This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Choosing a Quality Preschool

Part 1 of a 5-Part look into the importance of a quality preschool education, and what to look for when deciding where to place your child.

Part 1 of 5. Kellen Stennett owns and operates the Goddard School.

Is sending my child to preschool important? What makes one school better than another? What are the signs of a quality program?

Among the many difficult questions parents of young children must answer, these can be some of the most polarizing.

Find out what's happening in Buckheadwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Some parents feel strongly that an in-home nanny is the best way to raise their children. Others believe a diverse social and educational environment is invaluable to a young child. There are many studies on the subject, but a strong majority show a connection between quality early childhood education and later academic and personal success:

a) preschool education leads to immediate, measurable gains in educational and social development;

Find out what's happening in Buckheadwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

b) early education leads to lasting cognitive and social benefits in children, provided it is of high quality (defined in terms of (i) a curriculum based on the principle of active learning or 'purposeful play,' (ii) the selection, training, retention and ratio of staff, (iii) parental involvement (iv) buildings and equipment, (v) diversity of the peer group)

  — Start Right: The Importance of Early Learning. Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts.

 Further studies have shown that children from a quality preschool program can be as far as an entire year ahead of their non-preschool peers by age 4. Each year, schools across the nation are becoming more advanced and more competitive. With the number of students applying to college dramatically increasing, annually, requirements are becoming more stringent, and the benefits to a solid head start are even more apparent.

So, if you do decide to go the preschool route, how do you know what programs are high quality?

The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts gives us a pretty good starting point, above; a play-based curriculum, well-qualified staff at a low ratio with limited turnover, parental involvement, the building and its equipment, and diversity of the students. 

Over the next few weeks, we will learn more about all of these important factors.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Buckhead