I was recently invited to a community get together where
most of the invitees were young parents. Now that it's admission time in
schools the topic of the day was schools. There was a lot of confusion in whichschool to choose. I was just listening to their conversations and mentally made
a note of what are the priorities of the parents in selecting a particular
school. However some were interesting while few were ridiculous. So they went
on like this,
" I would want my little one to go to the nearest playschool
where I can drop my child and my wife can pick him in the afternoon. It should
be at a stone's throw away distance" . A father's statement. Well ,fair
enough and that's how playschools are mushrooming in every street.
" It really doesn't matter to which nearby school my
child goes. All I'm looking for is the nearby cheapest one. Anyways she needs
to go to a high school after an year." Hmm, so for this parent preschool
education is just a get away to a
regular school .
One parent said, " I prefer only branded stuff for my
family. So I would rather go for a big branded school. "
And one more parent said, " I will take my child to
different schools in the neighborhood and let him/her explore all the schools
and go for the one which he/ she likes".
Then there was one young mother who said "we are new to
the city and my neighbour works for a school and I'm going to join my child only
there. There should be some known face there."
And few were like most of the children from their community
go to a particular school and they too want to send their child to the same
one.
There were few more parents
who were little experienced in this subject. They have gone through all these
dilemmas and arguments. Interestingly , they just waited for all these
opinions to come out and came to their rescue. And they listed out few tips to help them out.
There is no harm in selecting the nearest school to avoid
transit to the child but we also need to ensure if it is located in a safe
environment and surroundings.
One should always look if it is located in a residential
area rather than a total commercial place.
It's always wise to see the product first and then see the
price. We should always check if these economical preschools are able to cater to the needs of the child.
Whether the teaching staff are qualified enough to take up this profession and
remember always that quality never comes for peanuts. At the same time one need
not judge the quality of the school merely looking at the fee structure
Its not about the child being comfortable with one familiar
person in the school,rather check if the staff is able to make every child feel
comfortable with their approach. Check how accommodating they are. It's good to
seek advice from friends and neighbours but one should always make sure of the
needs of their own children. Have a personal check on the schools in your
vicinity and gather information so as to see which is the one you can rely on.
And one important point is its not about the brand being popular
but also knowledge of the person running the show. Its very easy to give a readily available plate but observe
that institute which can help you in each serving and has the expertise to give
each one the best .
Gather information about the school from various sources and
check their credebilities. Look for the organisation which apart from
showcasing their infrastructure ,is also good at creating enough awareness what they do to keep
the child safe, secured, healthy, hygienic and also give experiential learning to
the young minds. Look for the schools who strive to give their best through
innovative methodologies. This shows how passionate they are towards their work.
If a school talks
only about the commercial aspects during the counselling then we need not
mention how to take a call on that.
With information and activities flooded on internet one need
not look for a school which focuses only on teaching the numbers or alphabet
for the gen next children. What they need is holistic development. Take time
and search for the school which fosters holistic development, treats every child
as unique individuals, the one which has a research based curriculum and also
has the complete command over it. Choose the school which involves parents and
the community as partners in education. School is always an integral part of
the society and cannot be separated . Preschool should always be flexible
according to the needs of the child and should also be locally appropriate.
Last but not the least, the parents should observe the reviews and ratings,
feedback given by the parents and the community about the school.
Truly appreciate the parents who could share this valuable
information and providing us with lots of tips in choosing a school.
After all, the most precious age of the child is spent in
these preschools where the brain development is happening to the optimum between 0-6 years.
Choose the best one not
just the next door one!
Radha Duppelli
Principal , Vigna The school for toddlers,
B ed, B com, PPTTC
Trainer & Blogger
Well said
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