Education Edge: Picking the Right Preschool

Austin, TX - Choosing the right preschool or daycare for your child is one of the most important decisions a parent can make, especially when a child is spending 40+ hours there.

In Austin, parents have many choices: Montessori, play-based programs, home-based care and bilingual preschools, just to name a few. Unfortunately not all programs are high quality and many children show up for school unprepared. According to the United Way Success by 6 Program , 40% of children in Austin come to kindergarten already two years behind. Many factors contribute to this including poverty, maternal depression and abuse.

Parents can help ensure their children are ready for school by finding quality childcare. But how does a parent know if a program is quality or not? The checklist below is a good place to start.

1. State Child Care License - All childcare facilities should be licensed by the state. It's against the law to operate without a license. State oversight provides accountability and basic levels of safety. You can click here to see if your child care facility is licensed and if there are any violations on record.
2. Accreditation - Check to see if the child care facility is accredited by respected organizations like the National Association for the Education of Young Children or Texas Rising Star. Accreditation is not a requirement but it demonstrates an additional level of quality.
3. Group Size - Student to teacher ratios should be as low as possible. For example, one teacher should not care for more than 11 two year-olds alone. The standard is even lower for infants, no more than four babies should be with one caregiver. Small group sizes allow teachers to give each child more attention.
4. Engaging Environment - Parents should visit a child care facility and meet the director/teacher before enrolling their child. Look for children who are playing and exploring their environment. Teachers should be engaging the children, asking them questions to further their exploration and praising their efforts. Young children should be able to choose from a variety of activities and not all children have to do the same activity at the same time. Parents can find additional resources and a preschool checklist here .