What do I need to ask / tell the preschool?

[Mrsfrumble]

DS is 3.8 and will (I hope) be starting at a private preschool next month - we're in the US so no state provision until he's nearly 6. It's a new preschool that's opening for the first time this academic year. We went to an open day last month so met the owner and saw the facilities, which all seemed lovely, but as they're only just starting out we didn't get to see the place "in action" and there are no other parents to ask for their opinions and experiences. Add the lack of Ofsted and the fact that DS is our PFB and we don't really know what we're looking at (he was with a childminder from 13 months to 2, and has been at home with me since), and I'm wondering how I can be sure we've made a good choice.

I've been emailing back and forth with owner who has been very friendly and helpful. There's information on their website about the planned day-to-day schedule, and I've asked about the backgrounds and training of the staff, and how settling in will work. What else should I be asking about?

Also, how much should I tell her about his little quirks, or should I let the staff find out for themselves? For example he's a very fussy eater, but
I wonder if this may improve with some peer influence.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

[Littlefish]

One thing I would want to know is how many children will be in on the days that your ds is there.

I would let the staff know about the fussy eating.

[insancerre]

I manage a nursery and we would want to know as much information about a child as we could.
We have an all about me that we send out for parents to fill in. This helps us to get to know each child and family.
We also have a home link diary that we fill in and send home for parents to fill in with photos and things that they have done.
All this information helps us to plan for individual children and meet their individual needs.

[JennyBlueWren]

We give a questionnaire to parents either beforehand or on their first day which covers all of that and has a space for comments at the bottom. Also when we had induction meetings with new children and parents it gave them a chance to talk about any specific concerns or needs and I gave them some idea of how we'd address them (although a lot will depend on how they are when they start).

You might want to ask if there's anything you can do to help him prepare. E.g. go to the toilet independently, put on shoes/jacket, eating -are they expected to use a knife and fork?