Finding the right preschool for my son was a daunting task. At first glance one thinks: circle time, finger painting, free play, how tricky can it be? But surprisingly, as I began my applications and began chatting with moms and visiting schools, I became more and more confused. My husband was obviously not the best sounding board as he once replied to one of my frustrated comments with: “if they feed him, don’t hurt him and it’s a safe environment, I don’t see what the problem is.” I stomped off as clearly he hadn’t a clue about teacher-child ratios or the various philosophies such as Montessori, Waldorf, or Reggio Emilia. It doesn’t help that every magazine and parenting book you read emphasizes that the most important years for development are the preschool ones. If you are reading this and were as confused as I was, clearly, I can’t help you with your decision. But what I can advise is to visit the schools, listen to yourself, and take the advice of other moms with a grain of salt. All kids are different: some thrive in big environments with lots of structured activities and others do better in smaller ones emphasizing independence and creativity. You are the expert of your child, so go into this process with that in mind.
But for more professional advice to help guide you in your decision, I turned to Barbara Petrie, a former preschool director, former lead infant/toddler preschool teacher and the mom of four from Barre Town, Vermont. Refreshingly, she reminds us that having fun, in the end, should be our main goal for our young children.
“My experience as a director, teacher, and parent has confirmed that play is the work of children. Childhood is already so short, a mere snapshot in the course of our lives. I am of the opinion that we are forcing it into a shorter and shorter time span with structured learning at earlier and earlier ages. Children learn so much through play about themselves, their environment, and other children and adults,” she says.
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