How To Choose The Best Preschool In Singapore
Your child’s nursery and preschool years are the most important years for laying a solid foundation for your toddler’s educational journey and early childhood development for her future. As for you, knowing how to decide which preschool will make a good fit for your child will go a long way in helping you make the right choice.
While this is not easy, it is not tough either. What it may require from you though is investing lots of your time and energy in making well-thought through moves. This will be worth the effort. Start by asking around. Sitting down with parents and interviewing them in-depth, and seeking advice from close friends who may have gone through the whole process for their own children.
After all, you’ll want your child to be exposed to the best preschool curriculum. Spend a better part of her day in an enjoyable and nurturing environment, rather than in a cramped, dingy space. Also remember, during the first week of her attending a preschool, your child will be exposed to and has to interact with total strangers.
It is worth mentioning here that preschool is often a child’s first experience away from home and parents’ loving care. This is why the preschool you choose should and must be a place that will make your child relax and is at ease.
Start on the right foot
Once you have made a few choices based on your research, cost, distance from your home or place of work, and other basic factors move to the next step. Sit down to call each preschool and see whether you can further shorten your list. Ask more questions.
Check out whether the school is accredited (it has to be) and whether it has clear regulations that everyone follows to the letter. A good preschool will have consistent rules that make it clear to parents so they know what to expect.
Follow this up with a visit to the campus while the preschool is in session. This will give you first-hand exposure to how the school functions. Demonstrate the ways teachers interact with their wards and vice-versa. Does the classroom feel lively, fun and engaging?
Also, find out about the teacher-to-student ratio. The fewer the children a teacher has to be in charge of, the better it will be for your child. The fact is, no matter how good a teacher is she really can’t run a class and give the children the attention they deserve if she has to care for more toddlers. The rule of thumb is the number of toddlers shouldn’t exceed 10.
While you are at it, ask about staff turnover, since this is a good indicator both of how happy the staff is and how happy your child will be over the long term.
But don’t stop there. Preschool education must be driven by a philosophy that guides educating toddlers. What you need to keep in mind is that the preschool must have a plan for how to teach and care for its young pupils. An indistinct philosophy will be a clear indication of the preschool’s mediocrity. Eliminate such a preschool from your shortlist immediately.
Next steps
Once you have your shortlist, schedule visits to the preschools. Meet with the director of the preschool in person to check if she or he is a good fit. Make it a point to check how teachers interact with the children as well. Do teachers show warmth, have patience and come across as genuine. This is very important as they are the ones your child will be interacting with the most. Finally, does the classroom feel fun, engaging, and safe?
Don’t forget to ask the preschool for the names of some parents you could speak to. They are in the best position to give you deep insights into the real-time experiences they and their own child went through. Connect with them, befriend them and don’t be shy to dig deep. Also, check social media groups that are geared to families of young children. Check. Check, And re-check.
Most important of all, trust your instincts. A preschool may boast of a customized curriculum, be located in a shiny new building, and be affordable at the same time. But, this is a big but — if the preschool doesn’t feel right then it won’t be right for you or your child.
Discover joys of active learning
Free play has been proven to be one of the best ways for a preschooler to learn. Stimulate brain growth and enhance the overall early development of a toddler. Free play also promotes prosocial behaviour and allows toddlers to develop social competence.
Young children learn best by doing and by experiencing through discovery and play. This is called active learning. Hands-on learning is also among the most important criteria for identifying a high-quality preschool learning environment.
A great preschool sets aside plenty of time for arts and crafts, music and exploration as these play a critical in ensuring the balanced development of young children. Play also helps build curiosity, teaches empathy and problem solving skills and assists young children in building both gross and fine motor skills.
In addition, children learn important pre-academic skills and concepts such as counting, and recognizing colours and shapes.
By stimulating young children to imagine and create, a great preschool supports the development of a child’s capacity to cope with feelings and fears as well as manage emotional states effectively.
Holistic development of a child
Young children develop in many ways — physically, socially, emotionally, in the use of words and literacy, and in thinking capabilities. A great creative curriculum for preschool will build on these attributes through programs that meet and enhance a young child’s existing skills in all these areas.
Physical development is the way your child moves her arms and legs (gross motor skills) and her fingers and hands (fine motor skills) to accomplish a given task. Using their hands, children learn to explore materials like paints, playdough, puzzles, sand, and things to write with. By using their bodies actively, children build healthy bones and muscles.
Social development ensures that your child gets along with others. Learns to respect others and work together amicably. Through free play, children find it easier to pick up skill sets that help them in honing their social and language competence, as well as gain better self-control. With support, children also learn to resolve conflicts that may come up during play.
Emotional development focuses on helping your child understand her feelings and the feelings of others, as well as being able to manage their own feelings and behaviour. To build your child’s self-esteem, she is encouraged to try out new things and keep working at hard tasks and not give up halfway.
Language and literacy development helps your child understand and communicate through listening, talking, and with the help of teachers learning to read and write. These skills are all connected and help your child use her growing communication skills to learn new concepts.
Developing cognitive skills help a young child understand and learn to make decisions, and solve problems. Reflecting on and using information lets your child make sense of the world around her. For instance, being able to focus or handle frustration helps your child learn more easily.
Finding excellence
It is always the teachers who make a good preschool great. In fact, teachers make or break a child’s experience, so focus on this aspect more than on anything else. If you feel right and feel good about
a preschool enrichment curriculum, so will your child.
The My Gym early childhood development program for toddlers and young children can significantly improve their mental and physical health. When taught correctly, they are the safest activity to engage in. Depending on what might be best for your child, My Gym offers evaluations and performances as a way of tracking and motivating the progress of its young pupils.
Visit My Gym at your convenience. Choose a day when you will be relatively free and come over with your child in tow. Your child could be an infant (as young as 6 months), toddler or a preschooler, age is not a bar.
We will work in partnership with you and strive to provide engaging and the best learning experiences. Laying a firm foundation for your child’s personal, academic and future growth.
Please note: My Gym classrooms are thoroughly sanitized every day — the tables, the chairs, the children’s activity stations and everything else the child might touch is made safe and clean. Everyone wears a mask, washes hands frequently, and practices social distancing.
About My Gym
Play and exercise activities for toddlers and young children can significantly improve their mental and physical health. When taught and played correctly, exercising is the safest of activities to engage in. Depending on what might be best for your child, My Gym offers evaluations and performances as a way of tracking and motivating the progress of its young pupils.
Visit My Gym at your convenience. Choose a day when you will be relatively free and come over with your child in tow. Your child could be an infant (as young as 6 months), toddler or a preschooler, age is not a bar.
My Gym will work in partnership with you and strive to provide the best exercise and learning experiences. Laying a firm foundation for your child’s personal, academic and future growth.
Please note: My Gym classrooms are thoroughly sanitized every day — the tables, the chairs, the children’s activity stations and everything else the child might touch is made safe and clean. Please wear a mask, wash hands frequently, and practice social distancing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What characteristics should you look for when selecting a preschool?
Preschool enrichment programs are meticulously designed to instil fundamental skills in children that help them navigate through physical development as well as social and emotional development during early childhood, as preschool education assists in forming a strong foundation for a child’s academic growth. Consider these factors while choosing the best preschool curriculum that meets your requirements:
1. Feedback from parents who have already registered their children
2. Status of accreditation
3. Real-time experiences of children enrolled already
4. Infrastructure and staff support
5. Safety measures and a nurturing environment
6. A framework that emphasises holistic development through play and creative activities.
How effective teacher-child interactions can impact learning?
One of the key goals of preschool education is to improve toddlers’ social bonding abilities with peers, family, and teachers. Children connect and learn more effectively in a nurturing environment where teachers are patient and affectionate. As a result, effective teacher-child interactions improve a child’s learning experience during the crucial phases of early childhood development.
How does play helps in the holistic development of a child?
Early childhood development programs for toddlers are designed to stimulate a kid’s cognitive capacities while also assisting in the development of social and emotional competencies through “free play.” When children are involved in play-based activities, they actively learn and discover new things, interact with peers, become aware of their bodily movements and social behaviour. Play also aids in the development of problem-solving skills and the strengthening of motor skills in children.
What is the importance of preschool education?
Preschool education prepares children for the enriched academic learning experiences that they will encounter throughout their early childhood development phase and beyond. Preschool enrichment programs are designed to help children develop core skills such as physical, cognitive, social, and emotional competence. The ideal combination of a nurturing environment, great teaching assistance, and the best preschool curriculum lays the foundation for a child’s bright future.
What questions should parents ask when choosing a preschool?
While choosing the best preschool curriculum for your child, as a parent you are advised to inquire about the institute’s accreditation status, infrastructural capabilities, teaching methodologies, teacher-student ratio, nature of the management and teachers and experiences of the parents who have already enrolled their kids at that particular institute.