5 More Questions to Ask When Evaluating a Private Kindergarten Program

Few decisions are as agonizing for parents in the Greater Boston area as where to send your son for his first year of school. You have many goals for his education:

  • You want to find a kindergarten program that will lay a solid academic foundation for the rest of his formal education.
  • You want a school where he’ll fit in socially, making new friends and getting along well with his classmates.
  • You want a school that will support your efforts to develop your son’s character, helping him learn and practice strong values.

But when you consider your private and public school options around Boston, the multiplicity of choices can become very overwhelming very fast. Each of these schools has its qualities. Many of them come with enthusiastic recommendations from other families. And if you look closely, each probably has a few drawbacks, as well.

This winter, we shared four questions you can ask to evaluate a private kindergarten program. Not surprisingly, it was one of our most popular posts. Many families found it useful for ferreting out the differences between seemingly similar schools, whittling down their lists to a manageable handful.

To help you narrow down your choices even more and find the best fit for your son and your family, here is part II. These are five more questions you can ask when evaluating a private kindergarten program.

(For other important steps to take on your private school search, read this comprehensive article from Private School Review.)

To Ask the Admissions Team

1. How does your school develop character?

Evaluating a Private KindergartenStrong academics are important but they’re not everything. You want your son to grow as a person as well as a student. That means building character traits like honesty, empathy, respect, cooperation, and kindness. It means learning to work with others, taking his turn as a leader and contributing as a team member.

Besides the curriculum and learning environment, character education is often the area in which private kindergarten programs differ the most.

2. Why do you believe in single-sex education?

This question applies when you’re speaking with representatives of an all-boys private kindergarten program, such as The Fessenden School. When you ask it, you may find that some schools follow a single-gender model due to more than tradition. In fact, single-sex education is on the rise in the United States, driven by research that shows its many benefits for developing young minds.

Boys, especially, tend to thrive in single-sex classrooms. At a school like Fessenden, teachers are able to adapt their teaching to the learning styles of boys: their natural rambunctiousness and their need to move around and learn by doing. Boys also tend to participate in a wider range of activities and display a more complete range of emotions.

As they say at Fessenden, at an all-boys school, “Everything is a boy thing.”

To Ask Teachers

3. How do you teach kindergartners to read?

Reading is the foundation of your son’s academic future and kindergarten is when that foundation will be laid. Literacy is the most critical element of the kindergarten curriculum, so be sure you understand how a school teaches reading before you decide to send your son there.

To help you ask informed questions about reading education, here is a recent article describing “3 Ways High-Quality Kindergarten Programs Help Boys Learn to Read.”

4. Can you give an example of how you deliver personalized attention in the classroom?

Small class sizes and individualized attention from teachers are two of the main reasons families choose private elementary schools. You don’t want your son to be just another student among many. You want his education to be tailored to his needs, his pace, his strengths, and his weaknesses.

In another of our recent articles, the father of a Fessenden student explains why individualized attention drew his family to a private school: “There’s this incredible amount of understanding for the learning patterns of each boy and what instruction each boy needs in order to have the best outcome. And, the teachers know how to keep all these different boys engaged and challenged at the same time.”

To Ask Parents

5. Why did you choose this school for your child? And did it live up to your expectations?

There are few better sources of information on a private school than the parents that have gone before you. Most admissions teams will be happy to put you in contact with families whose children have attended their school. This is your chance to get real “insider insight” on a school.

To avoid cheerleading, don’t just ask parents what they like about a school. Ask about outcomes:

  • How has the school benefited your child one, two, or five years later?
  • Did the school live up to your expectations?
  • Do you feel your child missed out on anything by attending this school? And if so, was it worth it?

Nine More Questions to Ask When Evaluating a Private Kindergarten

These are just a few of the questions that will help you tell the difference between different private school kindergarten programs and find the best fit for your son. For a complete set of 14, follow this link for a free copy of the Pre-K & Kindergarten Private School Visit Checklist. You can print out this checklist and take it with you as you tour schools, speak with admissions officers, and meet with other families.

What are your questions about private kindergarten programs? Write them in the comments section below and we’ll do our best to answer them.


Download the Pre-K & Kindergarten Private School Visit Checklist

8 Responses to “5 More Questions to Ask When Evaluating a Private Kindergarten Program”

  1. Alex Dean

    My oldest is coming up on kindergarten age, and we are wanting to make sure that he has a great start. I have heard of others using private kindergarten schools, but I would like to know how we can decide this is the best fit for him. It’s good to know that one thing we need to ask potential teachers is how they deliver personal attention in the classroom. That way we can know if their needs will be met.

  2. Harper Campbell

    Our oldest is getting ready to start kindergarten, but we are wanting to find a private one for him to go to. I like how you pointed out that when it comes to finding the right one, that we need to ask the teacher questions before agreeing. It’s good to know that we should ask them how they give personalized attention in the classroom. This will help me feel like they will tailor his education to his needs.

  3. Derek Dewitt

    My wife and I are thinking about putting our son in kindergarten but we aren’t sure how to find a good program. I like that you suggest asking the teacher to see examples of how they show personal attention in the classroom. I want a class that is tailored to my son’s needs so I’ll be sure to ask this. Thanks for sharing!

  4. Caden Dahl

    When it comes time to take my kid to kindergarten, I will for sure want to see how the teachers interact with the kids. As you said, it would be a good idea to see this as I think that as a parent, you want the best for your kid. I’d just be sure to go with someone who has some experience.

  5. Daphne Gilpin

    I like how you said that having small classes that allow for individual attention on the students is one of the main reasons to choose private schooling over public. My husband and I have been discussing and evaluating all of the different options for our daughter’s education. The personalized attention that private schools provide seems like it would be really helpful in supporting her academic performance and sense of responsibility.

  6. Camille Devaux

    It makes sense that you would want to look for a kindergarten care center that will live up to your expectations. This is a great insight that will make it a lot easier to pick the right childcare service. I am sure that my sister will want to know this as she looks for a kindergarten service.

  7. Jenna Hunter

    Thanks for these tips on how to find a good kindergarten. I agree that you want to make sure your child will fit in socially and make new friends. My husband and I are looking for a private school for our son, so we’ll have to consider his social life first.

  8. Braden Bills

    I want to make sure that my son gets the right education. It makes sense that I would want to find a kindergarten that can give him a good start. That’s definitely something worth looking into.

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