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Choosing the Right Preschool for your Child

The beginning of August means that summer is soon coming to an end. Now it is time to get ready for a new school year and for many parents this means enrolling their children in the right preschool program. Picking out the right one can be a scary process, there are so many factors to consider! Whether it is the location, learning philosophy, teaching approach, affordability… and the list goes on, choosing the right place for your child to grow and learn is not an easy decision. From our years of experience with our own preschool parents, we came up with a few steps to help you find the perfect fit for you and your child. Step 1: The Environment You must decide the type of experience you are looking for. Do you want a more structured educational setting meant for kindergarten readiness? Or something more relaxed? Once you’ve figured this out you can start looking into the different learning approaches and find one that matches your child’s personality best. Step 2: The Learning Approach There are different popular methods when it comes to teaching early education, whether it is a child-led classroom encouraging children to choose what they want to learn, to a more structured teacher-led class with pre-made lesson plans, the methods vary. Read about them here and find out which one would be the best fit for your child. Step 3: Credentials Then it’s important to find out about accreditation, and what percentage of the staff holds degrees in early education. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the most comprehensive and respected national preschool accreditation program. Any program with this accreditation, like IBA's Preschool Program, is very well prepared. Step 4: Personal Visit It’s important to get a feel of the atmosphere and see how comfortable your child is interacting with teachers and other children before making your decision. Use this opportunity to ask any questions you may have and to check out the facilities. We hope these four steps make the decision and process a little easier. If you live or work in the greater Boston area, then our bilingual preschool could be a great fit for you and your child. At IBA, we prepare bilingual children for kindergarten (English and Spanish.) We recognize each child’s unique strengths and determine what individualized learning approach will best fit their needs and help them thrive once they enter the school system. Our assessment tools help us understand their abilities and find the best way to enforce our structured bilingual curriculum, based on their language acquisition skills. IBA’s preschool is licensed by the MA Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) and is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Every classroom has at least one teacher with a degree in early education. If this is the program you are looking for, you can get more information or enroll here. For more information contact Linnette Speel (617) 535-1752...