A lot of things are up in the air after a move, and with motherhood, your child’s schooling is a part of this. Here’s how you can pick the best preschool for your child after moving to ensure they get a quality education.
Ensure the School Is Close to Your New Home
The very first thing you need to do is to find a school that’s close to your new place. If you can cut down on the time spent on commuting, your child will have an easier time settling down and succeeding in school. According to a report, this past year, 1.5 million children were enrolled in school. This includes 32% of four-year-olds and 5% of three-year-olds. This is a large number of children, so there’s a chance that you could find a parent to ask about which school they’re taking their child to and have an easier time making comparisons.
Find Out if They’re Ready for Preschool
Before you take the leap and start visiting different preschools in preparation for enrolling your child, make sure that they’re ready to go to preschool. The easiest way to tell that your child is ready for preschool is to observe them. If they’re already demonstrating self-management and different social skills, they may be ready to begin schooling. They should also be able to engage in group projects and follow instructions well. If they have all of these skills, then they’re likely ready to attend preschool.
Discuss the Move With Them in Advance
Avoid springing a surprise on them as far as the move goes. Before it’s time to move, have a talk with them to inform them of your intentions. Hear them out and validate any feelings of fear and apprehension that they may be having. When you do this, they will be more likely to settle in faster and more easily. Share with them facts such as that the average person moves about 12 times during their lifetime so they know it’s something commonplace. If you have memories of moving while you were their age, you can share this story with them so they feel more at ease. When you have them calm and accepting of the situation, it will be easier to also get them settled in school.
Staff at the School Should be Happy
When looking for a good preschool, pay each one that you’re considering a short visit during school hours. During this visit, you should check how clean the school environment is. A clean school will be a lot safer for your child as far as their health goes. Also, engage with some of the staff if possible and really listen to them. The best preschool for your child is one in which the staff are happy and well-trained in handling children of all ages. When you’re sure that these conditions have all been met, you will be able to enroll your child confidently knowing that they will be taken good care of.
Listen to Your Instincts
Finally, listen to what your guts tell you. This is something that’s common in motherhood and comes naturally to most. Often, you will realize that a decision you made based on your instincts was the right one, and this doesn’t stop at picking a good school for your child. Note that if one parent moves and the child has to travel for over an hour between their parents’ homes in PA, this move is considered to be a relocation. In this case, you will need to make the best decision for your child in terms of which parent they should stay with to get access to the best school.
These tips should make it easy for you to pick a good school for your child with less hassle. You will have played an important role in your child’s education, and one for which they will thank you in the future.
