What Curriculum is Right For Me?

Where do I begin?
(Term preschool will be used in place of preschool/child care/daycare)

There are so many preschool curriculum's available for your preschool that at times, the decision on which one you would like to use can be overwhelming!
This page will hopefully help you to decide what type of curriculum is best for you. I will not be promoting any other curriculum on this page, only giving some insight to what is available out there for your preschool.

Pre-Packaged
There are several companies that sell pre-packaged curriculum. This is an great idea if you would like to keep doing a preschool program easy.
Each month you order for the amount of children that you have in your preschool program. You will receive a shipment before the start of your month containing all of the accessories for the activities included each month. They do not provide normal supplies such as scissors, crayons, glue and paint.

When going with a pre-packaged program you normally have to order different packages for the different ages of children in your preschool. Costs vary each month depending on the program you use.

A sample cost I have found for new customers is below:

For 3 children age 2 - 5 -- $25.
For 5 children age 3 - 5 --$34.75.
Cost will be slightly higher after the 1st month.

Pro's to a pre-packaged program:

• Everything is done for you
• There is established structure Professionals Put the curriculum together
• Con's to a pre-packaged program:
• Substantial cost each month
• You are locked in for the school year
• There is no assurance what you buy is right for your preschool

Disk's or Downloads

There are preschool curriculum companies that put their programs onto disks or make available as downloads.
When deciding to try this option, most web sites that offer this option will have available "free" downloads so that you can see the quality of the program you are purchasing.

Both disks and downloads are cost effective, if they are a program that you want to use in your preschool program.
Once you purchase the disk or downloads, they are yours to use year after year.
You print up each day the amount of sheets that you need. No worry if you have more children for the day because you can print up extra sheets.

Pro's to disks or downloads

• Cost efficient
• Print up what you need each day
• No waste
• Use year after year

Con's to disks or downloads

If you have no computer experience, you might be confused as to how to load the disk or download the program and save on computer
More costly because you have to use your own ink and paper

The nice thing is you can try different programs and then stick with what works for your preschool program.

written by Jean Lang