What is a high-quality preschool?

Around our town, parents of preschoolers are busy observing in classrooms and filling out lengthy application forms for next year’s preschool. Most of our preschools have a $25–$40 application fee and waiting lists a mile long, so it’s a process that many undertake cautiously and anxiously.

I’m often asked what to look for in a good preschool program. I’ll share some resources on the topic (and encourage you to read them) BUT ALSO tell you to trust your instincts as you’re visiting different preschools. I’m always struck by the powerful messages (intentional and unintentional) that schools send to parents. I’ve learned to really trust those impressions and use them as pieces of information during the decision-making process.

Pre-K Now (opens in a new window) offers a fact sheet (opens in a new window) about high-quality preschool. They address teacher training and certification, student-teacher ratio, and curriculum. They stress alignment between preschool curriculum and a state’s K-12 standards.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (opens in a new window) (NAEYC) has a section called Early Years Are Learning Years (opens in a new window) that includes information about choosing a preschool. It also addresses the preschool’s relationship with the family and the importance of a qualified staff.

Although it’s a bit more academic, the National Institute for Early Education Research (opens in a new window) (NIEER) has a policy brief (opens in a new window) that outlines high-quality preschool. The recommendations from this brief focus on child, family, teacher, curriculum, and classroom dimensions.

I hope this is helpful to you!