Building Blocks

If you're a stay at home mommy, eventually your little one will have to go off to school and you'll have the joyous but tedious task of finding a preschool for him/her. Experts agree that a child's preschool years are very important in the future of their education because they are some of the most important years developmentally. Choosing the right preschool requires a lot of research because you want to place your child in the most optimal environment for him/her. Generally preschoolers range in age from about 2 1/2 -5 years of age depending on the program. Curriculums vary school to school. The 3 most popular are the Montessori, Waldorf, and High/ Scope curriculums. Check them out to see which one is good for your preschooler.

• Montessori-My personal favorite, this curriculum has a focus in five important areas. The first is practical life where children are taught independence by way of tying their shoes, dressing themselves, preparing their own snacks etc. The second is sensory awareness where children are encouraged to use all five of their senses to learn through exploration, play, and hands on activity. The third is language arts where children learn the building blocks for reading and writing. Fourth, children learn about geometry and math (even decimals) through play and hands on aides. Last but not least, fifth is a concentration on cultural subjects such as geography, history, art, animals etc. This type of curriculum was founded by psychiatrist Maria Montessori in 1907 and is great for children who learn best hands on. Children are encouraged to learn at their own pace and teachers are very in tune with individual children!


• Waldorf- Waldorf preschools encourage kids to learn through free play in an environment that is very similar to their home. Pretending and lots of self expression through singing, arts and crafts are fostered in Waldorf preschools and are great for children who love to be part of a group.


• High/ Scope- This program is built on the theory that children need to learn through active involvement with people, ideas, events, and materials. Like the Montessori curriculum children are encouraged to learn at their pace, but High/ Scope children are the organizers of the materials and activities. Computers are usually part of this curriculum which focuses on creative representation, music, classification and other things. This school setting is good for preschoolers who need very specialized attention from teachers, and has proved very effective for children with learning disabilities and delays.

Many preschools offer half-day and full day programs based on the needs of parents. Like anything else, education, especially preschool, can be costly, but in the long run it will pay off. Choose a setting that your child will be learning and interacting at his/her fullest potential and won't lag or regress in.

"Children who attend high-quality preschool enter kindergarten with better
pre-reading skills, richer vocabularies, and stronger basic math skills than
those who do not,"says NIEER director W. Steven Barnett, PhD.

While children can ALWAYS learn and play at home or in childcare before kindergarten, preschool teaches them how to socialize and be students. Give your child the head start they need in school and the edge in life. Make sure you research lots of schools before you choose one that's right for your little one. Take into consideration the location, the hours and the staff. Check for licensing and if the school you choose is a member of NAEYC. Best of luck....LOVE

Check out this link to hundreds of listings of preschools following these curriculums in the US. http://www.savvysource.com/

Also check out the Bank Street Curriculum if none of these interest you!