How to Choose a Preschool

cheap child care, childcare, cheap, day care, daycare, cheap day care, preschool, cheap preschool, pre-school, pre-k, learning activities, high
quality, program, good day care, good child care

How to Choose?

What Are the Different Preschool Philosophies?

Do your child's preschool prospects make you feel like a babe in the woods? It may seem like there are more preschool possibilities than ever before,
but as it turns out, alternative preschool philosophies have been around for a lot longer than you think. Here's the scoop on three of the most popular
preschool types around:

Montessori

Founded by Dr. Maria Montessori in 1907; Over 5,000 schools in the U.S.

In a nutshell: Children thrive in an environment of consistency, order, and empowerment. Teachers are only facilitators and not the primary focus. Most
classes are large (25-30 kids), with a two- to three-year age span. Children are treated as responsible individuals, cleaning up their own spills, cutting
up raw fruit and veggies to make their own snacks, going to the bathroom without assistance, and sweeping and dusting at the end of the day.
www.montessori.org

Waldorf

Founded in Germany in 1919, by Rudolf Steiner; 750 schools worldwide

In a nutshell: Children need to develop their five senses, free from the distractions of TV, the computer, and video games. This is a homelike
environment where open ended, creative play is viewed as the work of the young child. Fantasy is integral. In a Waldorf school, a broom can be a
spaceship, or a horse, unlike in a Montessori school, where it would never be used that way – since the whole point is a reality based program. Waldorf
schools use "toys" like pebbles, wood sticks, or yards of cloth to encourage children to imagine what they can become. www.awsna.org

High/Scope

Founded in 1970 in Michigan, by Dr. David Weikart

In a nutshell: Originally created for at-risk urban youth, this program has been highly successful with Head Start students. High/Scope emphasizes
individualized attention, and is especially good for children with developmental delays, since it is tailored to meet each individual student's level and
pace. The day is divided into blocks of time, some small group, some large group. Each day starts with a plan-do-review sequence: first, kids plan what
they will do for the day (who they will play with, what areas they will visit, which materials they will use), then they have an hour of work time in which to
carry out their plans, and finally they discuss what they've learned and done. Computers are a key component in the classroom. www.highscope.org

Our Philosophy

It's important to remember that preschool is a lot more than crayons and crackers. A child's early education paves the way for a lifetime of learning, and
now is the time to begin looking for the perfect fit. The right preschool can help your child become the practical and creative individual you've always
imagined them to be, and introduce them to the social, intellectual, and creative challenges of the waiting world.

At Play and Learn, we recognize the struggle that parents are in to choose the best preschool environment for their child. We have a child-centered
environment and utilize a direct teaching method to guide our students days through fun activities designed to increase their learning in a play based,
fun atmosphere. Some examples include:

As Ms. Dawn introduces math thinking or numeracy to young children, she takes a stick and allows the children to see and experience it as a
whole. Then the stick is broken into 2, 4, and 8 pieces. "The child observes that by splitting the big 1, the smaller 2, 4, and 8 arise, and that the
pieces become smaller the more the stick is broken." Each child would then be given a stick to break.
Later in the week, Ms. Dawn would have children work with a large lump of clay and work it into 2, 4, and 8 smaller lumps. After the children have
experienced numbers with varied concrete materials, they can begin to count. Counting is done with clapping, foot stamping, or other motion.
We hear, "Clap two times, four times, and eight times." Later, we hear children saying, "I have two eyes, two ears, two arms, two hands, two feet"
and so on.
Ms. Mimi asked the children if they would like a story. Children responded with "Yes, please," or put away their materials and approached where
she was sitting. She had a small horse and a man in her pocket and she began a story about them, placing the figures on the floor. Before
long, the children added detail to the story or asked questions that took the story in another direction. This is completely interactive storytelling.
To introduce morals and values, Ms. Dawn may use puppets. One puppet is sad because the other puppet lied to her. Ms. Dawn would do a
mini puppet show to encourage the students to be honest.

Researchers are finding more and more connections between children’s play and the learning and social development that helps them succeed in
school. For example, pretend play helps children learn to think abstractly and to look at things from someone else’s perspective. Pretend play is also
connected to early literacy, mathematical thinking, and problem-solving.

When children play:

They test their developing ideas with objects, people, and situations - the key ability for academic learning
They develop many kinds of skills together - physical, social, emotional, thinking, and language
They are doing things they are interested in, so they have a natural motivation to learn
They develop concepts and skills together. For example, as a child learns to write the letters in her name, she is also learning the concept that
each letter represents a sound. And she is very motivated by the meaning—her own name! Children are more likely to remember skills and
concepts they have learned by doing things that are meaningful to them
They learn from other children and develop social skills by playing together

As teachers, we:

Guide and extend play to help children learn more
Respond to play: Ms. Dawn sees a child playing and builds vocabulary by providing new words: "That's interesting. You've lined up the animals
from tiny to gigantic."
Extend play: Ms. Mimi hears children making silly rhymes: "You're juicy, goosey, foosey."; She extends this play by teaching songs that play with
the sounds of language, such as "Apples and Bananas." She knows that this helps children learn to recognize the separate sounds in words.
Ms. Dawn observes a child pretending a chair is a car and “driving.” She encourages imagination by asking "Where are you going? What do you
see along the way?"
Guide play: One week, we turn the dress-up area into a shoe store. Children practice language and social skills by acting out "customers" and
"sales people." They learn new vocabulary (canvas, boots). They use art to make signs for the store. Some older preschoolers may write letters
and words for the signs, or practice simple math by making change for purchases. The next week, we may set up a post office, sending and
delivering letters.

We set up the most fun and educational environment with some of the best tools for learning because play is so important to developing the skills,
concepts, and approaches children will use throughout their lives. We have developed a curriculum plan utilizing the best ideas and thoughts from all
of the well-known preschool types creating a unique learning environment that gives your child their best possible chance of reaching their full potential!

Using hands on
counting with math
manipulatives to
"construct" a
number line

These children are
using dough to
learn important
skills such as
critical math skills
and social skills

Children practice
writing skills on dry
erase boards;
writing the
alphabet, numbers,
and more.

How To Choose

Go to:

Our Curriculum

Summary

Emilia

Dewey

Montessori

Waldorf

Academic