{"id":651,"date":"2015-03-31T08:00:59","date_gmt":"2015-03-31T08:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carelulu.com\/resources\/parents\/?p=651"},"modified":"2016-05-03T05:04:17","modified_gmt":"2016-05-03T05:04:17","slug":"look-preschool-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.carelulu.com\/resources\/parents\/look-preschool-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Look For During a Preschool Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"s1\">I <\/span>n our last post we covered what <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carelulu.com\/resources\/parents\/high-quality-child-care-looks-like\/\">high quality child care<\/a> looks like, and most of the clues come from observing how your child reacts after they start going to daycare or preschool. In this post we will cover how you can evaluate a child care or preschool program <strong>before <\/strong>your child enrolls.<\/p>\n<p>The daycare and preschool tour is a (maybe even <strong><em>the<\/em><\/strong>) key moment in the decision making process so it\u2019s important that you do your homework before you visit (and make sure the preschool does theirs). Here\u2019s how to make the most of your daycare tour:<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Questions to ask while touring a daycare or preschool <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Make a list of questions and print it out so you can bring it with you during your visit. It\u2019s probably a good idea to email some or all of the questions ahead of time to make sure you get answers.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What type of license does the home or center have? (You may have to do some research on the licensing requirements in your state or city.)<\/li>\n<li>How long has the director been there?<\/li>\n<li>How long have the teachers been there?<\/li>\n<li>Have the caregivers all gone through background checks?<\/li>\n<li>What are the teachers\u2019 educational backgrounds and qualifications? (Especially those who will care for your child.)<\/li>\n<li>How often do directors and teachers communicate with parents? What is the feedback system? Is there a \u201creal-time\u201d online platform?<\/li>\n<li>Can they give references to other parents?<em> Important<\/em>: if the director is not willing to give parent references, don\u2019t waste your time. Next!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Prepare a list of any special requirements you might have. These may be, for example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Special dietary needs<\/li>\n<li>Allergies<\/li>\n<li>Flexible scheduling for pick-ups and drop-offs<\/li>\n<li>Budget for tuition<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>2. Talk with the director and staff<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In addition to the preschool tour itself, make sure that you schedule time to talk with the owner, director and the staff. During the meetings, you should go over the specific answers to all your questions. Pay special attention to the staff turnover rate. You want to see well-qualified staff who are happy where they are. You don\u2019t want to see a revolving door of teachers who come and go.<\/p>\n<p>This meeting is also your chance to \u201csuss out\u201d the people to whom you will be entrusting your child\u2019s care. There is no substitute for a good old-fashioned face-to-face conversation. This moment is also your chance to discuss tuition. If cost is a critical factor, let them know. The child care provider may be open to offering you a reduced rate.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Observe \u201cthe action\u201d in the classrooms<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pay attention to the facilities but focus on the people. You\u2019ll want to see teachers who have loving and respectful relationships with the children. Are the teachers supporting the children while they play? Are they talking with them while they change diapers? Do the teachers get to children\u2019s eye level when speaking with them?<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. If possible, do a \u201ctrial run\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Not all child care and preschool programs offer so-called discovery days, but you should always ask. If the one you\u2019re touring does, be sure to take advantage of it. Your child can participate for a few hours or even a full day and see how she likes it. Bear in mind that it\u2019s not a perfect solution as most children take several days or even weeks to adjust to a new environment. It can, however, be a good \u201cearly indicator\u201d of how things will go.<\/p>\n<p>We can\u2019t guarantee that the above four steps are foolproof, of course, but if you work through them carefully you have an excellent chance of finding a good fit for your child. Good luck!<\/p>\n<p><strong>What else do <em>you<\/em> look for during a daycare or preschool tour and what other questions do <em>you<\/em> recommend asking?<\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a title=\"CareLuLu\" href=\"http:\/\/www.carelulu.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>CareLuLu<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is the easiest way to find safe and affordable child care that fits your family\u2019s specific needs. No need to spend hours on Google or calling daycares, you can now find all the information in one place: CareLuLu\u00a0lists over 200,000\u00a0licensed daycare and preschool programs with\u00a0<em>verified<\/em>\u00a0parent reviews, photos,\u00a0daycare cost, etc. Best of all, it\u2019s free!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Created <em>by<\/em> parents <em>for<\/em> parents.\u00a0<a title=\"CareLuLu\" href=\"http:\/\/www.carelulu.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.CareLuLu.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I n our last post we covered what high quality child care looks like, and most of the clues come from observing how your child reacts after they start going to daycare or preschool. In this post we will cover how you can evaluate a child care or preschool program before your child enrolls. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":675,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[251,250,51,249],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.9.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The daycare and preschool tour is a key moment in your decision making process. In this post, you&#039;ll learn what to look for during a preschool tour.\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.carelulu.com\/resources\/parents\/look-preschool-tour\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What to Look For During a Preschool Tour\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The daycare and preschool tour is a key moment in your decision making process. 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