How important are preschools? In India, toddler education is one of the fastest growing industries with more and more preschool franchises getting into business. Does that really have a legitimate cause? Whether children really need preschooling or not has been a controversy of our times, and there is no quick conclusion. The necessity of preschooling for Indian children has been debated over and over; some stated they are absolutely necessary while for others it is just another useless trend in vogue. Which one is true?Unfortunately, our choices and opinions about preschooling, like most other subjects around us, are preformulated. We often buy a certain apparel because our colleagues have done so, we invest in a certain mutual fund or take insurance because a relative told or sold us the same, and decide whether preschooling is good or not by the logics of our peers and friends. Not a very wise way to do things. There can be more than 10 reasons why preschooling is good, and yet more justifications of its negative aspects: there is no single formula to cater to all.
The question is not whether your neighbours' or friends' children require preschooling or not, the question is about your child. Nobody knows your child better than you. Nobody knows your situations better either. You have to take the decision: a learned, informed decision. And we hope you will do that easily after going through this article. Keep reading!
Is preschooling bad? Does preschooling affect kids?
You probably did not go to any preschool. Neither did we. And you decided not to send your kids to preschools. But everyone else around you is sending his or her kids. Chances are your child is the only one on the local playground because everyone else is being sent to play schools. And that has left you with a truckload of doubts and confusions. Some told you preschooling is good, some told it is bad. What should you do?
Let us clearly admit that preschooling your children may have certain adverse effects. They may feel like being sent away. Even an one-to-five ratio means they would not get as much attention as they would get in homeschooling. In the worst case, they might have a contamination. But there are certain circumstances when you have to send your children to play schools, despite possible adverse effects of preschooling.
Let us look at a little analogy. You know, and everyone else knows, that mother's milk is best for the baby. And that is written on the baby-food cans in clearly legible fonts as well. Still, people actually buy canned baby-foods. They rather have to.
Advertisements
Homeschooling is best, if that is possible.
Homeschooling your child is like mother's milk, there can be no better alternative. People send their children (or, should send) to preschools when homeschooling is not possible for various reasons including lack of time, skill, experience, and even space. We recommend you go through our quick checklist before preschooling your child. If you can tick them all, congratulations. You are very much capable of homeschooling your own child and there is absolutely no need to send your children to any play schools. However, if you cannot, preschooling is recommended.
Your kids need preschool. But, which one?
Choosing the right preschool for your children is not easy. A preschool is the first stepping stone for your kids and that requires a lot of research. A school that is good for your neighbours' or friends' children may not be equally good for your offsprings too! Even from the monetary point of view, you are investing a lot for your children's future so making an informed decision is a must. When you are putting lakhs of rupees in a preschool, and shaping a future worth billions, do not skip the research even if that costs a few hundred or thousand rupees.
5 things to do before sending your children to preschools
- Get informed. There are lots of good books on preschooling that will tell you about both the pros and cons of preschooling and help you have a clear picture.
- Read some articles. We have a list of must-read articles for parents before preschooling your child that you may find handy.
- Choose your school wisely. Talk to your friends and relatives too. Remember, the curriculum and fees are not the only criteria of a good preschool.
- Review. Once you finalize a school, try to talk to people who have sent their kids there already. Are they giving positive feedbacks?
- Change is good. In case you need it. Chances are even after a lot of research, you may end up enrolling your child in the wrong preschool. If you feel after a few months or a year that your child could have done better with another institution, do not hesitate to switch.
You might also want to read:
Advertisements
Image credit: Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/pin/525795325221988586)
0 comments:
Post a Comment