Searching for the perfect preschool?

3 things to consider!

By the “new” CHALK Boutique Preschools in the South Bay

Have you stated one of the following or felt a similar way?

1. What if my child is ready for preschool but I’m not?

2. Overwhelmed with information about preschools?

3. My child hasn’t been around many people or other kids, how will they acclimate?

We are meeting more and more families who have been spending great quality time together and know their child is ready for preschool, but they are not. After 20 years in the preschool industry, we recognize times have changed. Due to evolving circumstances that affect children’s growth and well-being, as well as new advantages of work-from-home dynamics we looked at what families need now.

Preschool is the first step into independence, socialization, and individuality for your child. That is why CHALK Preschool developed two boutique schools in the South Bay area. We wanted to offer parents something a bit less overwhelming by providing fewer classrooms, smaller class sizes, charming facilities, more personal focus, deep connections, easy tour scheduling, and a variety of programming options.

If you’re one of the hesitant parents or even one that’s ready but looking for the right fit we have a few tips. In this blog post, we will address those three preschool parent concerns.

1. What if my child is ready for preschool but I’m not?

It’s completely normal to feel all of the feels that go along with your infant/toddler growing up. Wasn’t it just the other day they learned to crawl? When they start saying “no,” or “I do it,” you realize they are beginning to form their own thoughts, opinions, and ways of doing things. And so it begins...Your child wants to investigate and test boundaries. So why not allow them a bit of “me time” while you take some yourself?

To help you feel more comfortable and ready to enroll your child in preschool you should tour any and all schools that pique your interest for whatever reasons. When you are researching and visiting there are the basics of what to look for and ask about, but we have 3 simple things for you to consider: vibe, size, and gut. Noticing that your little one is ready for preschool means that you are in tune with their personal growth and interest in the world around them. There are so many benefits to attending preschool, but the most important one is that children learn to care for themselves and others, thus making the transition into Kindergarten much easier.

At this stage, it’s a bit of a guessing game as to what your child will grow up to be like. Exposing your child to the right amount of experiences will help them and you, figure out how they learn, what they like, what they don’t like, and what they respond to. Adding dedicated teachers to your child’s team creates a partnership focused on sharing, informing, and working together to understand your little one. And when it comes to educational philosophy why limit what they are exposed to during this crucial growing time? A school like CHALK will work with you to discover your child’s strengths as they navigate the world around them. Our Beyond the Classroom approach is a theme-based, traditional, and emergent concept that engages all of our students…helping the reserved child feel more confident in real-life situations and keeping the busy body moving while learning.

Maybe, easing your way into a couple of half days a week is just enough? Odds are once you and your little one have made it over the initial hurdle you will both want more!

2. Overwhelmed with information about preschools?

What will make you feel more confident in sending your child to preschool, is feeling like you’ve made the best choice based on the colossal amount of information out there. So aside from the common checklist; teacher qualifications, educational philosophy, parent communication, safety, school fees, curriculum, class size/ratios…

Here are the top 3 things to consider when choosing a preschool:

1. VIBE- Is it about the kids or is there something else that makes you feel pressure to be the perfect parent? Is there competition to be the smartest, the best behaved, the kindest student? Let’s take all of those barriers down and realize that kids will be kids and a school like CHALK knows how to nurture every type.

2. SIZE- Large or small, you will want to make sure that you feel your family’s needs will be met with a personal approach. That comes down to your child’s (and your) comfort with the amount of other families and children around. CHALK’s Boutique Preschools are perfect for comfort and familiarity.

3. GUT- When you visit the schools what does your gut say? Not what you think everyone else is doing, what feels right for you. Trust yourself.

3. My child hasn’t been around many people or other kids, how will they acclimate?

Ah, the benefits of friendship…

In preschool, children will play more with others and begin to form friendships. They learn how to take turns, share, and include others in their classroom and at home. Doing what other children may want to do, understanding the way others may feel, playing group games, and participating in group activities are some of the first things children do when learning how to build and develop friendships. Those friendships, along with nurturing teachers, will enable your little one to flourish in the preschool setting.

Child psychologists find early childhood friendships contribute to children’s quality of life and help them adjust to changes in their environment as well. Establishing friendships is an important developmental goal of early childhood. Friendships established during the preschool years create valuable contexts to learn and practice skills essential to children’s social, cognitive, communicative, and emotional development. Friendships also benefit children by creating a sense of belonging and security and by lessening stress. In addition, successful friendships in early childhood contribute to children’s quality of life and are considered important to life adjustment.

*(Buysse, Goldman, & Skinner, 2002) (Guralnick, Neville, Hammond, & Connor, 2007)(Geisthardt, Brotherson, & Cook, 2002; Overton & Rausch, 2002)(Overton & Rausch, 2002; Richardson, & Schwartz, 1998)

Social skills

Cooperation and Patience – Sharing with others and taking turns
Communication – Talking and listening to others
Empathy – Respond to others’ feelings with understanding and take the perspective of others
Responsibility – Respecting classroom materials and making good choices
Consideration – Using manners and being aware and helpful to those around them
Emotional regulation – Expressing feelings (happy, sad, scared, mad), managing anger or anxiety.

Learning these skills combined with experiential/hands-on learning is crucial for creating curiosity, independence, and confidence. At CHALK Preschool students begin working on social skills, then fundamental skills in critical and creative thinking, leading the way into academics while building a solid foundation for a happier, kinder, and more well-rounded child. We take great pride in promoting classroom community, peer learning, and working together because those are the essential values of responsible humans.