Deciding What’s Best for Your Child by Weighing ALL the Factors of Standard Preschool and Therapeutic Preschool

As we begin to talk about the “s” word again…school…you may be weighing some options for your kids coming into the fall.  If you have a toddler at home, you may also be entertaining the idea of preschool to help get your little one back into the world, interacting with peers – and adults other than your immediate family – and just beginning to develop social skills again as we emerge from our homes.

While preschool is not a requirement or necessary for later success in school, experts agree it provides an environment for children to explore, play with peers, build self-confidence and strengthen their social and emotional development, all while having fun and learning routines.

If you’re ready to send them off for more of these social experiences, you’ve likely fallen into A LOT of options in Chicago for early learning.  One factor to also consider in your search is if your child would be appropriate for a “standard” preschool or a “therapeutic” preschool.  So let’s explore some differences in choosing a preschool or a therapeutic preschool. For your youngster there are several distinctions that separate these two early learning options.

Ratios

In Illinois, preschools and daycares are mandated to follow predetermined adult to child ratio guidelines. Most stick to these minimum recommendations, which is a great question to inquire about when doing your research! These ratios are as follows:

• – For 2-year-olds a 1:8 ratio, with a maximum group size of 16
• – With 3- to 5-year-olds, 1:10 ratio, with a maximum group size of 20
• – For children 5 and above, 1:20, with a maximum group size of 30

In a therapeutic preschool setting, most classrooms are much smaller than the recommended maximums.  Ratios are also much lower.  A typical therapeutic preschool has a class size of 6-8 children, with ratios of adult support anywhere from 1:1 to 1:3.

Therapy

If your child receives speech, feeding, occupational, physical and/or behavioral therapy, a therapeutic preschool might be the way to go.  This environment has these specialized therapists guiding interventions, providing individual therapy sessions and helping to generalize different skills among peers.  For example, a speech therapist may work individually with a child on answering questions or forming multiple word responses, and then bring the child back to the classroom to practice this new skill with their friends!

Nap

Here’s where therapeutic preschools may fall short.  Therapeutic preschools are very therapy driven and most do not allow for a 2 hour mid-day nap, as a preschool or daycare set up would offer.  If your little one is a power napper, a full day program at a therapeutic preschool may not be the best option for them.

Diapers

Some Early Learning programs require children who enroll to be fully toilet trained.  This can be a real limitation for some families who feel their children are ready for the social and emotional benefits of preschool, but are not quite ready to spend the day in undies.  At a therapeutic preschool, there are potty training programs implemented with each child, as this is a skill most are able to work on because of the low teacher to student ratios they maintain.

Communication

Both a preschool and a therapeutic preschool likely offer a lot of great communication options between the teachers and families.  Notes going home, apps to receive updates and face to face interactions help parents feel in touch and in the know about the day to day events with their children.  However, if your child’s communication seems to be behind their age-matched peers, this can be a high frustration level for many toddlers who have a good understanding of what’s being discussed, but aren’t quite able to get their thoughts and feelings out effectively yet.

A preschool classroom can be a frustrating experience when there are challenges expressing your wants and needs, or advocating for yourself.  Important questions to ask would be: Is my child easy to understand? Can they ask for help when they need it? Are they able to speak up to advocate for themselves? Am I the only one who can understand my child?  Reflecting on some of these questions may help lead you to the proper enrollment for your child.

Enrollment

Every child can have an assessment and receive an IEP (individualized educational plan) at age three. These are done in order to have recommendations for placement at a CPS preschool.  But did you know that your IEP is good for three years? Also did you know that you are not required to join a CPS preschool at that time?  Students in Illinois are not even required by law to attend kindergarten. However, by age 6, they must be enrolled in a home schooling program or a school district.

Therefore, many families opt to pause enrollment from CPS to join a therapeutic preschool. Those who do reap the benefits of intensive therapeutic intervention and low student to teacher ratios. Their child also receives engaging social and peer interactions.  But don’t worry, whether they graduate from preschool or therapeutic preschool, they can still join their peers in either a Kindergarten or first grade classroom when they are ready!

Making the Switch

There are a handful of preschools in Chicago that enroll in the fall for the entirety of the year.  Some have more strict guidelines on classroom placement based on birth date and ability level.  However, many allow for enrollment throughout the school year, depending on birth date, availability and current ratios in their classrooms.  Most therapeutic preschools enroll throughout the entire school year. They base these enrollments on the needs of the children and their families.  So, if you are on the fence about what is most appropriate for your child, ask about enrollment commitments or cancellation fees. This will help in the long run if you should you opt to enroll in a more therapeutic setting later in the year.  Having this option may make enrollment in either program an easier commitment.

Regardless of what you choose for your child, you want this early learning experience to be positive for everyone.  Ask LOTS of questions, explore EVERY option and don’t limit yourself to only your neighborhood school.  There may be a better fit for your child and their developmental needs. Make sure that they are ready to be independent little learners! Learn more about our academy right here at ctca.com

Rose McLean and Patrick McLean are the owners of Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center and Chicago Therapeutic Children’s Academy, an intensive therapeutic day school for children. They live in Roscoe Village with their four crazy kids. Daughter Mae (7), son Carmine (6), son Vinnie (4), and son Geno (1).