How To Select The Best Preschool

A decade ago when my son was ready to begin preschool we were living abroad and had the opportunity to send our son to an international school. My son had an amazing first year of preschool at a wonderful international preschool filled with children from all over the world. The schools in Chin are a year ahead of the schools in the United States, so my son actually attended Pre-Kindergarten at age three. This.School.Was.Amazing!

When we returned to the United States a year later, we went looking for a schools of this caliber . . . that we were used too. Sadly, we could not locate many in our area. We found one school that was of the same caliber in our area and it was not inexpensive. We enrolled our son at this academy and happily paid the high tuition. One aspect we were not happy with was that our son had to repeat Pre-Kindergarten in the United States due to regulations. That aside, my son had a great year at this phenomenal school. We were told at the end of the school year that he was two-three years ahead of his peers (which we already knew).

The next school year we would have two children in school and we simply didn't want to pay this high tuition for two children. We could have, but I really enjoy going on vacation (as does my husband who works so very hard for his income). So we were on the search for another school. My husband put his foot down and simply stated that our children were going to attend the school at our church and that was the end of our search.

My son faired well and thankfully there was a gifted program that we were able to place him in for Kindergarten (after some pushing and coaxing to the school). My daughter, however, did not fair well in this environment and we pulled her after one month. We found another preschool that was a better fit for her, but again, not a great school.

The following school year my son continued on to first grade at the Christian school and continued to excel because of his gifted teacher. We choose a (different from the year before) private pre-kindergarten for my daughter because of the atmosphere and teacher (would have been the same again) did not fit well with my daughter at the Christian school. This school was not great and I really wasn't happy with it at all the entire year. My daughter left at the end of the school year literally not knowing anymore more than she did on the first day. I supplemented at home, but it is simply not the same.

The next year my daughter would be in Kindergarten and we placed her at the Christian school with my son, who was now in second grade. My daughter did not excel in any manner and was floundering about in this school. I was not happy with this school either, but left her there for the school year. Sadly, the teacher was having numerous personal issues throughout the year and my daughter didn't learn as much as she should AND could have.

Beginning the next year I was already upset and not happy as my daughter was much further behind than her peers and where he brother had been when he left Kindergarten (yes, I know I should not have been comparing). I was till suplementing at home to keep her up to speed. Her year started off horribly and she was in tears most days when I picked her up. After a couple of months, I put my foot down and pulled her out of this school completely. She is home now with me and had been ever since. She is now a homeschool student.

The point I am trying to make is this . . . my son had a wonderful foundation of preschool and Pre-Kindergarten. One that set his path in the right direction academically. My daughter, sadly did not and we are certainly playing catch up still to this day. She struggles academically and just can't seem to find her place in school subjects.

I just heard about a new school that opened in my area that could have changed the path my daughter was on a couple of years ago. Primrose Schools provides The Right Foundation for Active Minds, Healthy Bodies and Happy Hearts. I certainly wish they had been around when my children were in preschool!

Primrose's Balanced Learning curriculum places special emphasis on literacy instruction, hands-on learning activities, building a foundation for understanding mathematics, the integration of technology to support learning, and most importantly, on the development of confident, happy children.

Primrose Schools recruit the best teachers and train them to bring the Balanced Learning curriculum to life in all their classrooms across the country. Having purposeful, engaging curriculum and the instructional materials needed to teach gives their teachers more time to focus on individual children's needs and growth.

I had the opportunity to visit the new Primrose School in my area and I was highly impressed. I was also sad that my children never had the opportunity to be part of such a unique and amazing school. Believe me, I have seen a great number of preschools in our area (I have three children and they all attended several different schools) and I have found very few schools that are completely focused on implementing the best blend of curriculum and assessment for children. Some schools try and fail due to various reasons, but mostly due to lack of funding for curriculum and great teachers.

Primrose Schools is exemplary in this respect. I think Primrose Schools is one of the best in early childhood education from what I could see.

The care and education that children receive early in life is crucial to their development and serves as a foundation for their future success.  There are many different child care and preschool options, so keep searching until you find the one that meets your requirements and feels right for your family. To learn more about the Primrose School of Algonquin, visit www.PrimroseAlgonquin.com.

Disclosure: informational post only.