When it is convenient to take a child to kindergarten and how to choose the best center are issues that overwhelm many parents. These are the keys to making the best choice.
Nobody is going to take care of our son like us, but sometimes, due to work or family imperatives, we cannot stay with him as long as we want. The options are not very numerous: we can leave the child with a relative, hire a person to take care of the child while we are absent, stop working or find a suitable center for them.
When to take the child to a nursery school
Schooling is not compulsory until the age of 6, but, given the evolutionary moment in which they find themselves, it is advisable that children attend at least the second cycle of Early Childhood Education. The child needs to learn new things every day and, when he begins to overcome his absolute dependence on parents, he also needs to start his own life collectively.
Choosing the most appropriate center for our child may seem simple, but when the truth comes, many doubts often arise. One of the first big decisions will be to choose between a private center, in which the monthly payments will be higher, the hours usually more extensive and flexible and with a certain ideology? Or a public one, in which less is paid, there are more strict schedules and more vacations, and in which the education that is imparted is secular.
Once we have decided the type of center and its location, we will begin to look for each one of them personally in order to obtain general information and observe it on site - the environment in which children develop.
The keys to choosing a nursery
It is important that the child finds a comfortable, safe and familiar environment in an Early Learning Centre that has specific facilities for students of this educational stage, where they do not feel overwhelmed by macro-spaces nor invaded by the energy of the students of higher ages.
The facilities should be spacious, bright, ventilated and easily accessible; the furniture and toilets must be adapted to the dimensions and needs of the child.
In addition, we will ask if the dining room is a room for exclusive use to facilitate hygiene and cleanliness, if there is a multipurpose room, how to organize the siesta time, how is the recreation area, if there are enough educational games for everyone, play structures that comply with safety rules and elements so that the child can be in contact with nature??
Children should be separated in classrooms according to age, and groups should be reduced. The teachers who take care of our children must be graduates, work as a team with the rest of the teaching staff and be supported by a psycho-pedagogical cabinet and even by a doctor, especially if our child has special educational needs.
In our visit, we will look at how teachers are directed towards children and children towards them, as well as the relationship between different educators, thus making us an idea of the work environment. In addition, it is important that the school have support staff for peak work hours.
