What To Look For When Choosing A Preschool For A 3-Year-Old

If you all have been keeping up with me over on social media, you would know that I’m currently in the process of choosing a preschool for my 3-year-old daughter.

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She is super excited (and nervous) about going to school but overall she is ready.

And so is this mama.

In a previous post, I talked about how I have been preparing her for preschool which you can you find through the link below.

• Read More: Preparing My 3-Year-Old For Preschool

Which is probably why she feels like she is ready.

For anyone who is new here, I’m currently a stay-at-home mom to a 3-year-old and 1-year-old who has been home with me their whole lives.

Neither of them has stepped a foot into a daycare since they have been born.

My 3-year-old going to preschool will be a big transition and adjustment for all of us.

And I want to make sure she is at a place where not only does she feel comfortable, but I as well.

During this search for a preschool, I have found that there are a few things that I look have been looking out for when looking for a preschool for her to attend.

And of course, I want to share in case I have fellow mamas who are wondering what to look for when choosing a preschool for their 3-year-old.

Here are some of the things that I look for when choosing a preschool for my daughter.

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Is Preschool Worth It For A 3-Year-Old?

Before I get into what to look for when choosing a preschool for your 3-year-old, let’s talk about this.

Is preschool worth it for a 3-year-old?

I wasn’t aware of this but there are parents who forego preschool altogether and just wait for their child to get of age to go to kindergarten.

They don’t consider preschool to be helpful for their child’s development because they believe that all the children do is play all day and not learn anything.

So they just skip it and wait for kindergarten.

The major problem with this way of thinking is the thought that you think by skipping preschool you are helping your child’s development.

When in turn, you are not.

The preschool years are vital because they set the tone and foundation for your child’s educational journey.

Yes, they do play at preschool, but there are many skills and milestones that young children get from preschool that they will use as they get further into their education.

According to Empowered Parents, these skills include:

• Developing their fine motor skills (pencil grip)
• Developing gross motor skills (Posture & coordination)
• Listening skills
• Social skills

If they are developing these skills early on, then they will only get better as they get older.

I have previously said my daughter has a birthday that technically falls right after the deadline for our city’s school district.

Instead of starting Pre-K with the other 4-year-olds this year once she turns 4, she will technically have to wait another year.

So even though I can wait for another year, I rather not because I don’t want her to be behind.

Which has led us to begin looking for a preschool that will take 3-year-olds so that she can get started and be right on track with the other kids once she goes to elementary school.

Now that we know the importance of putting your child in preschool, let’s get into what to look for when choosing a preschool for your 3-year-old.

What To Look For When Choosing A Preschool For My 3-Year-Old

There are several factors that I considered when I did my research on choosing a preschool for my 3-year-old and inquired about when I went to tour a few preschools before choosing one.

Distance

One of the first things I did when I started looking for preschools was google the ones near me.

The last thing I want to be doing is driving over 30 minutes to get to the preschool.

When my daughter starts kindergarten, she will be placed in one near us in the school zone based on our location so we wouldn’t have to travel far.

I feel the same way about picking a preschool.

Personally, the most I’m driving is 20 minutes max and if I’m driving further away, it is because the preschool is a really good one that I really like.

Rating/Reviews

While googling the preschools that were near me, I also took that time to check out the ratings and reviews of the schools that popped up.

Just like reviews on a commercial site can tell you a lot about a product and sway your thoughts on it, so can the reviews on a preschool’s website.

Some schools will share testimonials of the families that attend there on their website that you can check out.

But another great place to check out for reviews is Yelp.

Most of the reviews that a preschool will post on its website will be positive, but on Yelp, you are more likely to get an honest opinion.

Which is exactly what you want.

You want to hear what people honestly think of a preschool so that you can begin to develop an opinion and then form it once you have been to the school.

This leads me to my next tip.

Atmosphere/Environment

First impressions are everything so when you go to the preschool for the first time, take note of how you feel pulling into the parking lot and walking in.

How does the outside of the school look?

Does it look run down and not well kept?

If you answer yes to either of these, it might foretell what the inside looks like.

This is not always true, but it is important that you put your child in a clean and well-kept environment.

If you are getting unclean and nasty vibes, then that school may not be for you.

This also applies to the inside of the preschool.

It’s one thing to see toys, but if you are seeing trash, empty bottles, and dirty diapers everywhere, then that would be a problem for me because my child would be in this environment.

We do our best to maintain and keep a clean home with my children so I would expect the same with my children’s preschool.

Safety Measures

In today’s climate, something that you have to consider is what kind of safety measures the preschool has in place.

Such as the ability to openly walk into the preschool and whether or not they keep the doors of the classroom closed while kids are inside the classroom.

For my peace of mind, I prefer that there is limited access to the school and the doors to the classrooms closed while the kids are in there.

When I toured a couple of the preschools, I noted that I had to be buzzed in upon walking in and had to wait in the lobby to be attended to.

I really liked this because they are choosing to be safe and not allowing just a bunch of adults to wander around the school.

Class Size

The next thing I’m inquiring about is class size.

What is the teacher-child ratio?

Optimally, I would prefer a smaller class setting with 10 kids max to a teacher.

I feel like any more than that and the teacher is bound to be overwhelmed and some kids will likely get neglected.

A smaller class not only makes it easier for a teacher to keep an eye on the kids but also gives them a chance to get to know their children individually as well.

Curriculum

While on the topic of class size, I also want to know the curriculum or at least an outline of what they are going to be doing daily.

Above, I said that the reason that some parents skip preschool is because of the belief that all they do all day is play all day.

If all they did was play all day, then I would not consider it a preschool.

At that point, that is a daycare.

The primary difference between a preschool and a daycare is the learning aspect.

Daycares are more so for places that supervise children while preschools are more so learning environments for children.

If I wanted a daycare for just watching and keeping an eye on my daughter, then I would go with one.

I am very well aware that play is important for kids but it is not the only thing I want my child to be doing.

It is important to me that she is in more of a school-based environment with some level of structure and a teacher following an age-appropriate curriculum.

I feel like by placing her in a preschool that has a curriculum that they follow, then she will be more prepared and ready for that transition into elementary school.

Teacher Qualifications

Since I have been brought up preferring a school-based environment with teachers present, I also want to know about the teachers.

For instance, I want to know how long have they been teaching.

Are they qualified for teaching preschoolers?

You may be surprised to learn that some teachers are not qualified.

Whether it is because they are currently working on their certification/degree towards teaching or just don’t have any educational background at all.

This is something that you are going to want to know so that you can be assured of who your child be placed under.

And I’m sure you are going to want your child under someone who is certified and knows how to manage younger children.

Meals Served

If you make the decision to send your child to preschool full time, then that preschool will likely provide meals for your child to eat.

A lot of preschools usually provide breakfast, lunch, and maybe even an afternoon snack that is covered by the tuition.

I want to know what kind of food they will be serving to the kids.

Is it a bunch of junk food or do they provide healthy options as well?

I also want to know what they do if a child is not eating what they give them.

These are the type of questions that you want to ask when you visit and take a tour of a preschool that may interest you.

Part-Time/Half-Day Options

The next thing I inquire about is whether they have part-time or half-day options.

It is usually a given that you can put your child in preschool all day, but something that you may want to consider is part-time or half day.

Especially in the case of children who have never been in a setting like this before.

This is the case with us.

I have definitely been considering part-time for my daughter since she is 3 and has never been in an environment like this.

Part-time is a great way to ease children into this transition and then once they are comfortable, you can bump them up to full-time.

Part-time is also much more affordable which leads me to my last tip.

Tuition Cost

And the last thing that you have to consider when choosing a preschool for your 3-year-old is the cost of tuition.

Some may argue that this is one of the first things that you have to worry about, but I’m here to say that you get what you pay for.

I toured a few preschools and I found myself considering the more expensive ones over the cheaper ones.

If the preschool is lacking in any of the areas I mentioned above, then I likely crossed that school off my list.

Which were usually the cheaper ones.

The cheaper preschools may very well be good schools, but if I’m looking for something that will go a little further then I know that I’m going to have to pay a little more.

I know that for some families that is not always feasible.

I completely get it.

Part of the reason I have stayed home with the girls is that it saves us the money that we would have used towards daycare.

So if the cheaper preschool is more within your budget, then have at it.

But if you got a little wiggle room in your budget for your child’s preschool, then I highly recommend investing in your child’s education.

Your Turn

Well, that is everything I considered when choosing a preschool for my 3-year-old. I want to hear from you all now. How did you choose a preschool for your 3-year-old to attend? What are some of the things that you look for in a preschool? Let me know in the comments and while you are still here, check out my previous post below. Until next time!

• Read More: Time Management Tips For Stay At Home Moms

Love,

Just Jass