9 Qualities to Look for in a Preschool for Your Child
Published 28 November 2022 at 17:11
Tickikids Blog Singapore > Digest > 9 Qualities to Look for in a Preschool for Your Child
The preschool you choose for your child can potentially be one of the most important decisions you make for them early in their lives. In addition to having a major effect on your child’s later school performance, your choice may also influence their perception of the wider world—as well as their ability to relate to and empathize with peers.
Below are a few of the qualities that a preschool must have if you want to help your child succeed later in life.
1. Aims to Develop Confidence and Independence
As much as possible, you want to make sure that the school offers children a healthy understanding of how to navigate different systems and relationships without compromising their agency. In other words, the school must help them become independent.
Building confidence and independence at this stage is important because preschool is more than just custodial care. It is going to be your child’s first substantial experience with the outside world independent of parental supervision. A preschool’s approach to independence will, therefore, be key in forming your child’s attitudes towards their peers, authority figures, and the wider systems that they are a part of.
2. Offers a Comprehensive Curriculum
If you want your child to enter a good primary school in the future, choose a preschool that offers a comprehensive curriculum. Exceptional primary schools tend to be more academically rigorous, which can make it more challenging for unprepared kids. Thus, choosing a preschool that prepares your child for these challenges can help them excel once they enter elementary school. If you’re preparing your child to enter elementary school in Singapore, be sure to look for a kindergarten Singapore parents vouch for.
3. Provides a Holistic Approach to Learning
A curriculum that adequately prepares your child for elementary school isn’t always going to help them succeed in other areas of their life. Your choice of preschool should also prepare your child for life outside the classroom. Make sure to pick one that offers exposure to physical exercise, to the arts, as well as to important values that your child will need to guide them for the rest of their life.
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4. Enables Exposure to Multiple Languages
Small children can learn new languages extremely quickly, which makes preschool a good time to familiarise them with languages other than their mother tongue. Multilingualism is associated with a wide variety of benefits and helps children grow up to be globally sensitive individuals. Starting them off in preschool will give them a better chance of developing mastery of different languages compared to having them learn when they’re older.
5. Uses Scientifically Vetted Education Methodologies
The science behind child psychology and pedagogy is evolving continuously. When possible, you want to make sure that the preschool you choose employs methods grounded in the latest scientific understanding within these fields. This can make a difference in ensuring your child develops into a well-rounded person.
6. Emphasises Values and Interpersonal Relationships
Your child will eventually have to deal with the challenges of managing different relationships and navigating ambiguous situations. While it remains your responsibility as a parent to guide your child, a preschool that educates children in values and relationships can help guide their growth when they are away from your supervision.
7. Offers Early Exposure to Music
Music is an exceptionally important aspect of the overall human experience. There is evidence showing that musical experiences in early childhood can speed up a child’s brain development, particularly in their ability to process speech, sound, and even written language. This means that a preschool that offers music fundamentals will not only help enrich your child’s connection with others, but it will help their cognitive development as well.
8. Facilitated by Qualified Teachers
While there is a big demand for good preschools, the supply of preschool instructors is relatively low, especially for teachers with special certifications. Because preschool is critical to your child’s development, you want to make sure that the school you choose has qualified teachers to take charge of your child.
9. Guides Children to Develop a Global Mindset
While your child might not be capable of grasping it just yet, globalization and cross-border exchanges are already important factors in their life. The relevance of these trends will only increase throughout their lifetime.
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To prepare your child for a globalized future, it’s important to select a preschool that offers a more worldly, cosmopolitan education as opposed to a more narrow viewpoint typical of many mainstream educational systems. Such a school may not only give them the skills they need to understand and adapt to a variety of cultures, but it could also be key in helping them develop their empathy, proactiveness, and humility.
A preschool’s curriculum and teaching philosophy can influence your child’s early development, which in turn, may affect their school performance moving forward. Choosing a preschool that offers both excellent academic standards and a holistic approach to education can be key to helping your child develop a mentality that helps them succeed, inside and outside of the classroom.