Here are some more information for Preschool Thinking:

If you live in a highly competitive preschool or kindergarten admissions market like New York City, L.A., San Francisco or Washington, D.C., you may be thinking of hiring a consultant to help you through the process. Admissions consultants offer an insider perspective, are loyal only to you, know what schools are looking for, can help you judge fit and serve as a knowledgeable sounding board. As you evaluate educational advisors, here are some things to ask:

* Do you share the same beliefs? Talk to the consultant on the phone and see if you share the same philosophy and approach to education. Does she make you feel comfortable? Is she someone you can easily communicate with and trust? Shop around a bit. You are likely to "click" with one advisor over the others you meet. Trust your instinct on this.

* Does she have experience relevant to the needs of your child? Does she normally work with kindergarten or nursery school admissions or is most of her clientele aiming for higher grades. If you are interested in exploring public gifted programs and private schools, does she have experience placing kids in both types of schools?

* How well does she know the schools? How often does she visit the schools in the community? Does she know the directors of admission personally? What can she tell you about the schools you are most interested in that you don't already know?

* Does she want to meet your child? For nursery school admissions, it may not be necessary that she meet your child. At that level, what you want is most important. At the kindergarten level, she must spend time with you and your child to determine fit. Find out how much time she plans to spend with you both and how she will assess your child to make appropriate recommendations.

* What do you get for what you pay? Before you decide on an advisor, talk to a few. What is the going rate in your community? If the advisor offers packages, what services do you receive with each package? Are you able to call the consultant as often as you wish or or calls and e-mails limited? Do they help you through every step of the process or just some. Do they offer hourly rate options where you can access their expertise on an as-needed basis? Make sure you are comfortable with the services you receive for the money you pay.

* Is she accredited? Admissions consultants do not necessarily need to be accredited. Often, a former admissions director will become a consultant and you can trust that she knows what she is doing. On the other hand, there are professional associations that give accreditation to advisors who have met their criteria. To be designated a CEP (Certified Educational Planner), the consultant must pass an exam, have a master's degree or an equivalent, have practiced for a certain number of years, visit a certain number of schools, and take continuing education classes.

* What do other mothers say? Check the advisor's web site. Does it include comments from satisfied customers? Will the advisor give you the name and number of past customers to call for a recommendation? Even though this is a private matter, most consultants will have arranged for references. If she hasn't, I'd probably steer clear. You can visit parenting websites such as http://www.Urbanbaby.com/ and ask other mothers and fathers if they have had experience with this advisor and if so, what they thought.

* Does she talk about "fit" versus getting into A-List Schools? There are consultants out there who prey on the fears and insecurities of parents, pointing out how impossible the odds are and how unlikely it is that you could get a good result without help. If you get this vibe from a consultant, run the other way. If an advisor makes guarantees that she will get your child into a particular school or says she always gets families their first choice, be very suspicious. If she talks about finding the right "fit" for you and your child versus getting her into an A-list school, you are probably in good hands.

Karen Quinn is a former admissions consultant and the author of Testing For Kindergarten, a guide to helping your child ace the tests for private school admissions, gifted program qualification, and public school placement. For information and to sign up for a free daily IQ test prep question, visit http://www.testingforkindergarten.com/.

Fairy Tales For Preschoolers

PreSchool Children love Fairy Tales. I can think of no better way to pass an afternoon than listening to someone narrate one of the classic childrens stories of all time.

My favorite, Beatrix Potters first charming tale of Peter Rabbit. Children around the world love to hear about the adventures of this lovable little rabbit as he sneaks to the forbidden garden of Mr McGregor.

How about the silly antics of Winnie The Pooh by A.A. Milne. Every child adores a romp through the Hundred Acre Woods.

Reading takes children into the wonderful world of fantasy. Fairy Tales help to spark imagination and curiosity. Fairy Tales usually have a moral that makes sense to preschoolers. Children love fairy tales because they are usually silly and bring to life animals and toys. And best of all, reading to young children encourages them to learn to read on their own. Kids get excited about books and continue to read on their own long after the fairy tale years.

Children of any age can benefit from books, and it's always best to make time for reading. Audiobooks make it easy for parents and teachers to fit in extra reading time. A professionally narrated book is like a full scale play. The narrators bring the story to life while the children sit captivated until the very end.

Reading to children helps build vocabulary skills, become better readers and certainly reading to children will help to develop listening skills.

Just 20 minutes of reading to kids every day will make a fundamental difference in so many ways. Check with your local library, they usually have a story time program for preschoolers that meet regularly. Kids love to be part of a special group and this will add further encouragement. Build a strong foundation for your children now and see the benefits for a lifetime.

About the Author

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I'm a preschool teacher, but am thinking about getting into child photography. What education do you need?

What are my options in the field of child photography? I'm interested in natural pictures of children in their daily routines. Is there such thing as a photographer that comes to the home or school settings or playgrounds that capture the children, but not in such a posed way?

The idea is a good one, but you will have trouble making it happen. Being a teacher, you know preschools and grade schools have waivers that they give to parents to sign, allowing the school to take pictures of their child and to use it in newsletters, websites, etc. The people taking the photos are the teachers and staff at the school. You can't walk into a school where nobody knows you and ask to start taking photos. Even if you have a company, the school doesn't know how legitimate that company is, and what you will do with the negatives. Besides issues of pornography, there are issues with divorce and custody battles in families.

You might have better luck talking to people you know and taking pictures of their kids. Word of mouth would be your best advertising.

Learning: in the bag
The kids are going nuts to learn. The Wilkinson Public Library has a new line of Peeper’s On-The-Go bags for kids that parents can take home and interact with their children on topics like manners, comparing and contrasting and even music. The new line of a dozen bags at the library carries interactive instructional materials for preschool-aged kids and instructions for parents on how to ...

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