If your child attends a child care center, preschool, or kindergarten, please look for these 10 signs to make sure your child is in a good learning environment.

1) The children spend most of their time playing and working with materials or other children. They do not wander aimlessly, and they are not expected to sit quietly for long periods of time.

2) The children have access to various activities throughout the day. Look for assorted building blocks and other construction materials, handmade puppets for pretend play, picture books, paints and other art materials, and table toys such as matching games, puzzles and other locally developed material. The children should not all be doing the same thing at the same time.

3) The teachers work with individual children, small groups, and the whole group at different times during the day. They do not spend all their time with the whole group.

4) The classroom is decorated with children's original artwork, their own writing with invented spelling, and stories dictated by children to teachers.

5) The children learn numbers and the alphabet in the context of their everyday experiences. The natural world of plants and animals and meaningful activities like cooking etc provide the basis for these learning activities.

6) The children work on projects and have long periods of time (at least one hour) to play and explore. Worksheets are used little if at all.

7) The children have an opportunity to play outside every day. Outdoor play is never sacrificed for more instructional time.

8) The teachers read books to children individually or in small groups throughout the day, not just at group story time.

9) The curriculum is adapted for those who are ahead as well as those who need additional help. Teachers recognize that every child's different background and experiences mean that they do not learn the same things at the same time in the same way.

10) The children look forward to school and are happy to attend it they do not cry regularly or complain of feeling sick. The parents feel secure about sending their child to the program.