your child will play, study, eat, go to the bathroom and directly interact with the teachers there.

Talk to the teacher who will teach your child

Ask to meet your child’s teacher. The teacher is the one who determines the quality of education your child will receive. That’s who you need to meet to see if they are the kind of teacher your child will spend ten hours a day with.

Observe the children of that school playing in the yard.

Observe the children in the school you are considering sending your child to, see how they play with each other, the language they use, the interaction of the teachers when they are playing. That is the most comprehensive picture of the quality of education of that school. If you see bright eyes and the whole yard filled with happy laughter, that is the school you should choose. Happy children love learning.

If you cannot choose a school of your choice for your child due to financial constraints, always remember that family is the most important place to help a child be happy and love learning, not school.

According to VNE