Choosing a preschool is an exciting and scary time for any parent! Suddenly, you will be leaving your child with someone else and trusting that institution to teach and mentor your child. The situation is extremely stressful, not to mention having to decide what preschool is right for your child.
With such a big decision, it is understandable that you might feel overwhelmed by trying to pick the perfect preschool. You are probably thinking about the school’s security, the qualifications of the teachers, the quality of the food, how far the school is from your house, what the other preschoolers will be like, how you will get along with the teacher, and so much more. There is a multitude of factors that go into choosing a preschool for your child, and we want to guide you through navigating this process. Choosing a preschool is not difficult once you have assessed all of the characteristics of a good preschool.
Choosing Private vs. Public Preschool
As you go to Google to attempt to search for your child’s perfect preschool, you have to choose first what adjective goes in front of “preschool.” Do you want to send your child to a private or public school? Public school is, by definition, funded by the government at both the state and federal levels. Students who attend private schools must pay tuition to attend. Private schools tend to have more resources available to students. In general, private schools tend to be higher ranked than public schools because of the increased resources and opportunities available to students.
However, this argument changes when applying it to preschools. In preschools, kids learn the most fundamental aspects of language and math, which is instrumental to their learning and processing of more complex words, sentences, and mathematical equations. Whether or not you choose to invest in a private school for your child from Kindergarten onward, it is wise to choose a preschool that can teach your child these fundamentals.
Choosing a Montessori Preschool
It is essential to consider what type of preschool you choose to send your soon-to-be preschooler to. Montessori Schools use an experience- and evidence-based approach that places focus on the child. Montessori Schools have a mixed-age classroom approach, where students can choose what they want to do with their time. Montessori Schools are used widely around the world, and they are proven to create a happy, safe, and educationally-exploratory environment for all students.
Brooksfield School is a Montessori School that places an extra focus on the arts, where children are encouraged to explore the boundaries of their imagination. We strive to create an environment where children are free to explore what their version of the world looks like, and we want them to realize their intellectual and artistic potential.
A Positive Attitude Toward Children
When choosing a preschool, you want to find a school that employs the best teachers, as these are the people who will be spending the most time with your child. These are the people who will teach your kid how to read, write, and count. These are the people who will negotiate conflicts between children, who will bandage your child’s scraped knee, and who will be the personal cheerleader for your child during the day. You want your child to be constantly surrounded by a positive, optimistic attitude, to foster that same attitude in your children.
We carefully screen all of our staff to ensure the best for your child. We employ a diverse team that focuses on providing the best possible education and environment for your child. We also provide staff that specializes in subjects to help your child grow and experience new ideas. We offer special classes, such as music education, Spanish, computer and technology education, art, gardening, outdoor education, physical education, and mindfulness. This creates a diverse and purposeful environment for your child to thrive. When choosing a preschool, you want to find one that encompasses the very ideals you want ingrained in your developing child.
A Variety of Programs
When choosing a preschool, you also want to find one that offers a variety of services and programs for your busy schedule. We streamline services so that the Brooksfield School is a one-stop-shop for all of your education and childcare needs. In addition to our preschool education, we offer Before and After School Care, Outdoor Education, Community Outreach, Organic Gardening, and Mindfulness. When choosing a preschool, you must find one that provides a diverse educational platform for your child.
In addition to including outdoor playtime in your child’s everyday school day, Brooksfield School offers unique Outdoor Adventures for your child and your family so that all of you can enjoy some outdoor time together, strengthening the bonds between family. We want our students to engage purposefully with the outdoors, leaving behind the contemporary four walls of a preschool. Additionally, we teach children how to give back to their community and to embrace the idea of servitude. We want your children to understand the positive impact they can have on their world, so we teach our students, from a young age, how to give back.
Choosing a preschool for your dear child is one of the first decisions you will have to make for them in their life. Choosing a preschool can seem daunting, but we hope that we made the process of selection slightly easier by breaking down the most important ideas to consider when choosing a preschool. Brooksfield School in McLean, Virginia, is a private Montessori school that offers a unique focus on art and the outdoors to foster positive and well-rounded qualities in your child. We want to help to develop your child into the strong, smart, and intellectually-minded creative genius that we know they have the potential to become.
