During the years of sleepless nights, toddler tantrums and toilet-training blues, we parents sometimes feel as if our kids will be attached to us forever.  We wonder if they will ever be ready for preschool.

Then one day we wake up and there before us stands a real, live child -- ready to learn from new adults and to explore the world beyond the fence.

When your child reaches the age of 3 or 4, you may begin to consider some sort of early childhood education. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) stresses that during these critical learning years a good early education program can help build your child's lifelong potential for success.

Parent involvement in education is key to child's success

But how do you know which early childhood program may be right for your family? Priscilla Little of the Harvard Family Research Project says that one way to choose is to look for programs that encourage family involvement and provide challenging preschooler activities for your child.

"Regardless of the type of experience you choose (Head Start, public or private preschool or group childcare home), the extent of your family's involvement in your children's early learning program makes a big difference in how well children adjust and how much they learn," Little wrote in a 1998 report for "The Early Childhood Digest."

Ask yourself the following questions when choosing a program:

  • How does the program support family involvement? Do family members, including parents, brothers, sisters and grandparents, feel welcome in the program? Do teachers seem willing to listen to my ideas? Do newsletters and handbooks talk about family involvement?
  • How does the program respond to each family's needs? Are meetings scheduled to accommodate both at-home and employed parents? Do teachers speak any languages other than English? Will my child's teacher visit our home to get to know the family better? Are my family's holidays celebrated at my child's school?
  • How does the program let families know what happens during the day? Communication between home and the program is important. Does the program offer parent-teacher conferences? Call-in hours? Time to speak with teachers during drop off or pick up? A daily log book that tells me what my child did during the day? Do teachers relate activities at school to what children are doing at home?
  • How does the program offer ideas about how families can help children learn at home? Is there a lending library where my children can get books to take home? Does the lending library have books on parenting? Does the program provide parenting tips on developing my child's language, art and math skills?
  • How does the program encourage families to help at the center? Family members have many skills that programs can use. Does the program offer lots of opportunities to share those skills or talents? Can parents or grandparents volunteer to help in the classroom?
  • How does the program support the whole family? Does the program offer coffee hours where I can meet other parents and make new friends? Is there a parent education center where I can get parenting tips and meet other families in the program? Some programs can even help parents find services in the community that they need.
  • How does the program value family members as advisors? Does the program have a parent advisory board? Can I help decide what happens during my child's day? Can I tell program staff how I think the program could be better?
  • How does the program respect and use parent expertise about their child? If your child has a disability, does the program ask you to provide training and information to the staff?

 

Linda Wacyk is a mom from Grand Ledge, Michigan.