You’re torn between booking a video conference slot in the evening or requesting a meeting in person at the school. Your notebook is overflowing with questions about the daily schedule, language learning, and your little one’s well-being. Which approach will give you the answers you need without wasting your precious time?
An information session introduces several families to the school’s educational program, organizational structure, and overall environment. An individual tour gives you the opportunity to explore the facilities, observe the classroom atmosphere, and discuss your child. Ideally, you should attend the information session first and then schedule the tour.
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The information session provides an overview of the school’s mission, educational philosophy, and daily routine. The individual tour focuses on the facilities, getting a feel for the environment, and your family’s specific situation. These two meetings serve distinct yet complementary purposes.
During a parent meeting, time is set aside to explain our educational philosophy. You’ll learn how the workshops work, what a typical day looks like, and our approach to language learning. The management team and several parents take turns speaking. This gives you the opportunity to ask general questions and hear the concerns raised by other families.
On the contrary, the tour puts you right in the heart of school life. You walk through the hallways, take in how bright the spaces are, and see the equipment available. Before attending an information session at a preschool, you ask yourself general questions; during the tour, you picture yourself there with your child.
The group meeting provides an opportunity to understand the educational program and the overall operations of the facility. However, it does not allow you to gauge the atmosphere of a classroom in action or to assess the layout of the spaces.
As you listen to a presentation by a principal or the educational team, you’ll gain an understanding of the school’s philosophy. You’ll learn how the transition from one language to another takes place, how the morning and afternoon schedules are organized, and what role early learning activities play. You’ll find clear answers to administrative questions, the admission schedule, and policies regarding children’s absences. It’s also helpful to read parent reviewsto compare these explanations with real-life experiences.
However, a theoretical presentation is no substitute for seeing it with your own eyes. A remote presentation does not show the actual size of a reading corner. It does not tell you whether the furniture is suitable for young children, nor how the staff physically interacts with the students throughout the day.
A successful school visit depends on observing the physical environment and the interactions between adults and children. It is important to pay attention to the details of the layout, as well as the cleanliness and safety of the setting.
Here are a few key things to look out for during your visit:
Take advantage of this visit to ask very specific questions. Ask how the morning drop-off goes, how meals are organized, or how the teachers help children develop independence. If you’reenrolling your child in preschool in Paris, this on-site visit will help confirm your initial impressions.
It is best to attend the group presentation first to lay the groundwork for the project, and then take the individual tour. This order helps avoid spending a personalized appointment on administrative or theoretical matters.
By first attending an information session at the preschool, you can determine whether the program aligns with your expectations as a parent. If the educational approach, the bilingual program, and the pace of the program suit you, the visit becomes a step to confirm your decision. You can then focus your full attention on exploring the facilities and helping your child get his or her bearings.
When it comes to the timeline, planning ahead is still the best way to approach the process with peace of mind. The search for a school often begins in September or October of the year before your child starts school. To get a sense of the timeline, check out our tips on when to enroll your child in preschool.
École M structured its support services to provide families with clear guidance from the very first interactions.
Our group information sessions provide an opportunity to learn about our educational philosophy before visiting a school. The information sessions at theÉcole M allow you to learn about our educational philosophy, the daily schedule, and the enrollment process, and to ask the teaching staff any questions you may have. They are held online, in French and English.
At theÉcole M, the tour is led by the school director or the admissions officer, who will answer your questions and show you around the classrooms and school facilities. The admissions process at theÉcole M consists of four steps: a non-binding request for information, a presentation of the school by phone or via a videoconference information session, a meeting at the school with your child, and finally, the completion of enrollment. For the school year starting in September, enrollment at theÉcole M opens on September 1 of the previous year. It is sometimes possible to join the school during the school year, depending on the departures of families already enrolled.
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