AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – As families look for the right start to their child’s education, experts say doing your homework can make all the difference. Jill Goodrich, Opportunity School executive director, explained why researching early childhood programs is key to setting kids up for success.
Goodrich said the search shouldn’t just be about convenience, but about finding a program that builds strong social, emotional, and academic foundations.
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“First, come visit,” she said. “Look around, see how you feel in the environment. Watch the children and the teachers; see how they interact. We all have to meet certain safety and minimum standards, but you want to know about the training of the teachers. You want to know about the curriculum that we’re using. When you go to a nationally accredited program, the teachers in your child’s classrooms are going to be specialists for that age group. So if you have an infant, you’re gonna have a teacher who really specializes in that and has training that’s specific to that age group.”
And while every family’s needs are different, Goodrich said there are a few things parents should always check for before enrolling their child…