Questions to ask when touring preschools

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

please help!!!!

[o_mom]

How does pick up and drop off work?
What are the qualifications for teachers?
What snacks/lunches are provided or brought?
Are there restrictions on foods (if kids are bringing lunch, for example)?
When can I visit? <--- anything less than "ANYTIME YOU WANT" is a huge, major red-flag
How are students transported for field trips?
Can siblings attend field trips (if you are driving)?
Is potty-training required for 3 yos? <-- Even if he is already it gives you an idea if they are reasonable in their expectation
Who has access to the building during classes?
What policies do you have in place to keep the kids safe?
Can you tell me about a typical day and the schedule?
What is your discipline policy?

[hillview]

How do they handle transition from being at home to being at preschool
How do they redirect kids
What activities do kids have
What is the breakout btwn unstructured and structured time

Really when you see the place you get a really good sense of if your DC would do well there. We went to 3. One we loved, one we hated and one was ok. The questions were not really key in the decision (still good to ask!). But you get a vibe off the place.

HTH
/hillary

[clc053103]

how many years have the teachers been with you??

I can tell you from my experiences as of late, teacher turnover can be very disruptive in the classroom.

[HIU8]

What type of activities do you plan for rainy days when you cannot go outside?

(someone actually shared with me that a preschool they looked at told them that they paint the children's fingernails...)

[mustangcobra44]

Ask to see their last couple state health and safety inspections. Can usually be found online although I had to do some digging and finally ask the state where to locate the reports online so that I could compare multiple daycares at once.

I also checked the state sex offender database to see if any lived nearby any places we were looking.

Do they do things like teach sign language, ect. Our son was signing before he was talking and it was SO cool - he could tell us he wanted a book, food, drink, ect and we would tell him we were going to work, school, ect and he knew what we were talking about. We were actually learning it from him so we could do it at home since neither of us know sign language. Then we moved and the new daycare doesn't do it so he doesn't do it anymore.

Do you get a price break for mulitple children and/or if you pay so far in advance.

What's their policy on "vacation" for the child. Ours gives one week "vacation" after the first year so that we can go on vacation and not have to pay them for the week he's not there.

Do they offer any type of prorated or reduced fee if the child is out for X number of days straight due to illness. When our son had minor surgery we were only charged 1/2 price for the 2 weeks he was gone instead of the full price.

What's the pickup time and how much do they charge if you pickup late.

What is the child-teacher ratio.

[mamabelle]

Student teacher ratios, for each age group. Ho do they handle it when a teacher is out sick. What kind of ongoing staff development they do. How do they handle it if a child is having trouble separating or transitioning. Approach to discipline. What is their focus for the curriculum and goals for the kids. Max class size. What schoolwide events they have. Opportunities and expectations for families to volunteer at school. Teacher qualifications. First aid training. What is a typical day like.