| Preschool education has been pegged as a | | | | children develop their other aspects. Preschool |
| foundation to successful education and even | | | | cannot be too focused on academic subjects. It |
| success in adult life. But not all preschools are | | | | must also address the development of social skills |
| created equal, not even the most expensive ones. | | | | to prepare kids for a bigger group or class. As |
| Here are characteristics and features a good | | | | early as preschool, good qualities and values like |
| preschool should have: | | | | self-confidence and love of country can already |
| - Clean and secure location. This is a | | | | be introduced. Creativity and self-expression |
| non-negotiable for preschools. We are talking | | | | should also be a priority in the curriculum, keeping |
| about kids younger than six years old who will be | | | | kids motivated and interested in schooling. In the |
| regularly attending classes. It is crucial that even | | | | words of Dr. Barbara Willer of the National |
| on the way to school they feel secure. No health | | | | Association for the Education of Young Children, |
| and safety hazards should be anywhere near the | | | | "Your 3- or 4-year-old will learn the fundamental |
| school. A good preschool should not only attend | | | | building blocks of reading, writing, math, and |
| to the mental well-being of a child but also his or | | | | science, as well as how to interact with teachers |
| her physical well-being. Kids must be able to | | | | and classmates...[but] the overarching goal of any |
| associate positive feelings and images with the | | | | preschool should be to help a child feel good about |
| school. | | | | himself as a learner and to feel comfortable in a |
| - Complete and safe facilities. Setting up a room | | | | school-like setting." |
| won't be enough if we want quality public | | | | - Some structure or routine. What differentiates a |
| preschools. There are basic facilities kids need | | | | preschool from a daycare center is that it has a |
| round the clock and facilities that are required to | | | | more defined structure. A good preschool has a |
| keep the school kid-friendly and hazard-free. | | | | set schedule for activities, from writing lessons to |
| Simply put, a preschool must have a toilet room, | | | | play time to nap time. It also requires regular |
| a sanitary area for eating, a separate area for | | | | attendance-it is not mere babysitting. In the class, |
| trash, a clinic or medicine cabinet, a no-slip flooring | | | | routine chores may be done to instill in kids a |
| and cabinets for toys and other materials. | | | | sense of capability and responsibility. These can be |
| Furniture and any equipment must have no sharp | | | | as simple as helping out in distributing materials or |
| edges. Electric outlets must have covers and | | | | in tidying up the room. This structured quality of a |
| anything else that pose harm to kids should be | | | | preschool ascertains that the kids are not wasting |
| kept out of their reach and eyesight. | | | | time but are learning each day. |
| - Feel-good atmosphere. A preschool should have | | | | - Variety of Instructional Materials. Kids need a lot |
| an atmosphere welcoming to young children. It | | | | of stimulation-their intellectual stimulation is highly |
| should not seem boring, rigorous or threatening. | | | | dependent on sensory stimulation. A good |
| The classrooms should be well-ventilated and | | | | preschool has to have a wide variety of |
| well-lit. Positive and colorful images and designs | | | | instructional aides. Pictures, storybooks, recorded |
| should be visible for kids. Staff and teachers | | | | songs and models or realia are some of these. |
| should be helpful, friendly and accommodating. Kids | | | | Kids are also very tactile learners. Manipulatives |
| must be able to see that they are going to have | | | | such as puzzles and peg-boards help kids develop |
| fun in class and that the school is a place where | | | | their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination |
| they can both play and learn. | | | | essential for writing and other tasks. Buttons or |
| - Trained and caring teachers. It is no joke taking | | | | marbles are less expensive items which can be |
| care of young kids, what more to teach them. A | | | | used for teaching counting. The idea is for children |
| serious endeavor into preschool education must | | | | to have fun while learning. |
| be accompanied with willingness to invest in | | | | - Play area and materials. It is but natural for kids |
| teacher training or re-training. If kids are taught | | | | to play. Therefore, there should be an area or |
| the wrong things in preschool, it defeats the | | | | time for play. Aside from the usual toys, blocks |
| entire purpose of the program. Preschool teachers | | | | should be available. These help develop spatial and |
| must know how to teach the alphabet and | | | | problem-solving skills as well as creativity. Play can |
| counting, how to read stories and sing songs, how | | | | also come in the form of art (children love to |
| to motivate kids through games, and how to | | | | draw). The school should never run out of paper, |
| manage a class of young children. They must be | | | | crayons and clay. The idea is for children to learn |
| caring and nurturing, and should never resort to | | | | while having fun. |
| coercion or physical punishment. | | | | - Physical activity. You heard it right! A good |
| - Low teacher-student ratio. Studies on the | | | | preschool is not afraid to get physical. Kids must |
| effects off preschool education on academic and | | | | have the opportunity-everyday-to move about |
| life success all say the same thing regarding its | | | | and play, whether indoors or outdoors. This helps |
| potency. Preschool education cannot achieve its | | | | them practice their motor and other physical skills. |
| goal if it is of low quality, and a factor in quality is | | | | - Language-sensitive, language-rich. Since kids will |
| the teacher-student ratio. Ideally, one teacher | | | | learn more about language-and learn a new one, |
| should only handle seven to ten students. The | | | | at that-in preschool, they must be as exposed to |
| maximum for each class is twenty. Sometimes, | | | | it as possible. Whether the new language is Filipino |
| having teacher aides or assistants also helps in | | | | or English, there should be materials available |
| managing a large class. Young learners need a lot | | | | everywhere. Posters on the walls, labeled objects |
| of supervision and personal interaction. If the | | | | and storybooks should be staples in class. On the |
| government is serious with putting up public | | | | other hand, the preschool must also be sensitive |
| preschools, the current teacher-student ratio in | | | | to the community's mother tongue. Many |
| public elementary schools should not be tolerated | | | | countries have multi-lingual education, and |
| in the preschool level. | | | | preschools must care not to ban children from |
| - Holistic approach and curriculum. A preschool | | | | using their mother tongue. Moreover, teachers |
| must not only prepare a child intellectually for | | | | should not hesitate to use the mother tongue in |
| entrance into the big school. It must also help | | | | explaining and teaching. |