Sometimes, it feels as though dropping your child at preschool is harder on you, as a parent, than it is on your early learner. After all, you want your child to be safe, have fun, and learn important skills that will enable them to succeed in kindergarten and beyond.
But how do you know if the preschool programme you’ve chosen is the right one? What should you look for in early childhood education that makes one classroom better than the other one down the street? Here we take a quick look at some of the characteristics of a quality preschool programme.
● Let’s start with the curriculum that should focus on learning appropriate for the age, abilities and interests of young learners. In addition, the programme should support the child’s social, emotional, physical and cognitive development.
● There should be a regular process to measure the child’s progress to help maintain a steady development. Early Years trained teachers who are supportive, nurturing and caring should help create a positive learning environment that is safe, fun and engaging.
● Such a preschool should have enough resources, including infrastructure and equipment to provide high-quality care and education.
Preschool at GIIS
Even children as young as two-and-a-half years old can flourish in the right early childhood education programme, but only if that programme provides age-appropriate learning.
At GIIS, our early childhood educators follow the Global Montessori Plus curriculum or GMP. It’s a hands-on, exploratory curriculum that allows young students to get a feel for the world. While GMP works with important academic milestones, such as reading, writing, numeracy, listening and speaking, it does so in a way that engages preschoolers. Using movement, music and play, students gain the skills needed to succeed in kindergarten.
Trained and caring Early Learning staff
At GIIS, our early childhood educators are specially trained in the unique needs and learning characteristics of children between the ages of two and a half and five. Further, by modelling the traits of kindness, respect, integrity and inclusiveness, our teachers become role models, both in and out of the classroom.
Our preschool classrooms are filled with innovative and creative learning manipulatives
At this age, learning takes place through role play, storytime and more. Our preschool is stocked with toys, books and building blocks because these are the resources early learners need to learn and develop.
Safety and wellbeing of preschool students
Every preschool classroom at GIIS is arranged to allow for safe movement and play. Students are supervised and are encouraged to take ownership of their space. This means your child may be involved in simple classroom activities such as toy cleanup, book cleanup and placing rubbish in the waste bin.
At GIIS, we emphasise student-led learning, even in our youngest students. Learning to take ownership of shared learning spaces builds confidence and self-esteem. And it helps young students realise that they can make a difference, even if it’s in a tiny way. This is an introduction to the agency that we expect of our older students, and it’s a good technique for building future-ready citizens who take responsibility for their communities.
Positive relationships with our preschool families
At GIIS, we know how difficult it can be to trust your early learner to strangers; that’s why we partner with our students’ families in all aspects of their education. Through activities like parent orientation, email communication and parent-teacher meetings, families stay connected with what’s going on at school. We also offer MyGIIS, our online communication portal, to expedite communication between parents and educators.
Also read: 5 Developmental Goals to Consider Before Choosing a Preschool
Our preschool classrooms are filled with innovative and creative learning manipulatives, Montessori tools, books, games and more. Students have room to move about and to work in teams as well as individually. Learning is hands-on and creative. Exploration is always encouraged, and learning happens organically.
Moreover, our Extended Preschool hours (12.30 – 3.30pm) provide extra time for enrichment that includes music, dance, drama, storytelling and more on a rotation basis. If you are keen to know more about GIIS’ preschool programme, please feel free to book a campus tour.
