Parents urged to do research before choosing a preschool

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22: How do you choose a nursery or preschool to meet your child’s needs? It’s a question many parents have been addressing in recent weeks and months as the start of a new school year looms.

A range of factors have to be considered, such as location, school atmosphere and environment, your own philosophies on education and your child’s character.

In Bermuda there are many nurseries and preschools to choose from, both in the public sector (Government) and private.

Private schools must meet strict criteria in order to receive a Government licence. This is then renewed every year, depending on passing an inspection. This will include health and safety standards, fire procedures, class size ratios of students to teachers, and the size of the premises.

Smoke detectors, fire alarms and emergency lighting and exits must all be in working order. Electrical checks are also undertaken. Staff must also be trained in First Aid and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).

Sharon DeSilva is the owner of Kiddie Academy in Laffan Street, Hamilton, and is responsible for the education of 90 children of various nationalities.

The school was founded 17 years ago and caters to children aged three months to five years old. Mrs DeSilva said: “The signs of a great preschool/nursery are a welcoming, friendly atmosphere, a nurturing environment, stimulating curriculum and an open door policy.

“Parents should look for written and established regulations or guidelines, such as in a handbook, and qualified, caring staff.

“The facilities must be clean and safe, and licensed through the Department of Health.”

Her other recommendations for parents are to look for the following signs:

Children spend most of their time playing and working with materials or other children. They do not wander aimlessly, and are not expected to sit quietly for long periods of time.

Children have access to various activities throughout the day.

Teachers work with individual children, small groups and the whole group at different times.

The classroom is decorated with children’s artwork, their own writing and stories dictated by children to teachers.

Children learn numbers and the alphabet in the context of their everyday experiences. These include the world of plants and animals, and activities such as cooking, taking attendance or serving snacks.

Children work on projects and have long periods of time — at least an hour — to play and explore each day. Worksheets are hardly used, if at all.

Children have an opportunity to play outside every day.

Teachers read books to children individually or in small groups throughout the day, not just at group story time.

The curriculum is adapted for those who are ahead as well as those who need additional help. Teachers recognize that children’s different backgrounds and experiences mean that they do not learn the same things at the same time, in the same way.

Children and their parents look forward to school. Parents feel secure about sending their child, and the child is happy to attend; they do not cry or complain of feeling sick.

So what can a parent expect in terms of their child’s education and development at a nursery/preschool?

At Kiddie Academy, children aged three months to two years old attend the baby and toddler classes; two and three-year-olds attend transition classes; and four and five-year-olds attend preschool.

The baby class consists of baby massage, “to simulate cognitive development”. Staff take the children on walks, play music and read to them, and play with them on the floor with soft learning blocks.

Toddlers progress to finger painting, stacking blocks and stringing — for example attaching thimbles on to a rope.

“We start to focus on developing their attention span and fine motor control,” said Mrs DeSilva.

“It’s learning through fun and also helps them to hold a pencil later.”

Two-year-olds start to do potty training and are introduced to numbers, letters, shapes and colours.

“They are also allowed freedom to roam through the classroom and to take pieces of material from a shelf, so they can choose what they want in terms of shapes and colours,” she said.

“They also do artwork on the theme of a letter or shape. And we do field trips in relation to this theme.”

Four and five year olds are prepared for primary school at pre-school, and are taught early mathematics and literacy.

“We do everything to prepare them for elementary school,” said Mrs DeSilva.

“They start to trace names and learn how to physically write them. They learn how to count, using the Montessori way (an educational approach focusing on independence).

“We also put on puppet shows and plays. It’s very social and very fun.”

Tory Darrell, owner of Building Blocks Academy in North Street, Hamilton, said another piece of advice for parents in choosing a school was to ask others for feedback.

“They should speak to other parents at the school. They will be able to give you feedback based on their own experiences,” said Mr Darrell. “That is one of the reasons why this school has grown, from six students to 55 in our first year of operation. Parents have been expressing their excitement with the school.

“We are a bit different in that we only employ teachers who have qualified with degrees in their field. For example, our art teacher has an art degree and the science and social studies teacher has a geography degree.

“... They [parents] should ask about academics — at what level the school works to. All primary schools have entry-level requirements, and a good pre-school will have that information and a curriculum based on that.

“At Building Blocks we have based our classes on the entry-level curriculum for some of the private schools on the island. We have a mixed clientele, so our academics have to be good enough so our children can get into those schools.

“Parents should also look for activities and things happening from a social standpoint. There should be interaction between children, with different organized activities where they can come together.”

A longer version of this story will appear in our special Back to School supplement on Friday.