Applebee Montessori Academy – Choosing A Preschool

The Importance of Preschool

For working families, preschool frequently means child care. However, preschool is so much more. Studies show that that early childhood education tends to increase a child’s cognitive development, and the social skills they learn tend to improve behavior during the elementary school years. Research indicates that Kindergarten readiness is a reliable predictor of future school performance. There are even some studies that report decreases in delinquency as children grow older, and increased the likelihood of having a skilled job in adulthood.

So what should you look for when choosing a school for your child?

There are a few different educational philosophies. At Applebee, we have chosen Montessori for its consistently positive results all over the world for 100 years. However, it should be noted that Montessori is not trademarked, registered, or patented which makes the competency of the teachers (also known as guides) very important. At Applebee Montessori Academy, all our teaching staff is Montessori Certified.

Once you have narrowed your search down to schools that fit your budget, schedule, and commute, your next step is to do a little research on the school. Your research should include a review of their portal on the Child Care Licensing website, their own website, their Facebook page, and any reviews they may have on Yelp or Google. You are looking for issues, incidents, and the opinions of other parents. If all looks good, you should schedule a tour.

The quality of a preschool or child care center is highly correlated with the outcomes of the child later in childhood. Here are some things that parents should be looking for in a quality early childhood education center.

1. The qualifications of the teaching staff. This is why having teaching staff who are all Montessori certified is so important at Applebee Montessori. In addition, all our staff participates in a variety of training from developmentally appropriate instruction and the development of young minds to emergency planning and pediatric CPR.

2. Teachers who are positive and caring. At Applebee Montessori, we understand the trust that families place in us. More importantly, we genuinely want to improve the educational outcomes for our students and instill a lifelong love of learning. This requires strong relationships built on trust, kindness, and mutual respect. We try to catch children doing good and reward the behavior we wish to see more of.

3. Classroom time is interactive and engaging. This is a cornerstone of the Montessori method where children are not lectured as much as guided through play and learning based on their own interests and at their own pace.

4. Request the school’s discipline policy. There are certain standards that are provided by Child Care Licensing when it comes to a written discipline policy and so the school you visit must have one. However, further, than what the state requires, the Montessori way is not obedience as much as encouraging self-discipline.

5. Adequate amount of playtime. Piaget said, “Play is the work of childhood.” At Applebee Montessori, all our students have opportunities for both free play and organized games, individually and in groups. There is table play and gross motor skill play both indoors and outdoors. The benefits of play are not just restricted to social learning through conflict resolution and collaboration. There are impacts on all facets of learning and understanding.

6. Assess the facility. Applebee Montessori is a beautiful, newly-built facility with large classrooms, three playgrounds, a gym with surround sound, and a lovely library for storytime.

These are just a few of the main things to consider when choosing a preschool. You will probably also want to know what meals and snacks are included, what days the school is closed for the next year, what their late pickup policy is, and so much more. A tour should answer all these questions for you and give you a “feel’ for the school and the management. Trust your instincts.