Search for the Perfect Kindergarten
by Sanyoo Bharadwaj
APPS Assistant Director

Your child is five years old and the quest for placement in an appropriate kindergarten program is on! Is your child ready for kindergarten? If yes, how do you select the right match for your child and your family? Do you follow the crowd of friends and parents in the neighborhood or at your child's preschool and enroll in a program most of them are attending or do you set forth with a great deal of doubt and trepidation on your own? What do you need to look for? What exactly are the salient features of a good kinder program?

If you are asking any of these questions, you are on the right track. Do not discount the reasons your friends and neighbors have for attending a particular program. Build on their knowledge and see if this kinder program will encourage your child to learn and grow. Try to tour as many programs as you can. This will help you to consolidate the outstanding characteristics that matter to you. Make a list of your child's strengths and challenges and take it with you when you set out to tour the various programs of interest.

When you have seen a classroom, try and picture your child with his/her personality and learning style in that space. Ask questions- no question is unreasonable.

Some things to look out for in a prospective classroom:

• Is the room tidy? (It can be cluttered with works in progress)
• Is the children's' work displayed in various stages of development?
• Is the Teacher accessible to the children at all times or does she have her own delineated space?
• Are books, art supplies, learning/or play games easily accessible to the children?
• Is there an area dedicated to class groups? (like a circle rug)
• Does each child have a designated work space (desk)?
• Is the children's daily/weekly schedule posted in plain sight?

Some questions to ask of the program directors/teachers:

• How often do the children get to do P.E?
• When and how long is their break time?
• When do they do art/music?
• Do they do any field trips?
• How does the school deal with disciple in the classroom? What is their philosophy?
• Are parents allowed to volunteer?
• How can parents keep in touch with the teacher about questions and concerns they might have?
• Does the school have a summer Kindergarten readiness program?