Early childhood education is crucial to children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. The early years are the most formative period of a child’s neurological growth.  It is crucial to keep several things in mind when choosing a childcare centre for your child. Importantly, early childhood education instills a love for learning within your child. 

So how can you find the best childcare centre? There are several types of preschools/childcare centres:

Play-based: These programs (also called "play schools") focus on the development of social skills and a love of attending school through free play and minimally structured activities.

Montessori: Montessori programs have a child-centred approach: kids get a lot of freedom to pick their own tasks and activities (with the guidance of the teacher). 

Waldorf: Waldorf programs offer hands-on activities. The programs emphasize on arts and crafts, creativity, and imaginative and play-based learning.

Reggio Emilia: These programs have a co-constructed curriculum: children and teachers choose tasks and activities together. It also involves lots of open-ended projects that require critical and creative thinking.

Religious-affiliated: These programs are created and run by religious institutions or schools and are faith-based. 

Now that you know the types of teaching philosophies/schools available, you need to keep several points in mind while choosing a childcare centre or preschool. 

1. The staff: How do the teachers interact with students? Do they update parents about the progress of the child frequently? Are they approachable, friendly, and do they provide the kind of environment you want your child to be in?
2. Safety: Does the school provide a safe space for your child to play and learn in? It’s important for you to be able to trust the teachers, facilities, and the environment your child will be in, particularly when you’re not present. Do the classrooms have child-sized furniture? Is the classroom colourful with children’s artwork? Is there adequate space for children to move around? Is there video streaming? These are some of the questions you should ask yourself.
3. Communication: Is there regular communication between the school and parents? Do you get individual feedback on your child? Having the reassurance that the teacher takes the time to get to know your child individually and understand his/her strengths and weaknesses can better help you aid your child’s development at home, too. 
4. Class Size: How large or small is the class size? What’s the student-teacher ratio? Will your child get individualized, adequate attention? It’s important to keep this in mind. 
5. Curriculum: Does the school provide enough time for work and play? While academic knowledge is very important, play forms a large part of the child’s growth as well. A comprehensive teaching plan with hands-on play and a variety of activities such as music, dance, outdoor play, and arts are needed for the all-around development of your child. 

Academics Prekindergarten is a leading group of childcare centres in North America specializing in early childhood education. Academics PreKindergarten focuses on children's learning experiences; with an emphasis on parent communication and partnership. The school has a distinct education model; Academics Edge, which builds a foundation in math, science, reading, writing, and physical and social-emotional literacy.

Academics PreKindergarten offers programs for different age groups:

• 10 months  – 2 years (infants)
• 2 – 3 years (toddlers)
• 3 – 4 years (preK2)
• 4 – 5 years (preK3)

The schools have a learning-led education model: Academics Edge, for different age groups, specific to each development stage. An environment that stimulates your child’s senses and promotes learning opportunities can greatly impact their growth. Choosing the right preschool is key.

There are several benefits to buying your own franchise and taking control of your life. If you’re wondering why it’s a better alternative to starting your own business, the following reasons should be enough to convince you.

Franchises have a strong foundation.

Many people choose to start a franchise instead of building their own company from scratch because there’s already a strong business foundation. The brand, marketing, and almost all the things that new business owners are usually concerned about are already in place. Additionally, most franchises have business reports and KPIs that provide information to help you figure out how to run your franchise and make informed business decisions.

It’s easier to obtain financing.

It’s not easy to come up with the capital to start your own company. It might take time to get a small business loan from a bank, especially if you’re a sole proprietor. While franchises can cost a lot to purchase and operate, it typically doesn’t involve much struggle to get your hands on a loan. As franchises are part of recognizable brands, they tend to seem more credible to banks and lenders.

Higher likelihood of success.

When you start off with a strong foundation, as with franchises, you’re more likely to succeed. As there’s already an established system in place, combined with the business support, your company is more likely to succeed than if you try to figure out the nuances of running a business on your own.

You still get the experience of a startup.

It is extremely fulfilling to build your own company from scratch. However, there’s also a lot of risks involved in starting a business. Fortunately, starting a franchise can provide the same satisfying experience with managed risk.

Franchises are more supportive.

Many new business owners can’t rely on anyone but themselves. In contrast, someone joining a franchise has an entire company behind them, providing support and advice. Franchise owners can take advantage of the knowledge and experience franchisee peers have to offer and to make sure their franchise succeeds.

Academics Prekindergarten is a leading group of childcare centres in North America specializing in early childhood education. The school focuses on children's learning experiences, with an emphasis on parent communication and partnership. Academics Prekindergarten has a distinct education model; Academics Edge, which builds a foundation in math, science, reading, writing, and physical and social-emotional literacy.

Academics Prekindergarten provides personal, in-depth support to its franchisees. The school is looking for entrepreneurs and professionals in Canada and the United States who want to be business owners and have a desire to shape the future.

If you’re interested in becoming a franchise partner, Academics Prekindergarten guides its franchisees through its Academics Roadmap, provide sites for selection, manage design and development, and train franchisees for business ownership. This training ensures that all schools offer the highest quality in child care and early education in North America.

Franchise locations currently available for Academics Prekindergarten include Burnaby, Richmond, Victoria, Vancouver, and Squamish in British Columbia. Become a franchise partner, contact franchise@academicsprek.com.

Creativity is an inherent and important part of childhood. Fostering children’s curiosity through art, music, play, and self-expression is crucial to their development.

How can this be accomplished? Through opportunities for creative play and creative thinking, without judgment. This begins with providing activities relevant to the child’s interests — and listening keenly to what they say. Children need the freedom to be curious, explore, and make mistakes — so they can learn through the process.

In order to foster the creative process, it’s important to encourage children to make choices and try out new hobbies. A variety of experiences, particularly multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and other community experiences aid in nurturing creativity within children.

Academics Prekindergarten, a group of education-based childcare centres in Canada and the United States, has a unique educational philosophy,  developing children’s extracurricular skills.

The school’s Academics EDGE curriculum offers a variety of educational programs for children belonging to various age groups, from 10 months to five and twelve years, setting the foundation for a successful future.

In addition to academic courses like math, science, reading, and writing, Academics Prekindergarten offers courses such as karate, piano, and other programs to support children’s confidence, cognitive and socio-emotional growth.

Academics Prekindergarten offers small group as well as private piano classes. The classes are taught by the school’s qualified piano teacher who’s certified to teach students how to play the piano.

Numerous studies have been undertaken to see if learning an instrument contributes to improving the overall developmental faculties in children, especially those which aid their academic training. A reputed study led in 1997 by two scientists, Dr. Frances Rauscher, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin, and Dr. Gordon Shaw, a physician at the University of California, concluded that young children who play the piano or sing strengthen performance in school. Learning the piano also establishes a sense of discipline, essential to developing any skill.

Learning to play the piano involves the use of both right and left brain activity, which stimulates neural development and supports cognitive thinking. Moreover, playing the piano in a group setting helps children develop social skills.

The piano lessons at Academics Prekindergarten promote an environment that encourages the development of children’s natural creative abilities and helps to fine-tune their natural learning processes. Students learn how to follow instructions, stay focused and ach achieve goals.

Early Learning Centres play an essential role in early childhood education, preparing children for the challenges of growing up, attending school and being a member of their communities.

Investing in early childhood education is not only a business decision, but a contribution to the community; impacting children and families. Becoming a preschool franchisee provides you with the opportunity to be part of an industry with social impact and consistent demand.  

If you’re looking to be your own boss, consider becoming a childcare franchisee. There are, of course, a few things you need to keep in mind:

• Childcare is a challenging industry, but it’s growing rapidly.
• If you enjoy being around children, want to find a way to be involved in your community and give back, then this is the right field for you.
• Are you interested in education? Do you want to have a comfortable schedule working only on weekdays and be part of an industry that feels good? You’ve come to the right place.
• While your franchisor will handle most of the heavy lifting, don’t box yourself in when picking a location site—it’s not easy to find one with the right consumer demographic, space, or infrastructure. Be open to a larger geographical area because it’ll be much easier to find the right location for your school.
• Do you have the capital to cover the costs? If not, seek help from your franchisor or other sources to help finance your investment.
• Make the right decisions. Your franchisor will help you develop a feasible plan to start your new business, but make sure you utilize the input, knowledge, and resources they make available to you.

Academics Prekindergarten is a leading group of childcare centres in North America specializing in early childhood education. Academics PreKindergarten focuses on children's learning experiences; with an emphasis on parent communication and partnership. The school has a distinct education model; Academics Edge, which builds foundation in math, science, reading, writing, and physical and social-emotional literacy.

Academics Prekindergarten provides personal, in-depth support to its franchisees, as franchisors having gone through the process of being a new business owner themselves – the brand is only as good as its partnerships and relationships. Academics Prekindergarten is looking for entrepreneurs and professionals in Canada and the United States who want to be business owners who provide an invaluable service to families, gainful employment in their community, and have a desire to shape the future.

For those interested in becoming a franchise partner, Academics Prekindergarten will guide franchisees through its Academics Roadmap, provide sites for selection, manage design and development, and train franchisees for business ownership. Through this training, they ensure that all schools offer the highest quality in child care and early education in North America.

Franchise locations currently available for Academics Prekindergarten include Burnaby, Richmond, Victoria, Vancouver, and Squamish in British Columbia. Become a franchise partner, contact franchise@academicsprek.com.