Community Corner

Moms Talk Q & A: How Did You Determine Where to Send Your Children to Preschool?

This new feature on Bayport-Blue Point Patch will explore questions and seek answers for and from local residents.

Moms Talk is a recently created feature on Bayport-Blue Point Patch that is part of a new initiative on our Patch sites to reach out to moms and families.

Bayport-Blue Point Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in Bayport-Blue Point.

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions. 

Find out what's happening in Sayville-Bayportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

So grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start the conversation.

How did you determine where to send your children to preschool?

Find out what's happening in Sayville-Bayportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Moms Council member --Amy Teplitz--

As a mom of three and the owner of a preschool (), I can speak personally and professionally on this subject. The most important way to choose a preschool for your child is to go with your heart, your gut instinct. Bring your child with you when you visit the preschools and go when classes are in session. This is a great way to see first hand how the staff interacts with your child and  how comfortable your child feels in that setting. Ask yourself the following questions...Do I trust these individuals with the well-being of my child? Are these the role models I want for my child? Is my child going to be prepared for Kindergarten academically, socially and emotionally with this program? How open are the lines of communication between families and staff?  Will my child learn the life lessons he/she needs? Is the class size productive for my child? Will my child's needs be met? Is the staff CPR, First Aid, Epi-Pen and AED trained? Will my child be given the confidence he/she needs to be a successful grown up? Are the children given incentives to succeed? 
Remember the most important thing about preschool is to foster a love of learning. I want all my students to come to school with a huge smile on their faces because it is a school day and leave with an even bigger smile because they had such a great day at school.

Good luck on your search. This is a big time in your child's life- the school journey is about to begin. Cherish these moments, as they grow up right before your eyes. For me it feels like last week I was looking at preschools for my son, and today I am looking at universities.

Moms Council member --Danielle Golden Giglio--

Both my children went to in Bayport and we loved it!  Choosing which preschool to send your children to is a bit daunting. I started the whole process with a list of all local pre-schools. The list is available at the children's desk of the . This was a great resource for me. From this list I called the schools and set up appointments to visit. I ended up picking Tiny Tots because of the caring staff, it fit our budget and all the fun learning activities for their students. They are also one of the few preschools around Bayport with a playground. Although children learn academics at Tiny Tots, they also get to play, which I feel is important.  

Moms Council member --Johan Fernandez-- 

When our 8 year-old was three, we enrolled her in a preschool which happened to be in the town where my husband and I both work. Since we don’t have relatives that live near Bayport, we thought it would be best if she was close to us in case of any sort of emergency. Another positive was that her school followed the same school calendar as the school district where we work. I think that it is important for parents to stop by the pre-school with their child. Parents should take note of how the staff interacts with their child. Parents should find out about the school’s staff, their routine, how they handle conflicts, their hours, and their rates. We chose that specific preschool because we did our research and it best fit both our needs and our daughter’s needs.  

Moms Council member --Ginee O'Hara--

My experience is unusual in the sense that I had just started working at CA Technologies and they have an on-site Montessori school for employees. The choice was easy for me because I had been commuting into NYC prior to getting the job at CA and was away from my daughter from 7am to 7:30pm. Having the on-site school, she was now coming with me to work and I had every opportunity to visit her and go to her different activities. It was a wonderful environment for her to be exposed to children of other nationalities and I loved having her close to me. The choice was easy for me! 


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