Preschool interview-does this happen?

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Forum -> Parenting our children -> Preschoolers

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amother

Red

Mon, Feb 06 2017, 5:44 pm

Is it common for preschools nowadays to interview kindergarten age kids or have them observed?
It feels silly to me sending my little one to be observed.

amother

Bronze

Mon, Feb 06 2017, 5:52 pm

Yes, that is standard procedure.

The school wants to get a feeling for the child and see if there are any issues. They also want to see if the parents will fit in.

ra_mom

Mon, Feb 06 2017, 5:52 pm

Yes our school sets up and interview with the parents and little one. They ask questions from the application that was already filled out about the family and then speak to the little one, go over a book, ask questions, see where the kid is up to.

amother

Red

Mon, Feb 06 2017, 6:52 pm

Right, I had that with my older kids too.
But now they are tacking on an additional meeting to watch how the kids interact without one another in a group environment as part of the application process.
Is that par for the course too?

mommy3b2c

Mon, Feb 06 2017, 6:56 pm

Interesting. My kids school does not meet the child at all. They only interview the parents.

Mon, Feb 06 2017, 7:12 pm

They want to see if the child shows any obvious delays or problems. Not unusual.

Miri7

Mon, Feb 06 2017, 8:23 pm

amother wrote:

Yes

seeker

Mon, Feb 06 2017, 9:14 pm

We had an "interview" - the child was invited to participate in the kindergarten class for a short while, during which the teacher interacted with her a little, and then the principal met with us in a separate room and also talked to the child a little. It was very low-stress and they were totally understanding if a child was shy and refused to talk to anyone, so I'm not entirely sure what the point was and what a child would have to do at such an interview in order to NOT be accepted.

I think it was more beneficial for us than for the school. I haven't seen that much authentic classroom interaction since my kid actually started going there! It was nice to visit in the middle of class, and to show the kid what she has to look forward to.

OMG!

Mon, Feb 06 2017, 9:19 pm

Yes. We had the same thing going on with my kids. I think it's much easier to put kid on bus the next day knowing that he or she is a little familiar with the new school. They got to see the teacher students and classroom the day before.

amother

Red

Mon, Feb 06 2017, 9:19 pm

Thank you all for responding- glad to hear it's a fine thing.

Rutabaga

Mon, Feb 06 2017, 10:01 pm

OMG! wrote:

That sounds more like an orientation then an interview.

amother

Silver

Mon, Feb 06 2017, 10:34 pm

Just started the admission process for my kid for first grade next year and the school requires each child to be evaluated by a pediatric psychiatrist as part of the application process. Just the evaluation is $500+!

seeker

Mon, Feb 06 2017, 11:29 pm

amother wrote:

That's a new one! I'd look for a different school. If there isn't one, I just feel really bad for you. Like...what? Is your child transferring due to some kind of emotional or behavioral difficulty in the previous school?

amother

Silver

Tue, Feb 07 2017, 12:16 am

It's a standard part of the application for all kids. No transferring - it's for next year.

There are other options but this is the school we want so I guess we'll suck it up and do it, but I was astounded that it's expected.

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