If your child is between the ages of 3 and 6 and attends a child
care center, preschool, or kindergarten program, the National
Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) suggests
you look for these 10 signs to make sure your child is in a
good classroom.
1. Children spend most of their playing and working with materials
or other children. They do not wander aimlessly, and they are
not expected to sit quietly for long periods of time.
2. Children have access to various activities throughout the
day. Look for assorted building blocks and other construction
materials, props for pretend play, picture books, paints and
other art materials, and table toys such as matching games,
pegboards, and puzzles. Children should not all be doing the
same thing at the same time.
3. Teachers work with individual children, small groups, and
the whole group at different times during the day. They do not
spend all their time with the whole group.
4. The classroom is decorated with children’s original
artwork, their own writing with invented spelling, and stories
dictated by children to teachers.
5. Children learn numbers and the alphabet in the context of
their everyday experiences. The natural world of plants and
animals and meaningful activities like cooking, taking attendance,
or serving snack provide the basis for learning activities.
6. Children work on projects and have long periods of time (at
least one hour) to play and explore. Worksheets are used little
if at all.
7. Children have an opportunity to play outside every day. Outdoor
play is never sacrificed for more instructional time.
8. Teachers read books to children individually or in small
groups throughout the day, not just at group story time.
9. Curriculum is adapted for those who are ahead as well as
those who need additional help. Teachers recognize that children’s
different background and experiences mean that they do not learn
the same things at the same time in the same way.
10. Children and their parents look forward to school. Parents
feel secure about sending their child to the program. Children
are happy to attend; they do not cry regularly or complain of
feeling sick.Also ask if the program is accredited by NAEYC.
NAEYC accredited programs complete a rigorous self-study and
external review to prove that they meet standards of excellence
in early childhood education.
Reproduced
with permission from the National Association for the Education
of Young Children
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