When Choosing A Preschool Medford Oregon Families Should Follow These Tips

By Sally Delacruz


Choosing the right preschool for one's child is essential to his or her cognitive and social development so it's important that parents ensure the one they select provides a nurturing and enriching learning environment. The best way to evaluate what a school has to offer is to visit it in person. When it comes time to tour a preschool Medford Oregon families should be sure to look for the following key elements.

The school needs to be clean, free of bad smells, and floors and toys should not be too grubby or sticky. Mess is normal for small children, and should be expected as they are busy playing at various activities. The classroom should have child-accessible washrooms and cubbies for each child. Toys and learning materials and snacks also need to be easy for the children to access on their own. There should be a number of different organized play centers which each feature an activity such as reading, art, water play, building etc.

Independent and group play are the main vehicles through which young children learn. A healthy preschool environment consists of a classroom abuzz with the action of children playing and interacting together, and participating in "circle time" with their teachers to hear stories or sing songs. The emphasis should be on free play as opposed to structure.

A teacher who is trained to work with preschool children, between three and five years old, needs to be able to effectively relate to them and know how to resolve any concerns or inevitable disagreements they may have with their classmates. The focus is on building strengths and providing assistance with any obstacles the child may face, while treating each as a unique individual.

The body language these teachers use also matters. Kneeling or crouching down to the child's level and making eye contact is an important way to establish a connection between the adult teachers and their preschool students. It helps to make them more approachable and conveys a message of caring. A teacher should be someone the child feels at ease with and can rely on for support and encouragement.

Children should be encouraged to have a free reign over their creativity when it comes to art projects produced in the classroom. Furthermore, teachers should proudly display all the creations of their young students, to give the children a sense of achievement and to show how much creativity is valued.

The classroom materials need to stimulate creativity and exploration should be varied, in fairly good shape, and suitable for use by children of this age. Imagination can be used in simulated real-life play centers such as a kitchen, doctor's office etc., and through dressing up in various types of clothes and uniforms. Other items such as books, blocks, dolls, cars, and supplies for arts and crafts should also be available.

While formal evaluation is generally not emphasized at the preschool level, ideally the teachers should keep track of each child's development and progress as it can help identify any delays. It's best if such issues can be recognized and addressed prior to when the child starts kindergarten, a good preschool will notice any areas the child struggles in, and help him or her overcome them as much as possible.




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