Choosing a Preschool

Your best friend has a two year old son, and she is going back to work full-time.  She is looking for an affordable, quality childcare program in her area and is considering several  programs, even though they are well outside of her price range.  She is unsure if her son is meeting his development milestones.  Here is what she knows:

 

He learned to crawl at the age of 8 months and began to walk at the age of 18 months.

 

He runs but sometimes falls.

 

He walks up and down stairs but needs assistance.

 

He prefers to engage in parallel play and usually opts for activities that involve play in one area, such as with his trucks on the floor.

 

He has a vocabulary of 10-15 words.

 

He often asks to watch television.

 

According to the HELP curriculum-based assessment (Vort Corporation, 2011), running is a skill that a child starts developing at 18 months and should be mastered by 24 months.  Walking up and down stairs independently should be mastered by 24 months.  Parallel play starts developing at 18 months and is mastered by 24 months.  Vocabulary starts developing at 17.5 months and mastered by 20.5 months.  Crawling starts developing at 8 months and walking should be mastered at about 15 months.

 

Your friend is concerned that her son is behind in certain areas of development and will only get further behind if he doesn’t attend a quality program.

 

Write a two-three page letter to your best friend.

 

a.  Describe three things she should look for in a childcare environment that supports her son’s development.

 

b.  Describe three typical skills that are devalopmentally appropriate at the age of two.

 

c.  Explain how the change in environment from the home to a childcare center can assist the child in meeting his   

     developmental milestones.

 

d.  Provide your opinion about how the mother and family can better assist the child in developmental growth.