Research continues to indicate that early childhood learning initiatives like preschool give kids a definitive advantage when it comes time for kindergarten. Children who attend preschool start kindergarten with stronger pre-reading skills, better math skills, and bigger vocabularies. Kids are exposed to letters, numbers, and shapes, as well as the non academic areas of class room life, like morning meetings, circle time, and show and tell. Every child has different needs and every school offers something a little different, but the best locations in Oakland, regardless of learning and teaching philosophy, offer the following:
An age appropriate curriculum
A three or four year old learns primarily through play and exploration, so while you don't necessarily want your child sitting at a desk all day, the preschool should offer a good mix of the following:- Physical activity: Preschoolers need to get the wiggles out, and both structured outside play and free time on the playground are important to their development and their attention spans.
- Quiet or rest time: If your child is attending a full day program, there should be time for him or her to rest quietly or nap. Mid day breaks giving developing minds and bodies a much needed rest.
- Story time: Story time introduces children to new words, new ideas, and fuels their imagination. A lifetime love of reading begins in story time.
- Structured learning: Arts and crafts, projects, dress up and make believe, and science can all be incorporated into daily group lessons and activities, providing the foundation for more structure learning in the future.
- A good school will limit the amount of screen time. While technology is important, the focus should be on other ways of learning.
Read more: 3 benefits of play-based learning
Regular communication with parents
Parents and guardians should receive both formal and informal updates about their child's progress. Regular communication about meeting development milestones not only makes the you feel actively involved in your child's growth and development, they can help identify any challenges.
Early intervention is often key for helping preschoolers over come any developmental or emotional challenges, so regular communication, via daily briefing notes, emails, or conversations at pick off and drop off are beneficial. The staff, including the director and your child's teacher should make themselves available for longerconversations and briefings if you feel they would be appropriate. Kids Konnect even have a parents page on their website with important information on for the month ahead.
Small Teacher/Child Ratios
National guidelines suggests one teacher for every ten students, but preschools are not required to meet these standards. A smaller child/teacher ratio gives your child the individual attention he or she needs as well as the benefits of group play and learning through a quality preschool curriculum. Your school should also have ample space for the students. Again, national recommendations are 35 square feet indoors, 75 square feet outdoors per child.
Rigorous health and sanitary standards
Let's face it, preschools are a hot bed of germs. If this is your child's first experience with group learning and socialization, expect a lot of runny noses. The best preschools in Oakland have a clear policy on illness and offer guidelines about when you should keep your child home. Additionally, the toys, equipment, class rooms, kitchens, and common areas should be clean and organized. If you have a bad feeling about the cleanliness of the facility, it's not the right place for you.
Oakland's best schools offer a mixture structured learning, play based learning, and individual and group activities. Selecting one is a very personal decision, but these guidelines can help you manage your expectations about what each schools offers and find the one that fits your child best.
