As a preschool operator, you may be wondering which types of questions you should ask prospective families who wish to enroll their children at your center. While many parents are searching for an early childhood education facility that suits their child, you too should be considering whether or not these families are the right fit for you as well! When putting together your enrollment application, it’s essential that you ask the right kinds of questions that will help you select students and families who share the same values and beliefs as you do when it comes to early childhood education.
With carefully considered preschool application questions, you can design an application process that allows you to better assess prospective students and parents. Like many other preschool educators, you’ll want to focus on finding families who are excited to be participating in their child’s learning and development, who will want to get involved in the classroom and who will be flexible when it comes to the daily routines of preschool.
The HiMama Team has rounded up the following preschool application questions to help you create a questionnaire that will give you a better picture of prospective families:
1. Begin with the basics
Ask for some details on the child the family wishes to enroll, and leave room for any additional information they’d like to note about the needs, interests and behaviors of their child.
2. Understand why
Ask the family why they are interested in your preschool in particular. Why do they think it will be the right fit for their child? Is it your reputation for engaging activities, your nutritious meals and snacks, the qualifications of your skilled staff, or the daycare software you use?
3. Learn more about the child
Ask parents to explain how their child behaves during group play and if they are able to play independently. These types of questions will help you understand how a child will fit in with your existing classroom and whether or not special accommodations might be required.
4. Learn more about the parents
Ask parents to describe their own approach to parenting and education. The answer will give you insight into whether or not their approach is a match for your team’s philosophy of early childhood education and the methods used in your preschool.
5. Understand expectations
Inquire about the parents’ expectations of your staff. This question will indicate to you what sort of role they want educators to play in their child’s development, and can give insight into how flexible or rigid they might be when it comes to the routines and rules of your preschool.
6. Build the relationship
Request that families give an indication of how often they are available to participate in parent-involvement activities on a weekly or monthly basis. This will help you select families who are eager to get involved and even help your staff out in the classroom.
7. Get some feedback
Ask them how they heard about your preschool. Whether they found you online, by word-or-mouth or in a local newspaper, this data is valuable in guiding your future marketing efforts.
Interested in learning more about attracting the right type of families to your preschool?
Take a look at our tips on how to boost child care enrollment and preschool marketing strategies that will help your school stand out.
