A good education is the key to any child’s future success, and this means that parents are greatly invested in finding the best day schools for their children. These may range from expensive private schools, such as the best private preschools in town, to highly rated public schools with ample extracurricular activities. When a child becomes old enough for preschool or elementary school, or when the family moves to a new city or county, the parents can look up the best schools of the necessary type, and narrow down the list to the finest schools and programs of all. Finding a good pre K for 3 year olds or four year olds is a fine example of this, since a child’s education can start even before kindergarten. What will a high quality pre K for 3 year olds offer?
Finding the Best Preschools Around
It may be pointed out that while a preschool education is not mandatory in the United States, many parents opt to send their children to a pre K for 3 year olds, or similar programs, all the same. From 1990 to 2000 in particular, the rate of preschool attendance grew especially fast, and by now, American households of all backgrounds are sending their children to preschool at record high rates. Over half of all American children aged three to five are enrolled in pre K programs, and while pre K for 3 year olds see robust attendance, four year old and five year old children especially are frequently enrolled. As of 2015, 87% of all American five year olds were enrolled in preprimary programs of some sort. A preschool is not just a day care center; it is a fully academic setting to prepare children for elementary school. At a preschool, young students will learn how to learn, get used to following directions from teachers, and meet and socialize with their peers.
Some preschools are private ones; that is, they are privately funded and run, and they charge tuition to the parents of their students. In return, these private preschools are well funded and offer expert teachers and many extra curricular activities for the students there. Still, a highly rated public preschool may be almost as good, and parents can perform a careful search to find them.
To find good preschools in the area, the parents can look online if they do not already have a good personal reference. A fairly specific query should be entered, specifying not only “preschool” but also the parents’ ZIP code to keep the results local, and specify whether they want to find public preschools, private ones, or both. Doing this can bring up a whole list of candidate preschools, and the parents can strike out schools they don’t want, and compile a shorter list of potential schools.
The parents may now tour those local preschools in person to evaluate them in person, and get a fair impression of what they are like. While there, the parents can consult the staff to look into the school’s level of funding and review the credentials of the staff working there (and see what sort of activities and programs the school offers). The parents can tour any number of preschools this way, and for the best schools, they can come back with their child, and allow that youngster to form their own impression and provide feedback however they can. This is a useful reference, since it’s important that a young student feels comfortable at any preschool where they are enrolled.
Other Schools
A similar process can be used to find elementary, middle, and high schools both public and private. During these tours, the prospective student may be looking for particular clubs or activities, such as a swim team, soccer team, marching band, debate team, or dedicated arts programs. Private schools charge tuition, but they are well funded and have high quality teachers and counselors. What is more, private school teachers report much lower incidence rates of student apathy than public school teachers do, and private high schools offer more college counseling prep for students. In other cases, the parents can look carefully for highly rated and well funded public schools, and enroll their children there for a good education.
