Public Kindergarten Next year....what Questions Should I Ask?

Kindergarten is very different from pre-school, but some of the questions are pretty much the same - here are some more that I would ask, in addition to the ones from the other mamas:

*Are there are special food restrictions - is it 'peanut free'?
*Will they open items (sometimes they won't open granola bars or fruit cups)?
*Will they heat up items (soup, macaroni&cheese)?
*Do they have to ready themselves to go outside (button/zip own coat, tie own shoes), or will the teachers help?
*Do they have to put on their own clothes after going potty - ie button and zip all pants etc (if it's preschool and you are talking about a 3 year old, you need to find out if they need to be able to wipe themselves after pooping).
*Do they still nap? If your child isn't still a napper, can they just have quiet time?
*how will it be handled if your daughter is upset?
*What are the guidelines for when a child must be kept home due to illness (usually the 'gray' areas are runny noses and coughing - policies will differ)

I'm sure there are others that other mamas will think of.
Good Luck.

most school districts offer a visitation day for the area preschools. It's a fun field trip for the preschools & you will learn a lot.

My recommendation is to "relax". Most paents overthink this process & drive themselves nuts. Every single teacher will have her own way of handling the class.....& quite often this is based on the children's needs & their personalities & how they mesh together.

Trust is your most important tool at this point! Contact the school district & request their "KG Expectations". They should have an entire packet ready for prospective parents. Peace!

What is their daily schedule? When do they eat lunch and are they given a snack -if so, can you send your child's snack or are they given one provided by the school system and what is it usually? When is recess and is it every day? If the weather is bad, where do the kids have their recess (it's imperative that children this age have allotted time to be active, play and move or you're going to have behavior issues)? What are the discipline procedures and policies for tardiness and absence? Will homework be given? I'm horrified that kindergartners are being given homework in some misguided effort to make them learn more, but they are! What supplemental education is going to happen -foreign language, music, art, organic gardens, class pets or fish, etc.? How many field trips do they take and where? What is the teacher's policy on daily reporting (will a folder be sent home, is that where you should always check for information and homework, etc.)? What is your child expected to arrive already knowing -how to write name, ABCs, simple addition or nothing? Most kindergartens have up to 20 students per classroom with a teacher and a full-time paraprofessional. If yours would have more than that, I would be careful. Go visit the kindergarten your child would be attending now and look at the classroom set up, students, teachers and see what you think of the school.

Do they group by age (younger kindergarteners vs older)? Do they group by ability? What things should they know when starting kindergarten (letters, numbers, write name, know address/phone, etc). What "specials" are offered (art, music, PE, Spanish). Can you volunteer in the class? Can you have lunch with your child? When/how often will you receive progress reports/report cards?

How are learning difficulties or advanced learning handled? Are they equipped to help either?

School day hours and busing info.

Ask what your child will be doing during the day (schedule). What their disciplines procedures are. Is it full-day or half-day.

Public school kindergarten or you are looking for a preschool?
I would ask what is the schedule for a typical day, what are the class rules, what are the consequences for breaking a class rule.