Choosing the right preschool for your child will be one of the most important decisions you make.  Preschool is a foundational piece to setting the groundwork for your child’s educational career.  A successful preschool experience can set your child up with a positive view of educational settings, especially as they transition to kindergarten.

Communicating with your child’s preschool teacher is vital to ensure you make the most of their time in the program.  Below are some of the top questions to ask your child’s preschool teacher to find out how his or her experience is going.

• What does their daily schedule look like?
• What curriculum are you using?
• How much play is scheduled into your day?
• How does my child interact with his or her peers?
• How does my child handle being redirected and disciplined?
• How are my child’s coping skills?
• How is my child progressing academically and cognitively? Are they meeting the milestones set in the curriculum?
• What activities can I do at home to help reinforce the learning that is taking place at school?
• Does my child’s reactions and emotions match the situation they are in?
• Are there any behavior concerns?
• What are my child’s strengths in the preschool setting?
• What areas could my child improve upon?
• What can I do at home to support the emotional and cognitive growth of my child?
• Are there any concerns I need to speak with my pediatrician about?

While this list is not comprehensive, it gives a great starting point to start a dialogue with your child’s teacher.  The key to making this conversation productive is being open minded.  At times, it may be hard for you to hear some of the responses your child’s teacher has.  Yes – you absolutely know your child best, but their teacher sees them from a different perspective and in a different environment.  Your child’s teacher does have his or her best interest at heart and wants to partner in your child’s development. The more open minded and responsive you are to what your child’s preschool teacher is saying, the more likely you will be able to work together as a team to ensure your child’s social, emotional, and cognitive growth is being met.