Here are 4 things every parent should consider before choosing an academic preschool program.
1. What are the ages and class size? Children 2, 3, 4 and 5 are very different in their abilities socially, academically and even physically. Parents should first look for a program that recognizes the learning styles of each age and has teachers that know the differences. Parents may want to look for a preschool that does not place all of the ages together, but rather has a seperate class or program for their child's age group. The class size should be small, allowing each child to receive individual attention throughout their day. Some classes that are offered may have up to 18 students in a class with a teacher and a helper, but this situation only means that if one student is struggling and a teacher is helping that student, then the other teacher is is left with 17 other students.
At Move-N-Learn, classes are age appropriate and we realize their learning needs are different. Classes at Move-N-Learn are small in size because we know that your child deserves to have as much attention to their needs as possible. Our maximum number is 8 for 2-3 yr olds and 10 in a class for 4-5 yr olds. Classes this size are very manageable and allows the teachers time to keep a fun learning atmosphere where every student excels.
2. What Is The School Focus? Some school spend all of their time on the ABC''s, while other preschools use the free-learning approach and the child wonders around all day choosing what they want to do. While neither approach is bad, some parents may wonder if the first is too regimented for young learning and the second is not able to be tracked as far as accomplishing educational skills. Knowing what is best for your child can be very confusing. You want them to learn and have fun, but you want to know that they are learning the necessary skills needed for further education.
A 1991 study showed that students in schools with an arts focused curriculum reported significantly more positive perceptions about their academic abilities. A University in California (Irvine) reported that preschoolers showed a 46% boost in their spatial reasoning IQ after only eight months of piano instruction. Several other studies have shown similar outcomes with the introduction of arts based classes in dance, art and music for young children.
Move-N-Learn Academy offers an arts based focus to enhance and increase academic learning and social skills. Through music, movement and art, students learn fun activities that helps with personal focus, listening, sorting, counting, body awareness (for a great personal image of oneself), balance, coordination, vocalizing and more! This program is not your typical program that teaches a young child to "shhh", but instead to question and explore on their own and as a group.
3. How Will I Know My Young Child Is Learning? Preschool age children are at a stage in life that they are too busy to remember what all that they learned in their class. Most will only focus on what they enjoyed best for the day. So parents sometimes find it frustrating as to why they cannot get their child to tell them the answer to "What did you learn in school today?"
The Move-N-Learn Academy staff and faculty have many years of experience in teaching young children and we recognize the importance of communication with our parents. It is for that reason that we have many ways of letting parents know what is being taught and how to get the information they are looking for. Just a few are: ♦Front desk always available to assist you ♦Parent/Teacher Conferences 3 times a year and available when needed on a daily basis ♦Informative bulliten board, student mail box file and a great website! ♦Email blasts that are for your child's class situation only ♦Yearly and Monthly Calendars ♦Observation windows for parent to observe the classes ♦The ability for parents to request to "sit in" on a class day ♦Assessment forms to be able to track your child's abilities ♦A Parent Portal that you can access to reveiw your account, registration, announcements and musch more. ♦ a parent/member page on our website with lots of good information.
4. Does it feel and look like a good fit for your child? Not one school can be the best fit for every child. Visit the preschools in your area and use your "Mommy Instinct" to be your guide. Be sure to bring your questions to make sure you feel comfortable with the philosophy of the school's academic and free play learning. And of course, look for clean, colorful and bright classrooms with a friendly and caring teaching staff.
We invite you to take a tour of our preschool. We would love the opportunity to show you our unique school and answer any questions that you might have. We also invite you to read the testimonials that our parents have written on our academic program as well. You will find them posted on our website.
