Choosing the right kindergarten is a task that requires serious involvement from parents; it cannot be solved remotely. Set aside time to visit the selected kindergartens, preferably during the middle of the working day. This way, you can not only talk to the headmistress, manager, or administrative staff but also see the children and teachers, observe how they interact and communicate, and what happens during classes or playtime. Based on such a visit, you will be able to understand how life is organized in the kindergarten, how professional the staff is, and how the young students feel.
In this article, we will highlight nine important aspects that need to be paid close attention to when visiting the chosen preschool institution.
- Staff
It is best to come to the kindergarten with your child. You will immediately be able to evaluate the actions of the staff: do they try to interact with the child or ignore them and only communicate with you? In a good kindergarten, they will definitely talk to the child and find an approach to them within the first minutes.
If you get a chance to observe the classes, evaluate whether the teacher holds the group’s attention. A good educator knows how to engage, senses when their students are tired and need to stretch, and regularly changes the type of activity—after all, the lesson should be dynamic and varied. During playtime, the teacher should be involved in communication and games with the children, not sitting on a chair, standing aside, or getting distracted by their phone.
All kindergarten staff should communicate with children respectfully. Shouting, raising voices, or pulling children by their arms are unacceptable.
- Atmosphere in the Kindergarten
To understand the atmosphere, just observe the children’s behavior. In a friendly and comfortable environment, students behave confidently, communicate openly, and are not afraid of visitors. For example, if you look into a classroom where a lesson is taking place, children might turn around, say “Hello!”, and return to their activities. During free time, they introduce themselves to guests, ask questions, and show curiosity. If you see genuine smiles on the faces of both the person greeting you and the teachers and children, this is the first sign that this kindergarten can be trusted. - Control and Discipline
Discipline is a very important safety element. By observing the kindergarten’s life, you can usually understand to what extent the staff controls what is happening.
Children should respond to the teacher, follow their requests, and behave correctly towards each other. For example, if the teacher says, “Let’s say hello,” everyone should turn and greet, not continue with their own activities.
Children cannot be left to their own devices, otherwise, they will copy undesirable behaviors from each other. This is a common problem in kindergartens with large groups: when there is one воспитатель for 30 children, it is physically impossible to monitor all negative situations. That is why we limit group sizes to 15 students, and two people work with the children: a teacher and an assistant.
The kindergarten must have clearly defined rules. Children are only learning to live and try different behaviors—not always acceptable and permissible. Our task is to anticipate these situations.
To explain the rules, we act out different situations followed by discussions, helping children come to their own conclusions about what is good and what is bad. If a child behaves incorrectly, we do not “slap their hands” but show them how to act differently, gently guiding them to change their behavior.
- Adaptation
Starting to attend kindergarten is a significant change in a child’s life that can cause stress if not properly prepared. During the first visit, it is worth asking the manager or headmistress about how the kindergarten handles adaptation. The psychological well-being of the child should be the kindergarten’s priority. In a good kindergarten, you will hear a detailed description of how adaptation is organized during the first weeks of attendance, the specialists who will conduct it, and receive a complete list of necessary actions from parents.
The kindergarten should not shift the responsibility for adaptation success onto the child (their readiness for kindergarten, character, or temperament). Any child can be adapted within a month with competent actions from adults.
- Program
Carefully study the class schedule. If the kindergarten offers a wide range of diverse activities, you will not have to look for additional clubs, spending time and effort on extra trips.
The program must include creative, sports, and developmental activities. One of the primary tasks of the kindergarten is to create opportunities to try as many different activities as possible, helping the child find what they like best. We strive to ensure that, in addition to academic subjects
