A Few Tips to Know Before Interviewing Preschools

 Going to preschool is a very exciting moment in a child’s life. When interviewing schools there are requirements to know and a ton of questions to ask.
For preschool aged children (two years to six years) there should be a one to 12 lead teacher to child ratio. If the classroom has 15 children a fully qualified teacher with an aide must be present at all times.
A lead teacher must have a minimum of 12 Early Childhood Education units and six months of experience working in a preschool classroom setting before they can be qualified as a lead teacher. An aide only requires Six Early Childhood Education units and can only assist children alone while they are using the restroom or if they are sleeping, otherwise an aide must be supervised by the lead teacher at all times.
Every school is different when it comes to fees.  Registration, is it a one-time charge or annual? Is it per child or per family?  Is the tuition fee inclusive of everything (materials, books, field trips, extra curricular activities, summer curriculum, etc) or are there “hidden fees” on top of your tuition fees?
Do you know the discipline policy? What do the teachers do when your child is having a “melt down”? Do they work with your child on problem solving, modeling behavior and redirecting them or is there a “time out” place where your child needs to go?
At Creative Years Infant Center & Preschool everyone is a lead teacher. The Infant room ratio is 4:1, toddler room is 6:1 and we are very proud of our small class size of (six) 8:1 in the 2’s program and 10:1 in the 3’s and Pre-K program. All teachers have more than the minimum education and experience requirements. Everyone is also CPR and First Aid certified. Our tuition is all-inclusive; there are no additional charges, unless you choose to order a school lunch. We use redirection as discipline and teach conflict resolution skills. Children learn how to cope with challenging situations and teachers model appropriate behavior so the children can learn to solve them on their own.
Creative Years Infant Center & Preschool conducts tours daily, to schedule yours call 254-0718 or send an email to creativeyearsscv@aol.com. For more information on the program or to take a virtual tour log on to www.creativeyears.com.