阳阳和学前班／幼儿园 preschool

To Grandma:

I have been visiting many preschools lately. The ones I like usuallyhave very long wait list--over a year long. The Montessori school issupposed to be very good, but some people say that Montessori is notfor everyone. How do I know if Logan is suitable for the method? WhenI was visiting, the classes seemed very structured, and I couldn'ttell if the kids were having fun or not. If Logan is very independent,then perhaps the Montessori is good for him? Unless he has autism...

From Grandma:

Montessori preschool is better for those children who are self motivated, very curious, and eager to learn. The first thing to look for is ifchildren and actively engaged and enjoying the activity. There should befun and excitement about learning. The school that we visited the childrenhad no interaction and you didn't see a smile on anyone's face, which is areal red flag. Children's play is their way of learning, practicing,practicing, practicing so it's not unusual to see them engaged in the sameactivity for a longer period of time. In a good Montessori preschool, youshould see children engaged in lots of hands-on....doing different thingswith the same materials....so you should see lots of exploring and tryingout things....sand tables, blocks, cooking centers, lots of imaginativethings to play with.

I don't know what you mean be seeing lots of structure....in a goodpreschool, you should see children "doing their own thing" then time to allcome together for group activity; learning responsibility of putting thingsaway in their right place, but all children will be actively engaged in whatthey are doing....like they are mesmerized by the activity....one usually needs to visit for at least 1 hr during structured andunstructured times to get a feel for both.

I would continue to look at preschools and get one lined up even if thewaiting period is a year...2-3 is a good time to start anyway so that wouldbe perfect for Panda. As I watched Panda around other children, and thevideos, he does interact with them and he initiates the overtures...onething about early childhood is that what they can't do today, might occurtomorrow....children's brains develop by areas....the motor skills, thecooing and babbling which Panda does a lot of....so he is communicating. Ithink in Mike's baby book, I wrote down his first words; they came one at atime. When the language connection is made, it just explodes...just likewalking......children do set their own pace.

To Grandma (and notes)

I have visited 6 preschools:

1) Montessori: the location and the environment is superb. They have 4 classes for 2-4 year old, and when I was there, 1 class was having a circle time sharing stories about toys, 1 class was rehearsing a song for upcoming parent day, 1 class was lining up to go out, and 1 class was out in the playground, so I wasn't able to observe the kids doing the individual activities the Montessori schools are so famous for. From what I observed, most kids were pretty quiet and disciplined around the circle or in the line (to go out), and I didn't see much laughing. I was under the impression that the school was very structured. I was there for about 20 minutes. Maybe I should visit again at a different time of the day. Also the teachers are very young, so I don't know how much experience they have. This school is supposed to be one of the "best" in the area. I put down $200 for the wait list.

2) School District Preschool: I was late for the tour, but from what I observe, the school looks more "normal" (meaning more children friendly and less neat) than the Montessori school mentioned above. In some classes, I saw the kids snuggled up to the (not quite young) teachers. I feel this might be a good place for Panda, but the wait is also long, which I have Panda added.

3) Church Preschool: A local couple recommended this school to us, because their two sons goes there and they are happy. The couple is also Chinese and American. The physical size of the school is very small, and it's by the busy street. The school feels very cozy, and the kids all seemed to be very comfortable and close to the teachers. They are currently very full, and the wait is over a year.

4) Beach Babies: they have the smallest teacher-to-child ratio, 1:4 for 18 months, 1:5 for age 2.5, 1:6 for age 4, 1:7 for age 5. All other schools have 1:12 for age 2 and above (state minimum requirement). When I was there (on a cold windy day), the 3 teachers with the 12 kids in the toddler class were standing around with hands in pockets watching the kids playing in the playground. I was hoping to see the teachers play with the kids, not watching them play. I guess it's a bad sign?

5-7) Other preschools, either too far, or too small, or starting age much older.

I have only one more Montessori school on my list to visit. These are the schools nearby. I can check out schools further away in other cities, but I feel they might all be similar, in one way or another, to the ones I have already visited.

I will wait for the result of the autism evaluation, and see if they can recommend some schools.