Selecting a kindergarten school for your child is one of the most important decisions you’ll make in life. This stage of schooling helps form the basic academic and social skills your child will use for the rest of their lives, and it’s very important that you give due time and consideration to the process.
In a city like Sharjah where parents have a wealth of options to choose from, school selection can become an extremely complex task.
To help you make a more well-informed decision, we’ve set out a list of steps you should following order to select a kindergarten school in Sharjah that’s right for you and your child.
Research begins at home
- Ask friends and family for advice
A few months before your child is due for enrollment, start asking people within your circle to recommend institutions they have personal experiences with.
This will help you establish a list 4-5 schools you can research further online. It also ensures that you find quality institutions that genuinely take care of their students and employ a world-class teaching staff.
- Go online and investigate
Visit each school’s website and analyze all the information they’ve presented. In particular, pay close attention to there views left by parents if they are available.
The website should also have plenty of pictures which show the campus in detail, including the classrooms, grounds, sports facilities, canteen, play area, and any security measures they have in place.
Also, make sure all the content on the website is up-to-date, and narrow your list down to 3-4 schools which you’ll visit in person.
- Decide on a curriculum
While the choice of curriculum won’t necessarily affect a child’s early education, it can have a massive impact on their academic and professional lives later in life.
In Sharjah, the major curricula on offer are:
- American
- British
- Indian
- International Baccalaureate
- German
- French
- Pakistani
Here, we recommend looking into all of the education systems in detail and listing down the pros and cons and salient features of each.
The decision you make right now will play a big role in the quality of education your child receives, the type of examinations they give, and the kinds of universities they’ll be eligible to apply to for higher education.
- Compare the locations and travel times
Parents often forget to consider the travel time and distance from their house when selecting a school. Remember that you’ll need to provide transportation for your child twice a day every weekday.
If the school is too far away or difficult to reach, you’ll need to determine if its benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
- Look for a low student-teacher ratio
The best kindergarten schools in Sharjah will ensure that each child gets the attention they require by keeping the size of the classrooms small.
According to various education experts, the ideal school will have a student-teacher ratio of 18:1.If this information isn’t available on the website, call up the administrative office and ask them yourself.
The all-important school visit
- Set up an appointment
Most private institutions in Sharjah offer personalized tours of their campus for all interested parents.
Call up the school’s administration and schedule an appointment to see the classrooms, tour the grounds, and visit all other facilities available on-campus. If possible, also take the time out to talk to other parents and get their views on the quality of education at the school.
Helpful tip: If the school refuses your request for a tour, they’re likely not worth your time or consideration.
- Prepare a checklist
List down all the important things you’ll want to observe in the classrooms before you head out. This ensures that you won’t forget any of your concerns while talking to principal/teachers.
Ideally, this list should include questions like:
- Does the school provide any transportation?
- How expensive is the fee? Does it cover the costs of uniforms, books, etc.?
- Is there a doctor and separate medical facilities available?
- What is the general demeanor of students? Do they seem to be enjoying themselves?
- Are the classrooms spacious enough to be comfortable?
- Are toys and snacks available for kindergarteners within the classrooms?
- Is the teacher working with individual students?
- What is the balance between academics and art?
- What activities do students take part in during their breaks?
- Is the curriculum and method of teaching suitable for young children?
Once at the institution, systematically go through the prepared list and note down all the answers on a separate piece of paper. You’ll use this later when you’re making the final decision.
Talk to administration and parents
- Ask about the testing policy
A school that conducts standardized tests for kindergarteners isn’t right for your child. At his/her young age, the primary focus should be on developing the students’ social skills and personality traits, not teaching them about grading systems and marks.
Look for a school that prioritizes ‘learning through play’, and stay away from any institutions that brag about their test scores.
- Interact with other parents
Ask the parents the same questions you prepared earlier on your checklist, and gauge their responses. This will help you form a much clearer, unbiased opinion of the school’s overall environment, the pros and cons, and the faculty’s competence.
After you’ve visited every school and gone over their responses, sit down with your spouse and come to a final decision. If you need any help with the process, you can always get in touch with a professional educational consultant.
