How to Choose a Preschool

It's the time of year when many parents must make decisions about what preschool or day care setting to choose for their child in the fall. There are a bunch of resources out there including: education.com , babycenter.com, and greatschools.net . Great Schools is particularly good because it includes parent reviews and public and private preschool options. All of these sites and many more will give you sound advice, most of it based on the same body of research.

I want to offer something a little different, based on my experiences as a teacher and a parent. So here are my tips for choosing a preschool from "the inside."

Step 1: Talk to your neighbors. Most advice sites suggest looking at distance, transportation and cost first when choosing a preschool. I am not sure that is the best way to make the best choice for your child. One great way to find a good school is to spend time in your neighborhood at playgrounds and community spaces talking to parents. If you are more Web 2.0 you can also put out a general request for advice on a social media venue like facebook, a blog, or a parenting message board. I suggest these things because the most reliable and perceptive information is going to be gained from someone who has had their child actually IN the school. Before making a decision based on your new friend's advice, figure out if she/he has a similar parenting style to your own. After all, the permissive parent who expects their kid to break a bone or two in childhood is going to have a different perception of what makes a good school than someone who expects their child to where a helmet every time they get on a big wheel.

Step 2: Go to the school. Look for creative projects that show individual decision making by children. Look for well-organized and defined areas of interest. Look for print on the walls and storage containers that are labeled. Ask about the daily schedule, school philosophy, teacher child ratios, etc. This is all important information. Especially the question about teacher/child ratio. National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has its recommendations and states have requirements documented by National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) but you really need to find out what a phrase like 1-10 or 1-12 ratio means. I worked in a daycare for a short time where the teacher/child ratio was 1-12. Having worked as a substitute in the public schools, I thought that meant 1 adult and 12 kids. In public school settings, the decision about staffing is made based on potential number of students who will be in a room, not the actual number at a particular time. What did this mean? In the daycare I worked at, 1 - 12 meant that you were by yourself no matter how many kids you had until the "second" adult came in at 10:00 a.m. From about 8:45 - 10:00 there were usually 24 kids in the room.

Asking detailed questions is the best way to find out the answers you need. Another really important question to ask during this meeting is: "What curriculum does your school use? Some schools use specific curriculum like High/Scope or Creative Curriculum. Others have an overarching philosophy that guides the curriculum like Montessori or Waldorf. Schools with this type of integrated philosophy/curriculum are more than willing to tell you all about how children are learning in their classrooms. However, most use a teacher-created curriculum which can mean everything from printed worksheets to making mud babies that grow grass hair. Make sure you understand how decisions are made about what your child will be doing at school. It is not the form of the curriculum that counts, it's the content. Would you want to spend all day filling out forms? This is what some worksheet driven curriculum amounts to; busy work.

Step 3: Ask "What if?" questions. This is how you can really tell if a director knows what is happening in their classrooms. Here are a few good ones. What happens if one child needs more attention because of behavior than all the other children? What if there are two needy kids? What what would happen if my child bit another child? Not that your child will actually bite another child but they might get bit and you want to know how this type of incident is handled. Finally, ask what is the best and worst thing about your school? This could be the most important question you ask because it tells you what a schools' priorities are.

Step 4: Spend time in the classroom (with your child if possible). When you do this you will not necessarily see what it will be like in the classroom on a daily basis. What you can see, if you look closely, is the space between a school's philosophy and practice. In many preschools parents are told that children are nurtured and cared for but, what happens if a child interrupts an adult conversation? Is the child acknowledged, ignored, rebuffed, or listened to? Is there a general sense of joy or fear? Does it seem like the children are pushing limits or comfortable with their expectations? Most importantly listen to how and how often the teachers interact with the children. Does the teacher participate in conversations with kids that include more than 2 exchanges? What is the content of the conversation? Are the teachers at the childrens' level or do the interact from across the room. All of these questions shed light on what a preschool is like on the inside, in its heart.

Image: http://kmclayton.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/boy_thinking.jpg

Family Traditions

The holiday season is upon us.  Along with the festivities and excitement, there is an awareness and sensitivity to all kinds of families who celebrate different holidays.  Our school readiness classes are doing some great things to encourage awareness and acceptance of families that celebrate traditions throughout the year. 

 

Here are a few of the ways we encourage our students and their families. 

 

1.     Each December we send home a large piece of construction paper with a note.  Families are encouraged to work together to show their families’ traditions.  They can draw, write, cut and paste or make a collage.  We then invite each child to show their work to the class.  We ask questions and share comments and learn about each other.

2.     On the last day of our semester we invite families to come to school with their child for a family celebration.  The parents spend time in a parent education class where they can get to know other families.  Then we perform a short play and sing some songs.  We end our time together         with a pot luck.  Families are encouraged to bring a traditional dish to 

share with their classmates.  I bring lefse every year! 

3.     As a team of teachers, we have decided that it is important to teach the facts about holidays that our families might want to know about.  We are very clear to families that it is not our job to celebrate holidays at school but we can always learn something new!  We have come up with language that is inclusive.  For example: “Some families celebrate Christmas.  Each person may celebrate in a different way.”  We try to highlight some of the more major holidays throughout the year, recognizing that many of them do not happen in December. 

4.     We are very committed to using our families as a resource.  Who better to explain about a tradition or holiday than someone who celebrates it? 

 

 

For the most part, our families are very open and accepting to learning about different cultures and traditions.  It is great to have a supportive environment where adults and children know that their lives are valued.  It makes people more willing to learn about and experience different walks of life.

Parent's Night

As I have mentioned before, parents in our program are required to participate in a variety of activities. These objectives are outlined by the state of Minnesota in a comprehensive document called the Parent Education Core Curriculum Framework and Indicators. In addition to my day to day work as an early childhood educator, I also facilitate the parent education component for both of our school readiness classes.

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to host a Parent Night at our school. I think some parents were confused. Many thought it was going to be an Open House or conferences with their child’s teacher. Imagine the surprise when they realized that this was a night just for them! My goals for this evening were simple. I wanted to bring parents together in a safe and supportive environment to allow them to share their hopes, dreams and concerns for their family. In addition, my goal was to help create and maintain a community of parents who would know and share with each other in the hall, in the parking lot and in their neighborhood.

Our agenda for the evening included a chance to write and share our hopes for our pre-kindergarten children. Several parents noted that they want a better education and a better life for their child than they had. Another common theme was a desire to raise children to be caring, respectful and generous people. It was amazing to hear the hopes of parents and see the walls and barriers, normally caused by socio-economic levels or cultural differences, be broken down. We ended the evening with a small group discussion time. Parents were invited to share things that their child likes about school, things they struggle with, what parents like about being a parent and what they struggle with as parents. There was laughter and tears amongst most of the groups. I was honored to be with a group of parents that care so much about their children and their family.

Based on the verbal and non-verbal feedback, the night was a success! I think it is always good when a dad says, “It’s been an hour?! Really? Can we stay longer?!” I hope to host at least three more events like this throughout the school year. It is a great way to model community to our children, and practice what we preach!

Home Visits 2008!

Home visits are hands down one of the most influential aspects of our pre-k program. We start our school year a few weeks after the K-12 students in an effort to visit each of the families registered for pre-k. It is a chance to meet our students, begin a positive relationship with their family, and talk about our hopes for the school year. It is amazing what a difference these 30-45 minute home visits can make through the course of the school year!

First and foremost, it is wonderful as teacher to be welcomed into a family’s home. In our diverse community, it is fascinating to experience so many expressions of hospitality. I had the pleasure of Tibetan tea in the morning, Indian rice and dahls for lunch, and a banana cake from an Ecuadorian family for an afternoon snack. Most of all, each of my new students were so proud to have the undivided attention of their teacher. They were great home tour guides and hosts.

Second, these short visits establish a very powerful and important home to school connection. Having a glimpse into the home life of one's students helps immensely when working on their social and emotional development skills. I am able to discuss individual strengths and hopes that parents have for their child in an environment that is non-threatening and familiar. I have found that the families I visit are typically more involved and active in their child’s education throughout the year. I am privileged to know them not only as parents, but as people.

Finally, our program, with all of its components, provides a natural bridge to the K-12 school years. Just this past year, I was discussing the lack of parent involvement in the elementary, middle, and high school years with some of our administrators. They mentioned that it is easier in the students' youngest years because a parent is required to be a part of our programs. I quickly responded that although it is required, I have set attainable and thoughtful expectations I know my families can reach with my support. If it were not required, I would have these same expectations. Throughout the K-12 years parents should be held to similar expectations. Being invited into a family's home gives teachers an opportunity to work with parents one on one. It allows teachers to develop a rapport with parents. You are working as partners to help a child succeed. Effective home visits help parents understand why they should be involved with their child's learning at any age. I am a firm believer that most parents want to do what is best for their child. Our interactions in the home give parents a fresh look at why learning is important and how they can be involved. It gives them the tools they need to be successful. I prepare handouts and highlight important information and we discuss the responsibilities of each team player: student, parent and teacher.

Some of the expectations I have with parents include being on time to class, coming prepared and picking up children on time. School is a place where individuals come together to learn. If a member of the class is late or not prepared it disrupts our learning and work time. Parents also are expected to transfer their child's learning from the classroom to their home environment. This makes our "school work" relevant and meaningful in the "real" world. Parents in my class are given assignments that, for some families, may seem silly: have dinner together, count the number of stop signs on your way to school, read to your child for 15 minutes, take your child to the doctor for a well check up, etc. However, for many families it is a very concrete way to check in and establish consistency between home and school. In addition, I host Parent Nights twice a semester to encourage parents to build community. It is helpful for parents with children at any age to have a support system. These groups are a way to foster personal growth as a parent, to reach out to other families who might be struggling with similar issues and enjoy being a parent!

I would encourage other programs, at any level, to look into adding a home visiting piece to your program. It has the power to break down barriers, offer a positive and proactive parent-teacher relationship, and is an opportunity to let your expectations as a teacher be known.

Parenting and Pre-K In Web 2.0

Parenting is one of those skills that has benefited from the advent of Web 2.0. Since the internet became interactive with blogs, discussion boards, and wikis, parents who are connected have been able to find their views on parenting, even if they are different from their parents' views, validated by a broader community. This idea got me thinking about how I could find some great parenting websites and I thought I would ask our readers for suggestions. You may be thinking, what does this have to do with Pre-K? The answer, everything. If teachers and parents of young children understand each other better, children will have richer lives. Here is one great site I found. It is called the Parenting Post: Where Moms and Dads Get Real. It has this awesome post by Daring Young Mom about her son and some of the things she wants to teach her son. Here are just a couple of the lessons she would like her son to master. As a father of an almost 4 year-old, I can relate to them all too well.

1. If you’re playing tag with someone and he doesn’t know you’re playing tag with him, it’s just unprovoked violence.

2. If your older sister asks you to stop touching her, she will not be satisfied until you stop... One finger is not okay. Neither is one forehead, one toenail or one nostril. If she says no touching, she means NO touching.

3. GO TO BED!

Another great blog I read is by my friend Becky Suder. Her blog Can I Tell You Something? is about raising a teenager, a younger child and the rest of the family. She writes about "everything and nothing." About kids, family life, raising boys and meeting budgets. About fulfilling goals, and about being a wife, sister, mother and friend.

What are some great parent websites out there? Please leave some links in the comment section. Just copy the address and past the whole thing.

Secret to Success

A teacher is only one person, no matter how good a teacher he or she is.  It takes more than one person to create a successful student. Just like the African proverb says, it really does take a village to raise a child. 

This brings me to the heart of what it takes to create an engaged and successful student, parent involvement.  It's more than passing out napkins and juice at snack time. Parent involvement is about engaging parents in their child’s education and teaching them how to become involved. 

We start teaching parents what pre-k is all about at our pre-k registration in the spring. Before students step foot in class, parents are shown a video of developmental milestones for four year olds. Many parents are shocked to learn that a child of four years of age should be fully potty trained and weaned from a bottle, even more so when they learn that it's their job to do it! We offer tips and resources at the close of the video to help them accomplish these goals, and, when the parents return in the fall to complete their registration, we show the same video again to ingrain the idea in their minds.

Next, just before school starts, we hold a Pre-K Orientation meeting in our classroom for both parents and students.  There another video showing the ins and outs of attending pre-k is played.  A few weeks following orientation, we invite parents back again to teach them how best to help their children at home.  We provide each parent with all the materials necessary to reinforce classroom learning at home.

Parent/teacher conferences,another important component of  parent involvement, are also critical to a child's success in the classroom.  More than just in-person progress reports, I approach these meetings  like coaching sessions. Every parent is provided with a packet of information that is reviewed carefully with them. If I notice a student struggling with letter identification, I review that particular section of the packet with the parent. I discuss a variety of ways that mom and dad can help build the skill at home, like pouring salt onto a dark plate or surface and writing the letters in the salt.  I do an in-conference demonstration for every student's parents. If the issue is fine motor skills, we review the page in the packet that explains how to strengthen the muscles in the hand using simple and fun exercises.  Demonstrations are key to the parent's success of following through with the proposed activity at home. 

So you’re probably thinking all that sounds like a lot of work. Well you’re right, it most certainly is! But the pay off, stronger pre-k students and parents getting involved in their child’s education, is priceless. When you teach a parent how to become involved, odds are that they will remain that way through the rest of their child’s educational career.

Sadly, using the assessment scores for my class as an example, the 4 students who consistently scored the lowest had parents who weren't involved in their education.  The equation, more involved parents equals more successful students, speaks for itself. 

I think the most important thing about parental involvement is to remember it’s not just about physically being in the classroom. Learning how to be involved in the child’s education - early - is a key component to their overall school success.

Graduation: The Great Debate

If you’re looking for a great debate get a group of pre-k teachers together and mention the word “graduation”. The two camps in this argument are evenly divided: those who are in favor of graduation ceremonies for pre-k students - generally the parents, and those who are against them - usually us teachers.

Having taught pre-k in both public school and several Head Start campuses over the years, I have seen it all when it comes to end-of-the-year celebrations. At Head Start we had a picnic where families were invited to spend the day with their child and enjoy a cookout on the last day of school. On one campus in my current district, we had a huge and elaborate graduation ceremony with performances, diplomas, caps, and refreshments. In another former job, we had a simple, low-key “awards ceremony” where students received a diploma - sans caps, performances, and refreshments.

Personally, I prefer the picnic over all the other forms of celebrations because it is the most meaningful and least stressful to all parties involved. When it comes to formal graduation ceremonies, the stress levels are high for both teachers and students. Instructional time is wasted on practicing the performances and young children get stressed and nervous about performing on stage. Teachers are under enormous amounts of pressure to deliver a good performance and “wow” the audience. All this stress added to our already hectic, end-of-the-year, deadline laden schedule.

On the other hand, it is the parents who want to experience the traditional graduation milestone, no matter how early, in their child’s life. The pressure from parents to have elaborate graduation ceremonies, especially in areas of high poverty and rising drop-out rates, is enormous.  Many of these parents have never experienced a graduation of their own and are anxious for their children to experience as many as possible. They want to invite grandparents and videotape the memorable event. Some private schools also put on grandeous graduation ceremonies to show the parents what they are paying for, and at this point in the game, many parents expect it.

Whatever your situation, I encourage you to make your end-of-the-year choices based on what is the most meaningful to the students.  With a school of over 700 students we have to do what works best for our huge numbers. An all school picnic wouldn’t have enough parking or space for all the parents. With no trees or shade to speak of on the playground, an air-conditioned, indoor awards ceremony, without the pomp and circumstance of performances, is our best alternative.

What are you doing to wrap up the year in your pre-k classroom?

Summer Fun

Recently, Inside Pre-K co-blogger Karissa wrote about how quickly summer vacation is approaching for her and her students. By the time this article is posted, her community-based center will officially be on vacation.

However, my pre-k classroom, embedded within a public school system, follows the regular K-12 school calendar.  Summer fun won't come until our last day of class, this year it falls on June 5th.  And we've got quite a ways to go and myriad of assessments to complete before we get there.  For this reason, many teachers in my district refer to the final six to nine weeks of school as “crunch time.”

During our final weeks together, I have to assess each student one-on-one in a multitude of areas. Here’s a breakdown of our testing:

• CIRCLE testing on palm pilot: Assesses 7 areas of phonemic awareness, all letters -- uppercase and lowercase, letter sounds, vocabulary, nine concepts of print, and writing assessment. Each question must be administered one-on-one.
• PMI- Primary Math Inventory: 3 pages of math assessment that must be administered one-on-one. Questions can only be asked one at a time to each student (for example, if you start with student A and ask question number 1, then you have to move to student B and ask question 1, when you get to the last student you can then move to question number 2).
• DRA- Diagnostic Reading Assessment: Students reading levels are assessed, this test is also administered one-on-one. The more the student knows, the longer the test takes.
• Report card testing: Each child must also be assessed on report card skills not covered in the aforementioned tests, such as oral counting, name writing, color identification, number recognition etc. All of this testing is also done one-on-one.

Now you’re probably wondering when I have time to teach if I’m doing all this one-on-one testing. The answer is, I don’t!  It’s just not physically possible to do all the required testing and teach a classroom of 22 four year olds simultaneously.

Add that to the mix of numerous paperwork deadlines, meetings, registering pre-k students for next year, not to mention the Cinco de Mayo celebrations, class pictures, Mother’s Day, and end-of-year celebrations that come with the territory.  It’s no wonder that teacher appreciation days come during the first week of May.  It's a bribe so we will make it through until the end of the year!

Karissa also wrote about her concerns regarding her student’s lengthy summer vacation. We’re fortunate that in our district all ELL (English Language Learner) pre-k students are eligible to attend a free summer school program where they will continue to develop their oral language skills, should their parents agree to enroll them. The program Learning the Language is offered from June 11th – July 11th, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and includes free bussing and meals.

But unfortunately, not all students qualify for Learning the Language, so I send each of them home with a "summer fun" kit I've devised for them and their parents.  It includes:

• A letter to parents explaining the content of the kit.
• A Map, the address and the phone number to the local library, as well as directions on how to obtain a library card.
• A Calendar with dates and times for story hour at the local library as well as dates of special local events such as discount days at the zoo.
• A reproducible nursery rhyme booklet, enabling students to practice their nursery rhymes over the summer.
• A book list of the top 100 books for preschoolers to check out at the library. Titles include classics such as: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Goodnight Moon, Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?, The Rainbow Fish, The Snowy Day, Corduroy, and The Runaway Bunny.
• An Activity-a-Day calendar, like this one from Preschool Express.  I generally make up my own activities for July and August as they're not published in advance.
• A number booklet comprised of 20 sheets of paper stapled together with a number and the words to each of our number songs on each page. The students practice recognizing their numbers by singing the song on each page. The words are so the parents can read and sing along as well.
• An alphabet chart- so students can practice singing their letter sound songs or use it when they write.
• A Blank booklet so students can “journal” or write about their summer experiences.
• One free treat coupon from local ice cream shop. If you ask nicely, most places will give you free treat coupons to give to your students.
• One Scholastic book: I use my bonus points and buy each child one book so they will have a book at home to read. Scholastic offers one 95-cent book each month.
• Information about our summer daycare program for those students that don’t qualify for our ELL summer program. Our district offers summer daycare for students ages 5 and up at very affordable rates. The program is staffed and run by teachers.
• A Brown paper bag with leftover crayons, markers, pencils, construction paper, glue, scissors, etc. so students can create and practice writing during the summer months.
• A Pre-addressed postcard so students can send me a postcard if they travel, or just for fun!

(Note to self: Add “make summer fun packets” to already lengthy crunch time to-do list!)

The Perils of Valentine’s Day in an ESL Classroom

February can be a very challenging time in an ESL classroom. In addition to preparing my students for the annual Valentine card exchange, I have to explain the process to the parents as well. Many of the parents of students in my class were not born and or educated in the U.S. The concept of a class Valentine card exchange is completely foreign to them.

Over the years I have learned to navigate the treacherous waters of Valentine’s Day through old fashioned trial and error. In the beginning, I sent detailed notes to parents requesting that each child bring one Valentine card for each student in the class. I received everything from decks of playing cards to boxed sets of Christmas cards. Once I received an entire package of 24 baby shower invitations. I asked the student what the cards were for and he said “Your note said we needed 22 cards!” Another time I received 22 identical Hallmark greeting cards that all read “To my teacher on Valentine’s Day”. I was mortified that a parent thought I had requested 22 cards for myself!

Now, my strategies have expanded to include tactics such as copying the front of several boxes of school-type Valentine cards and sending them home as examples in addition to my usual note. At dismissal time,I bring empty boxes of Valentine cards with me so I can show them to parents when they pick up their children. I show the boxes to the students as well so when they are out shopping with their parents, they will be able to easily identify the correct items. We also have parent conferences in January, so I display a few boxes on the table and explain the holiday to the parents. Every year around this time you can find me lurking about the Valentine aisle in the local big mart stores posing as the unofficial “Valentine ambassador” and guiding families through their first Valentine exchange experience.

The best solution I have found thus far is to shop the sales after Valentine’s Day and buy boxes of Valentine cards for 10 cents each so I will be prepared for next year. Students can “shop” for their own Valentine cards and address them in class as well.  The superheroes are always a big hit with the boys and the girls love Dora or Hello Kitty.  You can always tell what's "hot" by the types of Valentine cards being sold in the stores. The students write their names on the back of each valentine card, but it can get tedious since we have 22 students- we have to break it down into a two-day process. 

Despite the unique challenges that teaching ESL students presents, it is very rewarding work. Everything my students do in our class is a “first” for them and I enjoy providing them with those first experiences.

Full Day vs. Half Day

For many years, pre-k in my school district was a half-day program. This meant that I had two classes: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Our days were very busy trying to make the most of our 2 ½ hours together. It always felt like we were racing against the clock just to accomplish the bare minimum of our curriculum.  The teachers held out hope that some day our district would offer full-day pre-k.

In the fall of 2006 our district decided to pilot a full-day pre-k program and my campus was selected as one of the three to pilot the program. Now, our students are in school from 7:50am-3:10pm and thriving. We have more time to get to know our students' personalities and learning styles better and we teach more effectively. As a result, students adjusted to school more quickly and achieved more quickly.

Not only are children thriving, their families are thriving as a result. Most of our students' parents work--some hold two jobs just to make ends meet. When we taught half-day classes, many parents could not afford licensed daycare and had to hire babysitters to watch their children for the rest of the day.  With full day pre-k, most parents can still work full-time and pick up their children after a full day of learning--potentially saving money on child care.

The pilot program was so successful that this academic year, full-day pre-k is offered throughout the district. Our second year has been an even greater success because we now have a better feel for how much our students can learn in the full-day setting. Instead of spending all year focusing on letter identification, we have been able to delve into other areas such as math, in much greater depth than ever before.  Our students now have more time to spend learning concepts such as 1:1 correspondence, sorting, patterning, and number recognition.  Our full day curricculum includes more phonemic awareness skills, rhyming, syllables, and even reading (yes--you read that correctly--reading!).

Our kindergarten teachers are pleased by how prepared their students are now compared to when our classes were half-day. The parents are thrilled by how much their children are learning in pre-k. It is obvious that full-day pre-k is benefiting both our students and our community by providing a much needed, high-quality educational setting.