Preschool visits - questions to ask?

[Lucky13]

We are visiting preschools this week and I have no idea where to begin. Other than seeing how happy the children are, what facilities are on offer and cleanliness etc - what should i be looking for?

All three are very different - one a tiny village hall setting, one a larger community centre in a small town and the other a small one attached to an independent school.

Sorry probably being very stupid this evening - too many sleepless nights have clouded my brain

Any thoughts would be fab.

some thoughts (in no particular order)

• how much outside space? How often do the children go outside

• how is the session "structured"?

• what staff are there? Is it always the same staff? What is staff turnover like?

• (possibly) where do the children who come here end up going to school?

• how many children and spread of ages

hi there,
I work in a preschool and I consider some important questions to be:

• what is the staff to pupil ratio - obviously the higher the better
• as redskyatnight says outside play is very important and worth looking at
• child safety is a paramount concern - how do they monitor this, for example child collection policy
• do they serve snacks and if so do they follow healthy eating guidelines?

Also whilst being shown around you should be shown the preschools insurance certificate and you should ask about their latest Ofsted report.

These are just a few but if you need more advice please ask!
Good luck

I'd also ask about

• their flexibility? Pick up times/drop off times and whether you can switch sessions if you need it.
• are they happy to work with you when it comes to settling your child?
• will they allow you to pick the sessions you want to do (i.e. do they have "minimum" numbers each child must do).
• what's their uniform policy

I'd also ask to see their Policies and Guidelines.

It'll probably come down to gut feel, you'll know which setting makes you feel happiest and the rest will confirm it.