Choosing a preschool for your child can bring a wave of emotions. Time flies and it can feel overwhelming to think about sending your little one, who seemed only a baby just yesterday, to their first formal educational experience.
You may be experiencing excitement and a bit of anxiety, too, as you think about preschool as the first step toward your child’s bright future. You may wonder, what is the best Seattle preschool? Should I send my child to a private preschool near Seattle?
We know you want the absolute best for your child. This guide will outline what to look for in a preschool near Seattle to ensure your little one grows, learns, and thrives.
Why Private Preschool in Seattle? A Look at the Benefits
Preschool, unlike K-12 options, isn’t publicly funded. While some states have free preschool programs, such as Head Start, these programs generally have limited spots and are only available for qualifying low-income families. On the other hand, most states have a plethora of private preschools that offer unique curriculums and clean, safe, welcoming environments for children to learn and play.
Research shows that preschool improves school readiness and success. Students who attend preschool also have lower rates of teen pregnancy and crime, have better health outcomes, and earn more than their counterparts that didn’t attend pre-K. It’s safe to say that preschool pays off and pays dividends for students’ personal and academic success.
Sending your child to one of the best preschools near Seattle comes with many benefits. It helps you and your children set up healthy routines and positive habits, stimulates your child’s brain at a time when it’s perfectly primed for learning, and features intimate class sizes that allow your child to receive personalized attention.
You may be wondering, how do I know which one is best for my child? Here are some important things to look for in a private preschool in Seattle.
What To Look for in a Private Preschool Near Seattle
To select the great preschool for your child, it’s important to look for values alignment, teacher quality and education, a welcoming atmosphere, open communication, and positive disciplinary practices.
Aligns with your Values
When choosing from among the best Seattle preschools, you’ll want to look for one that aligns with your values. For some, that may mean looking for faith-based education, such as the one King’s Preschool offers. For others, that might mean looking at a preschool that values a global perspective and begins teaching foreign languages early.
Because private preschools in and around Seattle set their own curriculums and have their own values, they each bring something different and unique to the table. Explore each school’s website to learn more about their values and be sure to visit those that look promising in person to see what those values look like in action.
Teacher Quality and Education
Some people think that being a preschool teacher is like being a babysitter. This couldn’t be further from the truth. While both jobs are important to our communities and society, highly effective preschool teachers bring experience and strong educational backgrounds.
They must have a deep understanding of early childhood learning and education and know how to serve a child’s developmental needs. For this reason, look for preschools that hire teachers with a college education or other formal training. Great preschool teachers can ignite a spark and love for learning in your child.
Welcoming, Nurturing Atmosphere
It’s important to look for a preschool with a bright, cheery, welcoming, and nurturing atmosphere. You want your child to have fun at preschool and be supported by a staff of loving, caring individuals. You also want to trust that the school’s staff are caring for your whole child while they’re at school.
Look for schools with clean, colorful interiors. Keep an eye out for elements of personalization, such as walls featuring student artwork or handprints, too. Also, take time to meet staff members and learn why they love their job. This is an intangible requirement that can have a tremendous impact on your child’s overall experience at preschool.
Communication and Transparency
Parents and preschools are partners in supporting, loving, nurturing, and educating children. That’s why communication and transparency are so important. Just like in any other partnership, parents need to have open lines of communication with their preschool near Seattle to discuss highs, lows, challenges, health concerns, and anything else that concerns their child.
When looking for a preschool in Seattle, take a look at their communication policy. When do they send children home? How do they manage things when a child is sick? Do they provide weekly updates? Do they make personal calls?
All of this information will help you understand the communication methods of the preschool to make sure you’ll be in the know about everything you need to be concerning your child.
Positive Disciplinary Practices
Kids will be kids, and that means no matter how well-behaved they are, there may be times when they need discipline. Preschools work to create a positive learning environment for all students, and maintaining an orderly class comes with the territory.
With that said, you’ll want to look for a school that takes a positive approach to discipline. Positive disciplinary methods include redirection, positive reinforcement, selective ignoring, and using single-word reminders.
They don’t include tactics like yelling or negative punishments like taking things away. As you consider the best Seattle preschools, ask them about their discipline methods to make sure that you’re comfortable with them.
A Christian Preschool Education With King’s Schools
If you’re interested in a faith-filled preschool experience that feeds your child personally, academically, and spiritually, then King’s Preschool may be a great fit. The program focuses on sharing the love of Jesus with children in a thoughtful, cooperative, and creative learning environment.
King’s Preschool offers full-day programs for children between the ages of 2.5 and 5 years old. Learn more about King’s Preschool today.