There was a time when choosing a preschool for children was a straight forward decision. You just chose the closest one because they were all the same for the most part. However, today it is different. Education is a lot more complicated than it used to be. There are a lot more options as far as schools go. One decision is whether you prefer private or public school. There are many benefits private preschools can offer but public school also has its advantages. The importance of early childhood education reach much farther than we can even know. Here are a few benefits of public and private schools for your little one.
The Advantages of Public schools
More Qualifications
Teachers tend to be more qualified in public schools in regards to expertise, experience and certifications. This is due to the fierce competition for jobs in the public school industry. Most teachers will actually have s masters degree in education in order to stand out from the crowd when looking for a job. A public school job is better for a teacher because the salary is higher and thus more appealing. The teachers usually have more hands on training in the classroom before even squiring their own classroom and students. Their training is more broad spectrum and covers a variety of subjects than private schools.
More Focus on Core Subjects
Public school students are encouraged to focus more time studying subjects like science, mathematics, grammar and English and social studies. An average of three more hours a week are dedicated to these core subjects than for private school students.
More Activities
Research shows that public schools are more able to sponsor activities. Extra curricular groups like sports and clubs are more readily available at public schools simply because they are bigger and have the amount of students needed to be able to set up things like science fairs or computer clubs.
Special Needs
Public schools are required by federal and state law to provide disability services for the students. Whether mental or physical disabilities, the school should be ready to offer the help needed.
Diversity
The students themselves are usually a more diverse crowd. A mixture of different kinds of personalities, nationalities, classes and various socioeconomic backgrounds will all merge together and learn in the same ways. This helps to teach children to be broad minded and accepting of all different types of people but many different walks of life.
The Advantages of Private Schools
Size
The benefits private preschools provide are similar to those of higher grades such as class sizes. The classes are usually much smaller than at public school, around half the size. This helps the children to be able to have better individualized attention from the teacher. There is a more natural atmosphere of belonging and acceptance. The national average for student teacher ratio in public school is nine to one whereas public school is 17 to one.
Less Regulations
Often there are less rules, in a good way. Private school are not required to follow specific state regulations so they do not have to spend so much time on mandated papers and are able to teach according to the students’ strengths and understanding. Test scores are more very important in private schools.
Parent Involvement
In private schools, parents are thought to be a very important part of a child’s education and are strongly encouraged to participate. Research shows that parents of private school students tend to be much more opinionated and committed to their child’s education.
As you can, the benefits private preschools offer compared to the advantages of public school are less numerically but the quality depends on what you are looking for, for your children’s education in the long run. If you prefer the benefits private preschools have, then continuing their education the entire time in private school will be much more beneficial and consistent than if the child were to switch back and forth between private and public.
You as the parents have the right to choose whatever you think would be best for your child. You know your child best and will be able to assess their situation better than anyone.
