5 Qualities of a Good Preschool Teacher You Should Not Overlook

Preschools provide the right setting to prepare your child for grade school. They are not just childcare centers for your child to play and interact with other children, but they are a place to learn as well. However, you need to pick the right preschool.

Among other things, such as safety and hygiene, pay close attention to the teachers when touring a preschool. Statistics show that the employment of preschool teachers will rise by 10 percent from 2016 to 2026, a rate higher than the average for all occupations. This growth is due to the increasing demand for early childhood education. However, not every preschool teacher will be right for your child.

Here are the qualities you should check in a preschool’s teaching staff before enrolling your child.

Good Education

Childcare centers are the initial points of education for your child. They offer your child grade school readiness. As you look around at a potential preschool for your child, consider the educational qualifications of the teachers.

Inquire from the school management on the criteria they use to hire their teachers. What is the minimum level of education that each need? A high school diploma is not sufficient. Preschool teachers should at least have a degree in education. It will ensure that your child receives a high-quality education.

Passion for Children

The best teacher will be working in the preschool because they love it, not because they cannot find any other job. Their passion for making a difference in a child’s life will be their driving force.

This passion will be apparent in their enthusiasm and motivation as they carry out their duties. Parents can sometimes be ungrateful, and some colleagues could be challenging to work with. Unless the teacher has a positive attitude and drive, they could unburden their frustrations in the classroom.

Creativity

The children in childcare centers will learn best using playful methods and things that involve using their hands. Every lesson needs to be fun for them to stay interested in. The preschool teacher, for this reason, needs to be creative. They should be capable of coming up with fun classes.

Creativity will not just help in assisting the children learn fast. It will come in handy when handling children from different cultures and backgrounds. They should come up with ways to make every child feel part of the class.

Warm and Humorous

Your child will be spending the better part of their day in the preschool. They need to be around friendly and fun teachers. It will help them warm up to the school and enjoy learning. When the teacher is free with the children, any child facing an issue will be more open to talking about it.

When finding the right preschool for your child, pay attention to the interactions between the teachers and the children. Is it strained? Are the children tensed? Do the teachers join in during games, or are they disengaged?

Patience

Patience is an essential quality of a preschool teacher. Children in childcare centers are between the ages of two and five years and they can be stubborn. It takes a patient teacher to handle a class full of them without losing their temper. An impatient teacher may be tempted to apply harsh disciplinary actions instead of positive and negative reinforcement methods.

Besides, children come with different learning capabilities. Some will be fast learners, while others will require special attention. Others will need the teacher to remind them about proper manners and good hygiene practices repeatedly, and this will require patience.

Final Thoughts

One factor you should pay keen attention when you’re assessing childcare centers is the teaching staff. You want your child to learn from well-trained and experienced teachers. The teachers should portray a passion for teaching children, high levels of creativity, and patience. They should be witty and easy with children.  With the assurance that your child is in good hands, only then can you have peace of mind.

Things to Do Before You Enroll Your Child in a Preschool Program

Over the years, a lot of changes have been made to the local school curriculum. Children are required to go through different programs at various stages in their learning. Therefore, if you are a parent, you need to know how to prepare your child for preschool. According to research findings, there was a 10% increase in the number of children joining preschool between 1990 and 2013. It is the beginning of their learning experience, and they have to start on the right footing. Many people focus on finding the right preschool, but there are many other factors that you have to consider. You will notice that every primary program has a different angle to the way they manage children. Here are the most important things to note:

Exceptional preparation for children

When you are taking a child to preschool, you will be enrolling someone who has no idea of what a school does. They have been under the care of their parents or daycare centers. Therefore, they will be looking forward to finding someone who will hold their hands and guide them through the learning process. The most reputable primary program is one that emphasizes on exceptional preparation for every child. For instance, they will provide academic preschool activities to make the children better.

A safe and friendly environment for every child

Everyone knows the importance of safety for every child. At this age, children are oblivious of the many dangers that they are exposed to. That is the reason they will get into danger without taking any precaution. When you want to enroll a child in a primary program, you should check the safety measures that are put in place to protect children. It is not only about their security, but you also need to know if there are any hazardous environments that they will be exposed to. In addition to that, you want the child to feel loved as they pursue academic preschool curriculum, even though they are away from home.

A curriculum that ensures readiness for grade school

The main purpose of enrolling a child in a primary program is to make them ready for grade school. You should, therefore, check the school’s curriculum to find out if they have any activities that make them ready. It is not just about knowing the reading and writing basics; you have to develop more skills in these young ones. A good example is the numerous summer programs that teach children to build personal relationships with their schoolmates.

A dedicated staff

How much does the team at the primary program want to see your child succeed? There is a difference between working to make a living and working for passion. This is the level where children look up to everyone as a parent. Your aim should be to find a local preschool program that has a dedicated staff. They should love their jobs so much that they think of the children as their own. When you find such, you will be sure that the child will get the needed guidance, and they will be good learners when they enter grade school.

The highest quality of preschool education

On your preschool checklist, the quality of education should be prioritized. Although it may only be a starting point, you will be surprised at how it affects the rest of their education. You need a program that focuses on providing the best quality of education. When it comes to quality, you should also look at the facilities they use. If it has been too long since they upgraded their facilities, they are not ready for the changes that have taken place in the education sector.

A primary program is where you start shaping the future of your child, and therefore, it should be chosen carefully. Think about what you want your child to become, and start developing them from the first instance. It is a good thing that no matter where you live, you will always get a preschool program that gives the perfect start to children. You only need to take the time and identify it, so that your child gets the best education.

The Benefits and Advantages of Preschool When Compared to Daycare Services

As a conscientious parent, you want what’s best for your child. Often, it’s easy to lose sight of this among the plentiful options of preschool and daycare centers. In the end though, preschool offers many benefits and advantages that daycare does not. By keeping your child’s best interests in mind as you find a preschool, you are doing them an enormous favor both for their early life and on into adolescence and adulthood. Follow our simple guide to get you started if you’re not sure what to look for in a preschool.

To begin, it’s important to look at some of the data in regards to the lifelong benefits of preschool education programs. In 2015, the overall percentage of three- to five-year-olds enrolled in preschool programs was higher for children who had parents with a graduate or professional degree (48%). For those whose parents had a bachelor’s degree 42% were enrolled in a preschool program, an associate’s degree (37%), some college (37%), a high school credential (29%), and less than a high school credential (29%). As you can see, the education levels of a family have a high relation to preschool and success in later adult education. For this reason and many others, it’s important to find a preschool that not only serves as a starting point of education for your child but also piques their interest in learning as a lifelong pursuit thereafter. It all begins with you.

Next, you may want to look at some of the specific services and benefits that your child stands to gain when attending a preschool program. As a foundation of learning and socialization, a good preschool will get your child used to interacting with others within a safe environment that is both mentally stimulating and socially nurturing. By exposing your child to peers early on, they have a much greater chance of building positive relationships through group communication, interaction, and involvement. When a child sees that their opinions, viewpoints, and preferences are considered valuable within a group setting, they are freer to construct a positive self-image and carry themselves with confidence through all their interpersonal interactions. This not only helps them take the initiative in their daily lives but also helps them adopt a sense of their place within a group setting and the community as a whole.

Of course, academic development is another major benefit of preschool. Early reading and writing skills help cement important concepts that lead to the refinement of valuable skills that will serve your child through their education and beyond into adulthood. What may seem like only a small head start on basic subjects like spelling and grammar can have enormous compounding returns as your child hones their abilities and cultivates their specific interests. You should try to find a preschool that has a proven record of success in teaching basic skills to a wide range of personality types, as this is often a good indicator that your child will be encouraged to learn in their own way from the start. The earlier your child begins the process of learning, the more likely they are to succeed, regardless of their talents and inclinations. A trusted preschool environment gets them started on the right foot so that they may continue to pursue success throughout their academic journey.

When you’re trying to find a preschool, don’t get overwhelmed by the wide range of options available to you. It’s wise to talk to trusted friends, colleagues, and parents in your community to get a sense of what’s available, and which preschool programs come with recommendations. Once you’ve narrowed down your choices, you may want to tour the preschool to get a sense of how your child will benefit from attending. Enrolling your child in preschool ensures that they are challenged and stimulated throughout the day, as opposed to placing them in daycare where they are not actively improving through education and skill-building. In the end, doing what’s right for your child is the most important thing, and by choosing to enroll them in preschool you are doing just that.

Helping Your New Preschooler Cope With Separation Anxiety

requirements for preschoolFor many parents, dropping your child off at preschool for the first time can be nerve-wracking. So when your child screams and cries upon arriving at school, that can only make it worse. To start, remember that this behavior is a normal part of child development.

“Children go through feelings of separation anxiety for different reasons, but on a basic level, they believe their survival is dependent on having a primary caregiver close by. Toddlers are also still too young to understand the concept of time,” Mali Anderson writes in Parents.

How can you begin to help your preschooler get past these feelings of anxiety? With three-fourths of young children in the United States participating in a preschool program, here are some techniques that parents can use to help their child feel more comfortable with their morning transition.

  • Give Happy Goodbyes: Your child checked off all requirements for preschool and arrived at the door of their first day, so this is your chance to show a positive attitude. Even if you are sad about leaving your child at school, do your best to smile and be enthusiastic. If you show that preschool is a happy place to be, your child may reflect this attitude. If your child senses that you are upset or that you have any doubt about leaving them, this will create more anxiety for them.
  • Develop A Routine: Children find comfort in routine, so create a positive one and stick to it. Whether it’s packing their lunch together or reading a book in the morning, use the morning to make your child feel safe and happy. This will get them in the best possible mindset to attend school that day.

Above all, be sure to communicate your concerns with your child’s teachers. The best academic preschool programs will be able to help your child work through their anxiety and sadness, and eventually, he or she will be excited to be there. Consider making this kind of support one of your requirements for preschool or daycare facilities as you select which is best for your child.