Draper Preschools
| Cardinal Rules for Choosing A Preschool in Draper |
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| 1 REVIEW THE PRESCHOOL'S WEBSITE The most relevant information comes from a preschool's own business website, not from directories. Most Draper and Salt Lake County preschools have websites. An informative website is one indication of a sound preschool. If the preschool website lacks specifics and provides just bullet points, they either don't have specifics or they are evading specifics. If the website tries way too hard to convince you they are the "best in the world" or the "best in the state" or the "best in the town" you can be sure they are not. |
| 2 INSPECT WITHOUT AN APPOINTMENT The most valuable information you will get about Draper preschools will preschool's class time, without an appointment. An appropriate, general time for most preschools in Draper is in the morning at roughly 10:00 or in the afternoon at 2:00 when school is in session. Ask to review the written lesson plans. The Director will be able to show you a comprehensive set of lesson plans used to teach the students. If she cannot, there probably is no plan. If she cannot provide a competent and compelling overview of the early childhood education rationale behind each of the activities on that written plan, go onto the next school. |
| 3 KEEP PRE-SCHOOL IN PERSPECTIVE Remember, this is PRE-school for your 3-5 year old... not grade school. The intent of PRE-school is to prepare children for successs in K-12, not to "drill and kill." Look for a purposeful balance of developmentally appropriate activities which should include the three R's plus music, art and outdoor play. Avoid preschools that rely heavily on workbooks or worksheets. Occasional worksheets are appropriate only for writing practice and other infrequent repetition activities. You can buy workbooks at most stores and your child can do those activities at home. Preschool activities should be hands-on and interactive. |
4 REMEMBER, PRESCHOOL IS NOT A READING RACE. |
| Avoid preschools that focus on driving 3-5 year olds to read. That is not an age-appropriate goal for most children. See the "Reading" page on this site to learn what the experts say about preschool reading. Artificially accelerating your child through the literacy development process is not a good educational strategy. Choose a preschool with a literacy and pre-reading curriculum that systematically introduces the skills in the proper order. If you are really driven to teach your child to read prematurely, you can do it for free at home or on the internet |
| Apply the "Restaurant Test" A restaurant with a lot of empty tables during prime time suggests not-so-good food. A preschool with a lot of open positions illustrates the same dynamic: empty tables suggest the preschool isn't providing a service sufficient to produce returning clients. |