Are you a new parent with a nagging feeling that you are behind the curve on the preschool search? Never fear, we have information for you here.
Joyce Szuflita, our School Expert, has tips and hints for helping you start your preschool search. And, yes, August is NOT too early to be thinking about this…it’s actually the perfect time.
When do you need to search for schools?
The process starts in the fall, a year before your child attends. If you are interested in a twos program, expect small programs and short days in most cases. It is not necessary to gain entry to a twos program to secure a seat in a good threes program the following year but if your child is as ready as you are, it may be time to start investigating your options. There are lots of choices but also many families looking at the same programs. You may not get your first choice but it is very likely that you will love the choice you get.
Do I need to call every school the day after Labor Day?
If you are interested in an Independent School (nursery through 8th or 12th grade private school) you should keep an eye on the schools’ websites from the late summer. The application process can be more frantic than for a regular private preschool that has twos, threes or fours programs only. You will want to sign up for tours and deliver your applications in a very timely fashion. A very few preschools do tours and accept applications in January. Most private preschools will require you to tour before they give you an application. Most all the schools let you know about placements in the beginning of March.
Don’t let the school choice process dictate your decisions for your child. What is right for your child and your family should be your only concern.
The programs grow in size, variety and number at threes. You can find a good placement at that point if that is your wish.
If a school has long hours, is it daycare?
The answer is, not necessarily. This is the difference between daycare and preschool – the teachers’ training, class makeup and curriculum. Daycare is coverage and can serve infants to older children. The kids come and go according to the needs of their parents and even though there may be terrific enrichment there are not regular classes or curriculum. Preschool is school with the same group of students attending a schedule devised by the school and it covers twos, threes and fours programs. A daycare may have wonderful enrichment, skill building and caregivers who may have a lot of experience with young children but not a college degree in Early Childhood Ed. The preschool teachers should have considerable training in EC and a concrete curriculum (although it may be a developmentally appropriate “play based” curriculum). A preschool may have early bird and extended day to help working parents. Both daycares and preschools get a “Daycare License” from the Board of Health, which is a license concerned with safe conditions not educational fitness.
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Joyce Szuflita, NYC School Help, is a 28 year Brooklyn resident and the mom of teenage twins who has spent years interviewing educators, touring schools, combing the internet and being generally obsessed with all aspects of public and private schooling in Brooklyn and NYC. She consults privately with families who want to navigate the school search. She can be seen in the NY Times, Time Out NY Kids, NY Family – Brooklyn, achildgrowsinbrooklyn.com and nycprivateschoolsblog.com