Information About Choosing A Preschool Medford Oregon Parents Will Find Helpful

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 overall impression of the school should be one of cleanliness, that is no bad smells, and floors and classroom materials should also be reasonably free of dirt and debris. Messiness should not be confused for uncleanliness however, since mess is the natural result of children being busy at play in an environment that encourages them to do so freely. Children should each have their own storage cubby, and access to child-sized washrooms. The room should be arranged into various centers that each feature a particular activity, and there needs to be easy access to classroom materials and snacks.

The focus of a good preschool program is on learning through play, both with others and on one's own. Children should not appear bored, but rather be busily enjoying a variety of fun activities or participating in group "circle time" in which the teacher leads the class in a sing-along or read them stories. Too much structure is neither necessary or appropriate at this stage.

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.

It is also important that these teachers use the right body language when working with young children, so the students will feel comfortable approaching them and so they view the teacher as someone who cares and is there to always support and encourage them. This involves positioning one's body at the same level as the child's, by kneeling or crouching if necessary, and establishing eye contact during communications.

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.

There should be a wide variety of interesting play materials available to stimulate creativity and exploration, all of which are in fairly good condition, safe, and suitable for this age group. Examples include a large selection of books, arts and crafts materials, dolls, cars, building materials, and play centers to encourage imaginary play such as a doctor's office, kitchen, and dress-up clothes.

The teachers should also watch each child closely to get a general sense of his or her progress, and to recognize any potential areas of difficulty the child may encounter. Parents should be made aware of any delays early on, so the issue can be addressed in preschool before the child starts kindergarten.




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