Choosing or Finding the Right Preschool is not an easy task.

The Little Man will start Preschool next year, he has been accepted into the preschool that I chose, but this was not with out searching and trying to find a good one in the area, not to far from home.

This is a big step in all of our lives, so it isn’t an easy thing to decide on, I still don’t really know if I am going to cope. But I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

Some tips that I found helpful

Here are a few tips that I found helpful when looking for a preschool, and trying to find the right one. (Well we hope that it is the right one).

- Firstly finding out what days they will attend, I have found that it is 2 days for over 3’s and then the next year they do 3 days. So finding which 2 or 3 days they will go, so that it fits in with your days.

- Wait lists and how much it will cost for you to wait list your child. I found this varied quite a bit, ranging between $20 and $30, be aware that you don’t get this back if your child is not accepted or you choose not to accept a position at that preschool.  I put the Little Mans name down at 2 schools, I thought any more than that was over kill.

- Word of mouth is always a good one, other mothers that have already put their children though preschools and which ones, if they sent their second child to the same one. If they didn’t then find out why, was it just there wasn’t a spot for them or was there another reason.

- One of my key tips, I read in a magazine once and it was a great idea. Arrive at the preschool with out an appointment. You are then able to have a quick look around and know that they haven’t prepared for you to arrive. Then you can always make an appointment to see more if you wish.

When you visit the preschool, either with an appointment or without
- Did the children look happy
- Did they look like they were enjoying themselves
- What were the teachers like, were they welcoming
- Did they just let you in to have a look around, or were they on edge

When I went to have a look at one of the pre schools for the Little Man, I went in with out an appointment, the teachers were all very helpful and showed me around.  They weren’t at all worried that I just arrived un announced.

The thing that caught my eye, and made me want him to get a place at this school, was that the children looked like they were having a great time. They were building a giant robot and painting it silver, I could just see the little man happy joining in and having a wonderful time.

At this young age it is not all about being the best at counting or reading, it is about having fun and enjoying themselves. They will have plenty of time to learn when they go to big school.  This is just a stepping stone for them to get used to going to school, and being without Mum.

I hope that you had a good experience with placing your first child in preschool.

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