choosing preschool/daycare question

We are shopping for preschools for the fall. The girls will go 3 full days per week. They'll attend for 3 yrs.

One of the places has low ratios (1:6) and small class sizes (3 classes for each age w/ 12 students each). Great outdoor area. But the indoors is older. I wouldn't say dirty, but I would say dingy, dark, alot of (somewhat organized) clutter. The space doesn't seem bright or cheery. Does this matter? (also, there isn't any security)

Another place is new-ish, great indoor and outdoor facilities, great curriculum, etc. but it's big and while the ratios are okay for 2 yr olds (1:7)..... for 3 & 4 yr olds, it's 1:12 with 24 child classrooms. Which too me seems too big and chaotic.

so which would you choose? Lower ratio with undesirable interior or great facilities with less desirable ratio and big class size?

I'm looking at other options too. Some are so expensive I am freaking out. we live in a very high cost of living area with long wait lists for preschools. i might not even be able to get them in until next year. it's crazy and I'm trying not to get caught up in the insanity.

 

Honestly,

I would visit for a day at each (preferably with the girls if they allow it) and see which one fits there needs. One of my DDs will NEED a small group size, the other would do great with any group.

What matters most is a caring, supportive staff and a somewhat scheduled (not total chaos) learning environment no matter what the building.

FWIW I just visited a 'new' facility near us and was NOT impressed- they had a 1:6 ratio, but the teacher had little to no control and the room was wayyyyyy too chaotic for my girls as well as there was little structure in the 2 hrs we were there. My girls wandered out of the room and no one (besides me) stopped them (I was in the hall to see if they noticed I was gone), and one of my DD kept walking into the bathroom and the teacher did not notice but 1/2 the time.

VISIT and see which would work for you & your girls. Talk to other parents or parents that go to each facility and see what they like/dislike- that would help too. Any center should have some references.=]

Good Luck it is so hard to make these kind of choices!

KC

 

What you don't mention is your sense of the staff - to me having good teachers was more important than anything. We had a similar decision to make - one school is in spare space in a church, not very nice rooms, a tiny outdoor play area, BUT the staff seemed wonderful, many of the teachers had been there 10+ years, and we felt very comfortable. The other school was in a brand new building - fabulous facilities, incredible outdoor playground. BUT the director has a very bad reputation among the parents and the teachers, there has been huge teacher turnover because of this, and it seemed there might be no stability for the kids if their teachers were quitting every few months.

So, we went for staff over facilities.

Of course now the director of choice #2 has left, they are searching for a new director, so we'll keep our eye on things. If they get a good director and then can get and keep good teachers we might make the switch next year.

Good luck deciding! And remember, if you make a choice and it doesn't work out well, you are not tied into that school forever.

-Rachel

 

I prefer smaller class room and a good sense of teachers. We put our kids in preschool when it is really not required. Therefore, it is up to your family and what work best for your twins. My twins don't need to go to preschool where it has all of the new things. What count is they focus on smaller activities. And they still will be go to their "My Gym" class once a week to do physical activities.

I am seriously thinking of putting my twins to a smaller preschool where I can put them in at age 2 yrs old with no potty trained. However, their rule is to be 2 yrs old before Sept. 1st cut off date. This means I will have to call after they turn 2 yrs old to see if there any open slot. It is only 1 day a week for 2-1/2 hours. With that, I can make all of my DR's appointments around that time frame and do some errands. One of the positive side is that they'll get to interact with other children, keep them busy, and no separation anxiety for future preschool. We have a small house and the older they are will get bored quickly with being at home even if I do some fun activities with them.

Like what Rachel says -- Good luck deciding! And remember, if you make a choice and it doesn't work out well, you are not tied into that school forever.

 

All other things being equal I would choose the one with smaller ratios over the newer facilities.

However like others have said things like teacher personalities, staff turnover, how they run things are really more important. I think you need to go with whichever place you feel most comfortable/confident in.

 

Security is REALLY important. If they don't have a very tight security system, don't even consider them.

Other than that, caring teachers would be my second preference. I think that the environment they spend the most time in during the day is also important. Bright, neat, orgainized space is necessary for learning.

And yes, 24 3yo in one space is a lot. My DD's class had 18 with 2 teachers sometimes and that was crazy.

Good luck with your search. I know how hard it is to find excellent care.

 

Based solely on those two things, I'd probably go with the smaller class sizes, but really it all depends on the teachers and the general atmosphere. Can you spend some time in each of the schools? Do the kids seem happy? Can the teachers explain how they plan out a typical day, what kinds of activities they do, etc.?

It may be possible to do great things with "dingy" materials and space -- it also might be possible to have decent control of a larger class (although 24 kids is a REALLY large class) if they have the skills and structure to handle it.

 

*frustration*

It's really hard to get a sense of the teachers. Most places have turnover around here, so it doesn't seem that valuable to choose based on a teacher, because who knows how long she'll be there.

here's the big problem. i have sensory issues. I don't do well in noisy or crazy or cluttered environments. All preschools are going to have some aspect of that. So I'm never comfortable. It's really difficult for me.

anyway, Sam & Syd FREAKED out when we went there yesterday. I don't know why. I'm considering taking them back again with DH to see their reaction. The only time they got happy was when they saw the outdoor environment which is 50% of their program when it's not raining. i know that no place is perfect, but this is so hard.

 

I'm with everyone else, see if you can visit and observe a class in action. Our preschool is on the outdated and small side, but the staff is very nice, the directors actually work with the children, and class size is small.