by Marsha Dann, Lead Teacher, Play B C Preschool
Choosing a preschool can feel surprisingly difficult. You can compare opening hours, fees, inspection reports and facilities, but how do you know what a setting will actually feel like for your child once you have walked away?
Perhaps the best place to start is not by looking at the toys or displays, but at the people.
Look at the relationships
Watch how adults interact with children. Do they get down to their level? Do they seem genuinely pleased to see them? Are they listening to what children are saying, including those epic tales which take rather a long time to reach the point?
Strong relationships are the foundation of early learning. When children feel safe and secure with familiar adults, they have the confidence to explore, communicate, take appropriate risks and try things they cannot yet do.
Ask about the key-person system and team consistency too. Your child should be known as an individual, not simply another name on the register.
Look beyond the activities
An impressive activity table or tuff tray can photograph beautifully, but it doesn’t necessarily tell you much about the quality of education. Instead, watch what the adults are doing.
A child repeatedly filling and emptying a container may appear to be ‘just playing’. A knowledgeable adult might recognise mathematical thinking, and introduce language such as full, empty, more and less, or add another container to extend their exploration.
Good early years teaching often doesn’t look much like teaching at all.
Children learn through playing, talking, moving, experimenting, repeating things and following their curiosity. Skilled educators know when to join in, when to introduce something new and, importantly, when to stand back and allow a child to work something out for themselves.
Look for children who are engaged
Don’t expect every child to be doing the same thing, or even for everyone to look busy.
One child might be completely absorbed in building a tower. Another could be negotiating roles in an elaborate game. Someone else may be curled up with a familiar adult and a book.
Look instead for children who seem comfortable, interested and able to make choices.
A great preschool should recognise children develop at different rates and have different interests, personalities and needs. The question isn’t simply “What activities do you provide?” but “How will you get to know my child?”
Look at the team
Resources matter, but consistent adults make the difference.
Ask about qualifications, experience, staff development and how the setting supports its team. Knowledge of child development helps educators recognise the learning happening within everyday experiences and understand what an individual child might need next.
Ratios matter too. Having enough adults isn’t simply about supervision – it creates time for conversation, comfort, observation and those wonderful spontaneous interactions from which so much learning grows.
Look at how they treat you
A good relationship with a preschool shouldn’t begin and end at the door.
You know your child better than anyone. The setting brings expertise in child development – you bring expertise in your child. The best results come when those two things work together.Ask how information is shared, how settling-in is approached and what happens if you have a concern. You should feel listened to, welcomed and comfortable asking questions.
Finally, trust how it feels
Of course, practical considerations matter. Childcare has to work around your family’s real life.
But when you visit, take time to notice the things that don’t appear on a prospectus.
Are children being listened to? Are adults warm and interested? Is there laughter? Are children comforted when they need it? Do the adults seem to know them, really know them?
A great preschool doesn’t need to look perfect.
It should feel like somewhere your child can belong, explore, learn and thrive, and somewhere you can walk away feeling confident they are known, supported and cared for.
Marsha Dann is Lead Teacher and Founder of Play B C Preschool, providing teacher-led early education in Wallington and Carshalton.
