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The Preschool Search, Lets Get real! Its blocks, not college! Living in an urban environment, good schools are hard to come by. So, when my fellow mommy friends told me to start looking at preschools in January of the year my daughter was starting, I was skeptical. Holy cow! They weren’t kidding. So I started in mid-February. And let me point out that looking was extremely stressful, being a working mom. I was scheduling tours at 8:30 a.m. before going into the office or squeeze a tour in at lunch. Thank heavens my teammates at my current agency were very understanding. They are a great, sympathetic bunch. As it turned out, the magnet schools in my area had needed application before December of the previous year, so that ruled those out. The other public schools in my area were sub par. So we were looking at private schools.
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So, as I looked, I got more confused and stressed. As these principals talked about their philosophies and teaching approaches (all conflicting) I started worrying. What if I make the wrong choice for my daughter? To make things more difficult, every school I signed Carla up for, I got wait-listed. And it was February! On one of my trips to one of my school tours, it dawned on me. I never went to Pre School! And I turned out all right. My sister went to one, and I doubt my mother spent two months looking at schools. I was searching preschools in more depth than I researched colleges for myself. After all, its just blocks, right? Well, truth be told, it’s not just blocks anymore. When I talked to Carla’s teacher at the school I finally chose on orientation day, she was mentioning how preschool has changed greatly. Now, teachers need a curriculum and set developmental goals for the children. Before, it was just about play, socialization and independence from home. So, the big question is, how much curriculum do you want your child to have, as you look at schools. I became so overwhelmed. There were such varying degrees of curriculum vs. free play. Some schools are more laid back while some are very regimented and strict. Then there’s Montessori, which is a whole different ball of wax. I would recommend reading up on different teaching philosophies, and then decide what is more in-line with your style of parenting. Keep that in mind as you look at schools, so you don’t get overwhelmed and question yourself less. At the end of the day, my daughter is 5-she has a long life of schoolwork with stress and homework ahead of her. I wanted to send her to a school where she could have more free play and develop her creativity. I chose a more laid back preschool that still has curriculum but allows for an equal balance of free play. It turned out to be the perfect place for her and she has really flourished. Though truthfully, she would have flourished if I chose a different school. As long as it is a loving environment where parents are really involved, I think you would be hard pressed to make a wrong preschool decision, so take it easy! Save the stress for the college searching.
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©2007 Flora Caputo |
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