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I have been visiting many preschools in my area. I do like one in particular for several reasons and I will list them because I want to see if these outweigh an incident I saw.
Positives:
Preschool is 5 minutes away from work.
The director takes a positive discipline approach.
Welcome parents anytime.
Most important, crying is NOT seen as manipulative.
NO TVs anywhere.
Alternative play areas for when it rains.
Splash pad for warm weather.
Making improvements as in LESS toys. They have too many toys.
1:4 ratio
The incident involved a 18 month old. While they were washing everybody's hands, one of the TAs was directing the students to their chairs. The TA was also trying to convince my daughter to join so the TA was not paying attention to the 18 month old girl. The toddler lost her balance on her chair and then hit the side of her head against the table. It was a loud thud.
Now, I know that children get hurt and it is a part of life. However, when a child thinks you are responsible for them, as in, helping her get onto a chair, I think you should see the whole thing through and then focus on the next thing. This is one reason why I don't interfere too much with my daughter. She is much more careless when she thinks I am going to help her. I step in when she is overestimating her abilities.
Would this make you reconsider the preschool? My gut says "no" for the reasons I listed but I can't help but view this as unprofessional.
I would not use this one incident as a sole reason to dismiss this preschool from consideration. Children will get hurt, slip, fall down, etc... on a daily basis. It is possible that this normally wouldn't have happened, but the TA was distracted trying to get your daughter into the group (I am making the assumption that you were there previewing). In the course of a normal day, there probably isn't the distraction to take the TA's attention away from the children getting settled in chairs.
How did she react when the child bumped their head? The reaction of the TA toward the injury would be a bigger deciding factor in my opinion, than the fact that a toddler bumped their head while at preschool.
If everything else about this preschool feels like a good fit... then I would go with that feeling. If you still have unease about the meal-time transition period, make arrangements to observe the process without your daughter along. You will definately be less of a distraction for the TA, and you will get a better view of what it is normally like.
I would not use this one incident as a sole reason to dismiss this preschool from consideration. Children will get hurt, slip, fall down, etc... on a daily basis. It is possible that this normally wouldn't have happened, but the TA was distracted trying to get your daughter into the group (I am making the assumption that you were there previewing). In the course of a normal day, there probably isn't the distraction to take the TA's attention away from the children getting settled in chairs.
How did she react when the child bumped their head? The reaction of the TA toward the injury would be a bigger deciding factor in my opinion, than the fact that a toddler bumped their head while at preschool.
If everything else about this preschool feels like a good fit... then I would go with that feeling. If you still have unease about the meal-time transition period, make arrangements to observe the process without your daughter along. You will definately be less of a distraction for the TA, and you will get a better view of what it is normally like.
I think I partly wrote the OP out of guilt for distracting the TA. She did pick her up to console her and I noticed the other TA gave her "the look". But yes, when I think about it, toddlers have been hurt even with all mom's within 3 feet. I am guilty of this too.
Accidents do happen even in routines. It was not like she was climbing shelves and nobody was watching. Yes, I think this place is great. Too many positives outweigh accidents that sometimes are just accidents. If anything, hopefully a lesson to us adults. THX
I agree the way the child was consoled is much more indicative of the type of care.
Something I have always done when selecting a daycare is to hang out a little during drop off pick-up time and ask the other parents what they think of the center and if they are happy there.
My son has been to 4 centers so far the first center was AMAZING, every parent I asked was over the moon their face would light up and say nothing but good things and encourage me to enroll. The only negatives were regarding the cost (let's just say the place was MORE than I paid for housing at the time!). My son was very very happy there and I never had any complaints. We moved so i had to pull him.
The second place the parents I asked gave me half hearted "yeah it's nice" responses, the biggest plus they stated was it was the best balance of cost/convienience in town. I hated that place and actually went back to being a SAHM after he was there a couple of months.
The third place was just a stop gap until it was my turn on the waiting list for our current center. Responses were either rave or negative. The parents that loved it told me the teachers (only 2 in the whole center) love those kids like they are thier own, the other parents made a little squinty face and said mmmm, it's okay very affordable. In the end it was true those teachers LOVED those kids and I never felt like he was in any danger but at the same time I got what i paid for, the curricumlum was c.r.a.p. and they often resorted to TV and "school lunch" was chinese take out more than once. Student turn over was very high.
At our center now the ONLY complaint I ever heard is that they don't have kindergarden. The 9 month waiting list also spoke volumes. The place is top notch and the price is right, a lot of the kids have been there since 6 weeks old and have had their older sibilings go to the same school. The place is so great I recommend it to anyone that asks and sometimes when i see parents in the lobby grabbing an enrollment form I make it a point to tell them to join the waiting list and pray it clears up fast they won't regret it.
It sounds overall like a great place and I agree that you should go with your gut feelings. As a Kindergarten (former first and former public school Pre-K teacher as well) teacher and mom of three I would say some other things to look for in a quality center are:
A warm relationship between the teachers/caregivers and childen
Plenty of toys within the reach of the children
A variety of appropriate books and lots of read aloud times
Lots of opportunities and tools to be creative both in their social play and with their hands
Lots of opportunities for social interaction throughout the day. You should see housekeeping or dramatic play centers, blocks, legos or duplos, tinker toys, etc.
Some opportunity for solitary play as well, though this should not be the focus
Opportunities to make and enjoy music
A focus on learning through doing and hands on activities rather than worksheets. If I saw worksheets being used with children under five I would not even consider the center. That is not how young children learn best.
I think it sounds good. Maybe a little too good. I would question the 4:1 ratio. These may be the numbers they try for, but the state has a requirement of 7:1. I've seen this in daycare and preschool settings.
I think it sounds good. Maybe a little too good. I would question the 4:1 ratio. These may be the numbers they try for, but the state has a requirement of 7:1. I've seen this in daycare and preschool settings.
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Since they have TAs, I would suspect it's connected to a college. The numbers can be kept low in that case because students are working there for course credit as opposed to being paid staff. The state ratio depends on the age of the children in the class.
Nana, it is not connected to a college. It is part of a place of worship. I just called and asked about qualifications. The teacher only has an associates and it seems that this is common in South Florida. One of the TA's has a masters but according to them, she is pulled out of the class occasionally for subbing.
The reason why the accident bothers me is because to me it seemed careless for the simple fact that she was handling the girl who got hurt. In other words, she was not paying attention and to be honest, some people are just better about this than others. I know accidents happen but they tend to happen more with careless people.
The hand washing transition seemed to be treated as something on a checklist and did seem rushed. The teacher said they were behind schedule but I believe this is NO reason to rush. When the children were finished having snack they waited at the door for about 3 minutes to go to the playground while the caregivers fussed with something else.
I think what is really bothering me is that even with the low ratio, children seemed rushed, there was an accident and then children were waiting. Maybe I am unsure now. Should I bring this up to the director? She is making changes this week as far as organization of the toddler room.
Anyway, I am so glad that we are still 1 year away. However, I can't help but get the feeling that the more I observe, the more I don't like. I will focus more on human interaction rather than amenities.
Nana, it is not connected to a college. It is part of a place of worship. I just called and asked about qualifications. The teacher only has an associates and it seems that this is common in South Florida. One of the TA's has a masters but according to them, she is pulled out of the class occasionally for subbing.
The reason why the accident bothers me is because to me it seemed careless for the simple fact that she was handling the girl who got hurt. In other words, she was not paying attention and to be honest, some people are just better about this than others. I know accidents happen but they tend to happen more with careless people.
The hand washing transition seemed to be treated as something on a checklist and did seem rushed. The teacher said they were behind schedule but I believe this is NO reason to rush. When the children were finished having snack they waited at the door for about 3 minutes to go to the playground while the caregivers fussed with something else.
I think what is really bothering me is that even with the low ratio, children seemed rushed, there was an accident and then children were waiting. Maybe I am unsure now. Should I bring this up to the director? She is making changes this week as far as organization of the toddler room.
Anyway, I am so glad that we are still 1 year away. However, I can't help but get the feeling that the more I observe, the more I don't like. I will focus more on human interaction rather than amenities.
Toddler rooms should not feel rushed at all, imo. I would definitely focus on the human interactions. We found that untiming the day was a real help for all ages. This just means that the teachers follow the children's schedule rather than try to have everything done at the same times every day on a strict schedule.
A good daycare (I can't call this a preschool, since in my experience, preschools are for children from 3 to 5) should be taking the time to monitor each child. It sounds like their ratios are from the NAEYC guidelines which recommend that toddlers be in groups no bigger than 8 children and with no more than 1 provider for every 4 children, so a room of 8 would have 2 teachers.
Toddlers should have a consistent provider who is their primary care provider and who knows them well. Teachers should be warm and loving.
Curriculum should focus on self-help skills at this age. Often daycares work with you on potty training and feeding with a spoon or fork. Children should be observed by teachers carefully to determine whether they need extra help with anything. Curriculum should take families into account providing for the needs of diverse families so no child feels left out. There should be plenty of books around and several short read aloud times in a day. There should be many different kinds of manipulatives, but these should be rotated so that children are not overwhelmed by the amount of toys available. There should be opportunities for messy play and art.
Good luck!
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