Three Most Important Aspects that Need Consideration Before You Open Your Own Preschool - An Essay

In todays world there are an array of factors that need to be put into consideration before embarking on any kind of investment. In business it is thus essential to scrutinize all aspects and factors that are aligned in the light of the venture one wants to undertake. Before embarking on starting a preschool it is important to look at all the perspectives and also put in mind that it a business venture (June, & Dorsey, 2002). Most often, the owners or potential owners of child care centers have a background or are well versed with child development and also enjoy being with children. Despite having the motivation of wanting to care for children it is paramount to keep in mind that, starting a preschool is a business and thus the need to have clear outlined plans as well as do prior research before engaging into the actual opening of a center (Kagan, Moore & Bredekamp, 1995). In todays world the need for quality child care services keeps growing with the number of working families increasing especially those with underage children with ages below twelve. It is thus essential to have the best of services in terms of quality, because of the fact that negative effects of substandard preschool care can affect a child into their adolescence.

According to Kagan, Moore & Bredekamp, before venturing out and start making plans for opening a preschool, one needs to look at the market gap present. A potential successful business is one has been reviewed thoroughly while looking at all aspects and factors in relation to the venture. For instance, before opening a preschool it is key as an entrepreneur to find out more about a unique niche that has not been filled up, in this case it would be the absence of a quality child care center within the area one wants to start up a preschool. One of the key aspects to put into consideration before embarking on opening and owning a preschool is personal goals. It is thus essential to have a thorough personal assessment in relation to the planned business venture. As an individual, what are the core reasons as well as motivations that tend to push you towards opening a preschool and continue to maintain it in order to continue upholding the kind of quality standards that were started with.

Personal assessment allows for reflection on an array of issues and factors. The fact that a preschool consumes time and energy is an indication that one needs to be good time manager in order for them to be able to skillfully manage the center. Kagan expounds that, as an individual through self-evaluation it is thus key to find out more or even work on time management skills if not good at it. A preschool needs a personal commitment as it directly deals with children while looking at the benefits coupled with rewards of foreseeing toddlers grow with the aim of helping them develop to their full potential. In as much as the love for children is key and a strong motivation, there is still need for one to have a strong background in diverse fields that will be related in running the preschool. These fields include child development as this the main area being dealt in, communication, accounting to keep track of the financial records, health and nutrition in order to keep track of the nutritional needs of the children.

Before opening a preschool, Moore puts into perspective the second key aspect as market analysis. A preschool is a business venture and thus it is essential to be thorough in finding out all the details that are relevant to the field of child care. First of all, find out through research if there is need for establishing a preschool in the specific area one wants to open one, in order not to provide surplus services to the residents. It is also essential to determine how many families in the target area have young children who would in turn become the potential customers of the preschool. This information can be got from census data through contacting the Census Bureau as well as the planning offices. With more specification of information to be seek by the potential owner of a preschool is number and income of families, housing information, families with children as well as the local businesses and their sizes. A complete financial feasibility helps put into perspective the actual picture of what the preschool business entails in terms of finances. There is need to look at the facts in terms of the type of preschool facility in terms of child development center or day care, potential consumers with regard to ages, income, whether the market is seasonal and if there are any liabilities in terms of the location and facility.

Third, it is essential to have a business plan for the preschool. This will enable one to look at all aspects that appertain the opening and running of a preschool. In the business plan one covers all the aspects of the business beginning with description of what the business is all about starting with location, competition, personnel, business insurance as well as the operating assessment. Then there is the financial aspect that is inclusive of market analysis, plan, break-even analysis as well as the cash flow projections that will help keep in line the running of the preschool (June & Dorsey, 2002).

Another aspect that is coupled with a business plan is preschool licensing. In the bid of opening a preschool it is essential to complete a child care/preschool license there is need to undergo an orientation session as a means to get the coveted license. The license approval requires one to provide information regarding the person to be in charge of the institution with regard to their educational qualification, sanitation approval, all staff should be cleared of any criminal investigation. Alongside the fore mentioned aspects meal menu and sanitation approval and written policies and procedures to be followed at the preschool are essential from the various authorities linked to the licensing board.

What do you think is the most relevant curriculum for a preschool? (1000 words)

When setting up a preschool it is important to first of all outline the intended target population in terms of ages of the children who one wants to be enrolled in the institution. The fore mentioned procedure is of importance because of the fact that the school curriculum will be based on the ages of the children. A curriculum in a preschool is intended to help the young children to acquire certain skillsets both social and learning related with the aim of strengthening healthier development before actual enrolment into a school. Curriculum is content in terms of what is learnt and taught in a class setting to learners. The benefits of quality early childhood care in education are often seen in long and short term periods in the aspects of emotion, cognition as well as social (Kagan, Moore & Bredekamp,1995).

I would recommend the Montessori curriculum for a preschool as it brings to light all the important aspects pertaining the growth and learning process of young children. According to Montessori Maria (2013), there is an array of dimensions that are put into consideration when talking about the curricula in terms of quality when dealing with early childhood education and care. Among them are two core variables that tend to be focused on namely structural and process, that deal with the creation of conducive environment for childrens development and interaction between the adult caregivers/educators and children respectively.

Overtime curriculum for early childhood education has been misunderstood by being confused with other relevant and important aspects of preschool. Learning theories and pedagogies tend to bring to light the connection with curriculum, behaviorists focus on didactic models that discrete facts are presented to the children by the tutor. Maturationists tend to promote the young learners own pace of learning while constructivists are for children being at par with their sociocultural setting that aids with their learning process.

The best and most relevant curriculum for a preschool is intended to promote the childrens learning processes which range from the observation and the attention span of the learners in class, as well as cognitive skills referring to reasoning and acquiring specific information with regard to letters of the alphabet. In as much as there is an array of issues related to the effectiveness of curricula recommended for preschools, much research has been done to answer questions regarding clarity between pedagogy and curriculum. Comparative effectiveness of the various curricula available and also their effectiveness alongside other aspects regarding social and educational factors.

Despite the availability of various curriculum in the system, the stakeholders as well as shareholders meaning everyone involved in the early childhood education, are for promotion of the right ideas that would promote better and improved outcomes for young learners. Montessori system of education for early childhood focuses more on promotion of better childhood development with more focus on but not limited to literacy, numeracy and language. Maria expounds that, this enables the child to have an ample time growing up without having to grasp a lot of information regarding the class learning process.

This curriculum is of essence due to its meaningful effects educationally as earlier mentioned in terms of language skills, cognition, pre math and reading abilities of the young learners, social competence in terms of interactions with the socio-cultural environment in terms of tutors and fellow peers.

When settling for a curriculum for preschoolers it is important to understand the important aspects that come along with its implementation. A good and effective curriculum puts into consideration that pedagogy is also part and parcel of the learning process. Children are active thus best way to engage them to learn is through exploration while thinking about various subjects. Active learning is utilized artistically, physically and socially, children tend to grasp ideas through everyday experiences as well as activities done collaboratively. Under the chosen curriculum for the preschool it is important to have clear goals that are understood and shared by all stakeholders, inclusive of parents, teachers. The tutors are encouraged to be efficient through generating meaningful interactions with the young learners. Teachers have a big role to play to ensure the success of the learning process, because they are the pivot point of the education in reference to the young learners. Teacher engagement in the learning process allows for the tutors to have a hands on experience with the leaners to be able to assess their progress and as a result be able to make classroom adjustments to suit the learners. Under this aspect is where the factors of teachers educational background and experience comes in to be reviewed as it needs to go hand in hand with the curriculum being implemented in the preschool.

Montessori curriculum has been tested over time and proven to be of benefit to preschoolers. This curriculum touches on the aspects of overall such as development, linguistic and culture which are of relevance to the young learners (Montessori, 2013). This type of curriculum is of relevance to preschool because it builds on the young learners prior experiences, in that it supports the previous knowledge accrued by the children during their interactions with families as well as the larger communities. It is also inclusive of all young learners and provides support for children who might be learning English as a second language in order for them to well adapt to the learning environment....