Synopsis
A nursery school teacher and expert on preschool education offers guidance and reassurance to parents of preschoolers, answering their most commons questions and concerns, and addressing such subjects as health, social skills, and separation anxiety. Original.
Reviews
Veteran Washington, D.C.-area preschool teacher Herman achieves buoyant success in her aims to help parents choose an appropriate preschool for their child and to address their school-year concerns with "insight, compassion and humor." Covering just about every concern parents will likely encounter on the way to kindergarten, Herman explains the types of preschools available (traditional, Montessori, Waldorf, co-op, religious, etc.), examining what different kinds of schools offer socially and academically. In concise question-and-answer format, she covers safety, discipline, the parent-teacher relationship and other topics, urging parents to visit schools in advance and to get to know the director and the school's policies and philosophies. In a reassuring tone, Herman provides tips on how to prepare both parent and child for the separation triggered by the child's going to school. Thoughtful suggestions on how to ease the transition during the initial days and weeks of school include her "less is more" recommendation that parents not focus too heavily on the upcoming first day. An especially useful "What If" section responds to questions ranging from "What if my child hits or bites?" to "What if my child suddenly refuses to go to school?" Herman's sensitivity and her hands-on classroom perspective make this guide a valuable resource for first-time parents.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Joining the ranks of Barbara Brenner's The Preschool Handbook (LJ 12/89) and Marian Edelman Borden's Smart Start: The Parents' Complete Guide to Preschool Education (Facts on File, 1997), this work draws on the author's 25 years of preschool teaching to provide a shopping list of questions for parents to consider in choosing preprimary education. This guide can be overly pragmatic at times, stressing commonsense issues like "How should my child be dressed?" However, it does astutely address the fears that parents and their children face about a child's first formal educational experience. The guide is directed more at parents who have never had their children in a commercial daycare setting, expounding on topics such as getting along with staff, medical concerns, socializing with other parents and children, and daily routines. It contains considerably less information on the range of preschool options, philosophies, and curriculums available. This handbook is recommended to assist parents in formulating their own questions and should be purchased as supplemental material for public library parent/teacher collections.?Lisa Powell Williams, Moline Southeast Lib., IL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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