When it comes to your child’s education, there is often a endless strong of questions when trying to decide where to send them to school.

• What sort of reputation does a school have?
• What sort of program does a school offer?
• How do the teachers or instructors help children learn?
• What will my child learn and how will they learn it?
• Should i send my child to public school or private school?
• What are the advantages of attending private schools?

The list can go on and on. After all, choosing the best school for your child is a big commitment and one that can shape your child’s development for a long time. Choosing where to send your child to school boils down to one essential question: where is the best place for them to further their educational journey?

In the United States, 23 percent of all schools are private or day schools. Approximately 2.63 million students were enrolled in private elementary schools in the United States in 2016.

So why send your child to a private school? There are many advantages of attending private schools and they offer numerous benefits to students. After all, the top private schools in America are rated that way for a reason: they’re the best at what they do.

• Student Motivation: 21 percent of public school teachers report that student apathy is a problem compared to just four percent of private school teachers reporting this as a problem.
• Parental Involvement: 24 percent of public school teachers report a lack of parental involvement as a problem, compared to just three percent of private school teachers.

Why send your child to private school? There are many additional advantages of attending private schools that can help increase a child’s love of learning and further their education.

Private schools often have smaller class sizes and more staff, allowing your child to receive more individual support. In 2015, 87 percent of five-year-olds in the United States were enrolled in preprimary programs and having more individual support allows for increased comfort and enthusiasm for learning.

The benefits found in private schools can also be found in the best preschools. When looking at the best preschools in your area and choosing the best one for your child, it’s important to leave no stone unturned. After all, preschool and kindergarten serve as your child’s introduction to school.

But what makes good preschools? How do you choose the right one? It’s important to take several factors into consideration:

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions: When choosing the best preschool for your child, no question is a bad one. Ask for reviews of a school from parents who already have kids attending a school you’re interested in. Talk to administrators and teachers about the culture of the school and what the curriculum is like. Reviews and feedback can help you separate the best preschools to choose from.
• Review the curriculum: Preschoolers are usually taught their ABCs and 123s, but a preschool’s curriculum should do a bit more than that. Find out how the basics are covered, if reading will be taught and encouraged and what other tools for learning are available in a classroom.
• Nurturing: At such a young age, children who are preschoolers are very impressionable and teachers make an important impact. Teachers who lead with a gentle approach can be a source of comfort for a child who may be a little uneasy about leaving Mom and Dad behind at home.
• Home vs. School: With exposure to a new environment at school, a child can be confused about how to act there versus how they act at school. That can mean situations where a teacher must teach a child right from wrong or administer discipline. If you have a certain approach to dealing with conflict at home, it’s important to find out how the school handles conflict.

It’s important for your child to feel comfortable and excited about learning and for parents to feel that their children are in a good place for learning. The best preschools know how to take care of both things.

For more information, Fun-A-Day and Parents.com offer some useful tips to get you started finding the best preschool for your child.