questions to ask during preschool tour

for various reasons, we have made the decision to send our child to a preschool/playschool when he turns 18 months in september.


our plan is a 3 mornings a week programme, probably 9-12pm or 1pm (have not made the decision if he should have lunch in school).


we have 2 school tours coming up. just wondering anyone can advise on any important questions we should be asking the school? the intention is not for him to be "educated" in a serious manner (hard to believe but i hear some schools do do that, no outdoor play or whatever) as he will only be 18 months after all. what is critical to us is that he enjoys the experience, has fun and socialise with other children in a happy, caring and positive environment.

Wheelymate, your gut feel when you tour the schools will probably tell you everything, but I'd also probably ask about:


i) the teacher:child ratio,


ii) the qualifications/background of the teachers,


iii) teacher and child turnover,


iv) teaching method (eg Montessori etc?),


v) question whether they start a phonics reading programme etc (even if this is not important to you, it gives an idea whether they focus on play or formal learning),


vi) the predominant language in the classroom or playground,


vii) the amount of time they spend indoors v outdoors,


viii) the level of parental involvement,


ix) whether they have naptime etc.


x) whether they provide snacks/lunch or you do (if they do, what do they provide?),


xi) also ask about the flexibility of the schedule; one of my problems with HK preschools is that they're a bit 'all or nothing', i.e. 5 days or nothing. In London we did what you want to do; started with a couple of mornings and built up from there,


xii) I'd also ask what schools the children normally end up in (never too early to think about that).


Hope this helps. Good luck - it's usually much more traumatic for the mother than the child.

I'm assuming that either you or your helper will attend the preschool with your child. Is that the case? The playgroup at my son's school requires an adult with each child as they are so young.

hi mums,


thanks for the great advice...they are more of less the stuff i would like to know about so great to know i'm on track!


dora: i can imagine my child, who is generally happy and sociable will enjoy the experience alot more than i do. i just can't stop panicking, i am looking at him and thinking, he's still a baby! but at the same time i don't have a choice either.


joshmomm: yes, i will have my kid with me while we do the school tours, i hope that it will help!


kar: no, the programme does not require a parent or a helper. which is one of the reason why we are placing him in a school. we do not wish to have a helper and because i will be working part-time soon, i need to place him in a school.

Wheelymate -


when my daughter was 20 months old I put her in an all day, 5 days a week, solo program, and I totally don't regret it at all. Her program provides a two hour nap (which I wish was shorter, but oh well), 2 snacks, a super healthy organic lunch.


There are a few things that I really love about her program - the school provides a book which is sort of a daily "log" of her activities at school. IT has a place for me to fill in things before she attends school - her mood (Great, okay, bad), her health (same as mood), her sleep the night before, if she pooped, and then any notes I need to give to her teacher in case the drop off is hectic. For example, her father has just returned after 7 weeks away, and took us all to the zoo. SO my daughter saw all these animals, and I gave the teacher the information in the book and then she turned around and asked my daughter about what had happened at the zoo. There is another space for her teacher to write about her actual day at school - mood, health, nap times, (how long she napped), if she ate well (both snacks and lunch) and another section for notes. I love the notes that I pass back and forth and her teacher is awesome about writing very detailed things. I asked that she focus on her activities more than her food habits and her teacher does just this.


Another thing that I love is that I get a weekly newsletter which covers what they did in terms of lessons and theme at school during the week and what the NEXT theme and lessons are going to be. IT covers songs, any books read, new social skills (learning to greet elders, learning to bow).


Her school is definitely play based, BUT they have specific themes and small mini learning modules that get covered in a week. Some my daughter really enjoys and instantly turns them around into application in her life and others not - and I don't sweat it either way.


It does take some adjustment to get them used to it. I started my daughter out for 3 hours at first for about a month and a half, and then when her teacher told me she thought she was ready for more I started leaving her there for the nap. And she did just great within two months. she would go happily and come home happily. There are days when they won't want to go, and then they go and have a blast.

It's funny Wheelymate - when my daughter went to preschool and loved it, I was almost disappointed. You can't win; if they're unhappy, it's obviously much worse. We are lucky that our children are happy, secure and well looked after - we're the ones who struggle to let go! He'll have a ball. Once you find a school with which you are happy, you know that he will be too (after all you know him best and are the only one who can find the perfect school for him). Also, much as other parents' opnions are useful, nobody will have the exact same priorities or child as you, so once you're happy with your choice, try no to let others put doubts in your mind. Good luck with the tours.

hello all!

we did our 1st tour today, very exciting!

the school seemed nice - good mix of local and expat kids having a good time, friendly teachers, great outdoor space and a decent lunch menu (although not organic like hkcc's). my kid was quite shy initially but very curious and definitely wanted to join in during the water play activity! i asked most of the questions that you guys have suggested and the answers were generally satisfactory - i would have been even more suspicious if they were perfect textbook answers like joshmomm says!


now, this school actually has a childcare license so you can place your kid in there for a full day, including his afternoon nap. i might consider putting in him for a extended programme, picking him up after his afternoon nap and snack. just curious, (hkcc maybe you can help since your kid naps in school) - how do you make the transition for a kid who has been used to sleeping alone in the dark to a roomful of kids???

Wheelymate, my daughter goes to school 3 hours a day, 5 days a week.


At the start of each semester, she would cry for the first 2 weeks and I would feel so guilty leaving her there. I would call her teachers daily only to have them tell me that she's usually very happy in class and one of the most active in her class. She's in her second semester now and I'm proud to say that there are no more tears and she's quite happy to go to school.


In fact, today she couldn't wait to go to school to show her teachers photos that we took on our trip to Langkawi.


Regarding nap times, I was talking to a teacher about it last month and she said that kids generally adapt well to the environment regardless of how mummies used to put them to sleep at home.


The teachers will draw the curtains and get each child to sleep on the bed (which they all willingly do). For kids who do not want to sleep, the teachers still put them in beds so that they can have a little quiet time during the day to rest. I peeped through the window in one of the classes and I saw the kids going to the toilets back and forth because they didn't want to sleep. Hee hee.. but the teachers still put them back in their beds. I was also told that should any of the kids feel tired during playtime (grumpy,crying,go all quiet etc), the teachers will let them have a rest.


That happened to my daughter last semester. Her English teacher picked her up because she was crying, placed her on a bed, patted her and she fell asleep. I thought that was nice.

Great thread!!


I found this on a preschool website:


Ten Questions to Ask the School

Searching for a preschool for your child? Here are ten questions I suggest you ask:


How long has the school been in existence?

What experience do the teachers have?

What is the daily routine?

What is the parent involvement?

Is there time set aside for the parent and teachers to discuss the child?

How is discipline handled?

Does the school have an outdoor space and how often is it used?

Does the school take field trips?

What is the vacation and holiday schedule?

What is the policy for taking care of sick or injured children?


Four Questions to Ask Yourself

When visiting a preschool, rely on what you see. Here are four questions to ask yourself:


Are the children safe, busy, and happy?

Does the school have a lively, creative order to it?

Are the rooms decorated with teacher art or children's art? (Children's art decorating the room is a sign the teachers value what the children create.)

Do the teachers seem to like what they are doing?


I would also add:

And also:

What food and drinks are provided?

What if my child has allergies?

and other specific queries according to your dietary requirements/needs/wishes...


For many of us it is also important to ask about cost:

How much is the deposit?

Is it refundable?

How much is the tuition? How can it be paid (ie, monthly installments?)

What other costs can we expect? (food, bus, uniform, field trips, books and materials, etc...)


In HK, you might also want to ask:

What is the balance of classwork vs play?

Is there homework?

What primary schools do students go to?

What is the ratio of nationalities / native languages (if this is important to you)?

Is religion a topic that is covered, if so how?


There is a great list here as well, with more details as to what to look for in the answers:

http://www.pbs.org/parents/goingtoschool/choosing1.html (and on the next page too)


and


http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content3/identify.preschool.5.html


http://eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/22/7a/00.pdf (a pdf but very good)

WM -


my #1 adjusted within a week to sleeping at school -they darken the room, and she has her own blanket and pillow from home. Her teacher was really wonderful and heard my concerns about her becoming "dependent" on a crutch to fall asleep. SO I asked her to start with something but eliminate it as I did at home, and her teacher did that - tapping a bit and then stopping to see if she would fall asleep. Initially she would only sleep about 45 minutes, but about a week into it, she could do the full two hours. I had to adjust my Gina Ford loving self - because her nap starts an hour later and goes an hour later (wake up 3:30) and so her bedtime started getting massively skewed as well...but it was worth it. Now, sometimes she only sleeps 1 hour - but I prefer that - because that means she won't sleep at 9:30 - but closer to 8.

great advice!


i am glad to hear the kids adapted well esp. those who take naps in schools.