Inside Scoop of a Quality Preschool Program

Hello, my name is Pamela Walker and I am the owner of the Carriage House which is a child care service in Flossmoor, IL. Prior to me semi-retiring I owned several preschools in the Chicago area. Additionally, I have consulted with other owners to start their own daycare business. We have transformed many spaces to whimsical places for children. 

I have the inside scoop on choosing a quality program. Parents beware of the glossy brochures and fancy advertising. Some of your best programs are given by word of mouth. Stand in front of the school as parents leave in the evenings, asked their opinion of the daycare. Asked the teachers would they put their child in the program.

Are the children happy when they leave or anxious to leave the facility.

Be a stalker, peek in the windows and look at the interaction of staff with the students. With the parents permission asked the children questions, if they like it.

When you enroll be sure there is a professional cleaning team that clean each day. I worked for a seven billion dollar commercial daycare as a director and they cleaned their school twice a week. Yuck!!! Yuck!!!Yuck!!! The place was dirty and smelled like urine all the time. There were fevers and health outbreaks all the time.

Ask the Director for a staffing plan. The inside scoop!!! Many preschools/daycares are understaffed after 3:00p.m. Ask what happens after 3:00 p.m. when there is a full classroom and one staff members leaves for the day. How many times are your child moved in a day. At one preschool, the children bounced around at least five times and no one could give me answer of this babies scratch on the forehead. If too many staff is touching your child the quality of care decreases because no one is taking ownership.

Go to the local elementary schools and talk to the Kindergarten teacher. He/She is a good source for preparation. Ask are these children coming from this preschool in the upper, middle, or lower level reading and math groups. The response will speak volumes about the curriculum. In my preschool, all of our students were excellent readers  and they were always in the upper reading group. They were thinkers and ready to learn. They were condition to work hard.

Ask where does  the students attend elementary school if they are in Chicago. Is it a magnet or gifted program?

The proof in these programs are in the results and not the rhetoric. If you have any questions, just email me and I would be delighted to answer questions for you. My email address is walkerp01@aol.com.  The Inside Scoop!!!