What do you think of assessments for preschoolers?
487044
Skills that are assessed are more about self-help (are they starting to FEED themselves or go to the bathroom?), social/emotional (are they SHARING yet?), receptive/expressive language (can they follow directions?  Understand facial expressions and gestures?), cognitive, transitional, fine motor and gross motor skills.  These assessments are simple such as checking to see if a child can button their own clothes, work with other children, responds to adults using language, can hold a crayon, can run, walk and hop.  The assessments are for the use of preschool teachers to determine what skills need to be focused on in the classroom.  It also allows us to determine if the child might be at risk for learning or behavior disorders.\n\nTake a look at one of the checklist:\nhttp://members.aol.com/iepinfo/pre.htm\n\nTHESE IS A GREAT CHECKLIST FOR PARENTS!!!\n\nThe assessment are mainly to help us as teachers provide students with developmentally appropriate lessons and activities.  If an activity is too easy, a child does not learn.  Believe it or not~some kids need to learn to hold a fork, handle a crayon, run or catch a ball.  If children are only napping at preschool then you need to find another preschool.  Sometimes parents do not always see what teachers do with children such as teaching students how to behave at the table, open milk cartons, button their clothes (there is a lot of buttoning in preschool!), sorting, cutting and pasting (yes~this helps with fine motor) and so on.  Assessments are a GOOD thing~\nAgain, if no assessments are being done~find a new preschool~\n\nYou would really want a preschool teacher to do these assessments~that way you know they are making sure your child is learning~!
995887
what ever place you go to please check and visit with the teachers. Ask about the curriculum and what educational components that they offer. \n\nMost preschools should have advertisements for enrollment in newspapers.\n\nBe sure you are comfortable with your childs teachers.
219371
Your idea is a good one. Many daycare centers have private kindergartens. But you might take your child to kindergarten testing at your district and see how she tests.
693906
Why not take advantage of the fact that they are young enough to reprogram them out of the typical "one size fits all cookie cutter" approach to learning? Have you looked into other methods along the home-schooling spectrum? I would pick up a few good books about home schooling elementary aged children and start getting creative instead of relying solely (if at all) on a packaged curriculum.
828128
IMO, it should be play with a purpose.  Look for a program that has some structure in terms of what happens throughout the day, but that gives him lots of opportunities to explore, play, and be creative.  Look at the art projects... do they actually look like the kids have been playing and creating or has the teacher cut out a bunch of pieces and then instructed each child precisely how to glue them together (we called them "pat-pat projects" because all the kids did was pat-pat the pieces to make them stick).  Do the kids get lots of sensory experience or do the teachers avoid things like playdough, finger painting, sand, and water because they are too messy?  \n\nIf they work on letters and number, do they do them in fun, creative ways or do they do tons of worksheets?  At this age, they should be playing more than doing seat work.  Honestly, learning the rules of getting along with other children, waiting for your turn, how to wait in line, how to wash hands and put away toys and trash, how to hang up coats and backpacks... those are the skills they need to be working on at 3.  A little academic instruction at 4 is great but even at 4 it should be done through play and exploration.
1160676
The pre-school that I was fortunate enough to have been a part of in Minneapolis, MN did.\n\nThe Lead Teacher and myself (Assistant Teacher), took the time to make sure our children practiced etiquette/ethics frequently.  You would be surprised how impressionable and teachable children are on these two subjects at this age.\n\nIt worked excellent!!
306175
I think this is a good age to teach children respect and manners.  They have to have this when they start school, so why not start thinking and talking about it now, on a simple level?\n\nHave discussions,(perhaps at Circle Time) and let them have their opinion.  Give everyone who wants to talk, the opportunity. Don't make it compulsory to give an opinion or to talk, as this will create added pressure on the children.  Discuss how they would feel if someone else said that what they had said was wrong, or not right, or horrible, or whatever.  Feelings are very important for young children to learn, as they can very easily, without knowing upset someone.\n\nThe link below will give some good ideas about strategies and ideas.
771860
I've had issues with a preschool my kids went to for a few months about a year ago.  \n\nThe school was basically two large rooms, separated by age using partitions, instead of actual walls and doors.  What made this LOTS of fun is that my oldest (who was 3 1/2 at the time) and my youngest (who had just turned two) were in different classes, but could often see each other running around their individual classes.  Every time Colin (the little one) saw Cameron (the older one) in passing, he'd start up crying again.  Apparently, he was in a perpetual state of separation anxiety.\n\nThis same school, in Colin's class, did virtually nothing "learning".  They would play, nap, etc., but there was no circle time, no active learning experiences.  Basically, his "class" was just supervised play, or babysitting.  \n\nCameron's class, however, I think was TOO advanced.  At 3 1/2 years old, his class had journals.  They would have reading time (which I normally would have no problem with, but no one seemed to notice that he was just glancing through one book after another, instead of someone working with him).\n\nThe final thing, though, was when Cameron's teacher called Child Protective Services because he had a scrape on his face.  She had not been there in the morning, when we told his morning teacher we had taken him to a park and he fell down, so she called in this "unexplained injury".  The total communication breakdown this evidenced kind of sealed our decision to change schools.  After the change, both of the kids just started learning A LOT, and we noticed major changes in them.\n\nI think there are some major things to look for to decide if your child is in a "good" school.\n\n1. Does the school encourage you to visit, call or ask questions?  My kids' current school has one woman working in the office, and she knows us all by name.  We were encouraged to visit before enrolling the kids, and we can visit or come up there at any time.  They were also very understanding when I called every morning about an hour after drop off for about a month, just to make sure the kids were okay.\n\n2.  Are the classrooms spacious?  Are there potties closeby (for potty-training kids, having bathrooms for 1-2 classes is GREAT)?  Does each child have his or her own storage space (cubbies or lockers)?  Is there natural light (I like that there are big picture windows in my kids' classrooms)?  Is there a playground with safe, fun equipment?  Is there a covered area outside for play on lightly rainy days (this isn't always there, but there's a big back porch where the kids play, and is covered with chalk drawings, on rainy, but not storming, days).\n\n3.  Are the children there clean, and do they seem to be comfortable and happy?  Do the teachers interact with them on a child-friendly level?\n\n4.  After you enroll your child, does he seem happy in the evenings?  If asked, will he tell you things he learned, and what he did that day?  Does he seem to like his teachers?  After a while, does drop off get easier?\n\nIt's important to remember that, even for a child who LOVES his school, his teachers, his friends, drop-off is NOT a foolproof way to find out if he is happy.  My 3-year-old plays happily throughout the day, and he's just crazy about Miss Paula, but when I drop him off, he cries and cries.  I've asked occasionally, and been told that I'm probably not even out of the parking lot before he's happily playing with his friends, listening to a story, or telling Miss Paula about what he did the night before.  This is VERY normal for young kids, and for slightly older kids who are naturally shy, VERY attached, or who are going through some major changes (for example, if your child is being put in daycare/preschool because the parents split up, he moves out of the house with Momma, and Momma, who has always been home with him, has to go to work, all parts of
1094973
I totally agree that the testing and assessment is focusing not just on memorization, but memorization of certian information.  It is so focused that those kids who have a natural interest or aptitude for certain subjects can't get beyond the basics in class.\n\nWe need to bring back discussions, research papers, etc.  I was writing research papers as early as 3rd grade.\n\nUNFORTUNATELY another big affect on the kids today in learning, is lack of parental involvement.  With both parents working (sometimes multiple jobs) or single parents struggling just to put food on the table, there is often not enough time in the day (or energy in their body) for some parents to be more involved in their child's education process.\n\nNot only does the school system need to reasses their programs (No Child Left Behind is good in theory, but needs some reform)... but parents need to be more involved and in some areas that means we need an economic/income boost.
198181
Oh, those are good ages for natural study.\n\nDaycare, while it is still a great place to exist, is a wonderful time for kids to LEARN things.  Kinda like a kindergarten :)\n\nDependant on where you are, consider natural study as a class project.\n\nHave them pick the environment, and then have them make the environment in class (either through diorama or whatever).  And then, have them pick what animals, plants, and other items exist within the habitat.  Have them make such things.\n\nNow, as they are between the ages of 5 and 9, this is a bit complex, so help them out :) Give them some ideas, and let their imaginations go wild from there.\n\nWhen done, have them look at the habitat, and if you are in a rural area that has a similar habitat, get permission from the parents and take them too it.\n\nOne of the biggests mistakes that most daycare facilities make is that they don't include learning in their work time.  Mainly because they don't know when the parents will pick up the kid :)\n\nBut simple ongoing projects like natural learning, ect, are great ways to entertain kids from day to day, onto weeks into weeks.\n\nSome other ideas:  making little cars, building little soap modles, building clay cities, ect.\n\nBe creative. These ages are great for shaping their young minds :)
361937
I work at a Preschool in Ohio. No, preschool is not required, but it is a good way to get your child prepared for Kindergarten. If they have never been away from you much or around other children, I think you might want to at least take them part time, but make sure it is an educational center where they go by the standards for your state if they have any so that it will align with the learning your child will do in Kindergarten and so forth. It is just a good way to get all the attachment issues out of the way before you drop him/her off for the first time at Kindergarten. Also, if you decide not to put your child into preschool, make sure you work with them at home with some of the basics such as ABC's and writing their name :)
336096
Well, I would say assessment.\nI am doing one about whether students are more aware of assessment levels for reading and writing than speaking and listening (they are).\n\nOther people I know are doing whether written or verbal feedback is more effective in raising pupils marks.\n\nIts always useful to do something about disaffected boys and which type assessment works for them, peer marking, verbal or written.\nTry doing something simple like is it better to write a grade on a students work or not, because most students just read the mark and not the corrections or comments.\n\nThere are lots of useful books about action research, I got one off Amazon -Action Research in Classrooms and Schools by David Hustler.\n\nGood luck\n\n\nP.S contact me if you need to discuss futher.
1069687
In my preschool it was a day that the children and I prepared together.  We did a little *talent show* - each child would choose something they learned throughout the year and that's what they would do as their talent for the parents.  It could be they learned all their alphabets, to count to 10, maybe all their months of the year or even to dribble a basketball.  Whatever it was - it was something they felt proud of and it was their accomplishment.\nWe would pick out a few of our favourite songs from the year to sing and I would also print up diplomas for them.\nOne of the highlights for the parents - and children is that throughout the year I would take pictures of just about everything in the class and of the many many field trips we would go on.  The children, preceding the end of school, would help me put together a special photo book for their parents and then we would present it to each parent - they had never seen these photo's before and it was always a treasured gift at the end of the year and the children were excited to give it to them.\nWe would then finish off our last day with a picnic in the park so everyone could run and let some energy out.
111612
It depends on the day care and the preschool. At some daycare centers, basically all they do is play with toys, eat snacks, and then go play on the playground. There isn't much emotional or educational stimulation. Other daycares (and preschools) teach songs with words and actions like "this is my right hand, this is my left hand" ... well you know those kind of songs for sure! They also might read more books, have smaller teacher-student ratios, and actually give kids time and attention. Those are the middle of the road, average preschool/daycares, and there really isn't much of a difference. A good preschool will have a curriculum set up. If you are going to pay the extra bit for the "preschool" name, this is probably the kind you want. These schools have days and weeks with themes like "the letter A" and "seasons". Days will be themed around these things, and it give more of an educational focus.
493163
That is a very specific question and I'm not sure if you are going to find anyone on here with that info.\n\nI do have some general ideas on what to look for in a Preschool since I am a Preschool teacher myself. \n*Look at the building. Is it clean and safe? Are there heaps of resources/toys for the children to play with?\n*What is the play area outside like? Is there room for the kids to run? Is the equipment safe and well maintained?\n*Are the staff friendly and happy?\n*Do the kids currently at the centre appear happy? Are they playing well or running around causing havoc?\n*Do the teachers plan for each child individually? Do they write down observations of what the child is doing and plan activities based on the children's interests and needs?\n*Have a look at the major policies, including child protection, behaviour management, and food preparation/diets (if food provided by centre).\n\nI hope this helps!
624809
im not sure about montessori school. my daughter is 3 and in head start. she loves it. she is real smart and can right her name. she can identify letters and she knows sounds. it always depends on the child if they are ready. preschool also helps a child to be ready for kindergarten. so i would keep that in mind.
728505
If you mean skills as in new languages then age sloooooowly erodes the ability to take on new languages (no, perhaps not for everyone). Therefore, as a person ages, the degree of difficulty increases. Perhaps it is almost negligible at first, but it is there.\n\nIf it is grammatical skills, I am not sure how soon one can even start comprehending those, I still KANT.,;:/."'-_{}\n\nThere are tests to determine what one's learning skills are at an early age:\nhttp://webhome.idirect.com/~jsomwaru/Index.html\n\nResearch seems ot indicate that preschool education prepares them to learn better as school age children which would tend to indicate the advantage given is the ability to more easily learn what will be taught , perhaps leading to skipping classes? But maybe they should have a little bit of KID fun first??? http://www.mirror.co.uk/sexandhealth/sexandrelationships/tm_objectid=14449450&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=growing-up-too-quickly---name_page.html :\n\nQUOTE:\nIs there research that shows that children who attend preschool outside the home will do better in school?\nNo research has ever shown that children who attend a preschool have an advantage over children who learn at home. Common sense tells us that a child who is read to often, who is exposed to the alphabet, counting, sorting and reasoning as a preschooler will be better prepared to learn reading and math than one who has never been exposed to those things. You could enroll your child in a preschool and they would most likely be exposed to that type of material and prepared for a traditional kindergarten classroom, but by keeping your child at home, you are able to tailor their education to their specific interests, and you will recognize when your child is grasping a concept and ready to move ahead to the next level. You will also avoid the negative social impact that research has proven institutional settings have on young children.\nEND QUOTE  http://californiahomeschool.net/howTo/preschool.htm\nhttp://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=research+on+preschooling