Kindergarten time

Today is the deadline for applying for a kindergarten spot for BabyS this fall. We put in the application a few weeks ago, with the option to make changes until the deadline today.

We sent our application in digitally thru the official website http://www.barnehager.oslo.kommune.no/oslobarnehagen/soke_og_bytte_barnehage/

There are MANY kindergartens in the city district we live in, so narrowing it down to max five - you can only apply to a maximum for five spots- takes some work. Not knowing what to look for, we sat down and did some research. Not finding much help online, I turned to friends with kids in kindergarten for advise.

Some of the advice we got were:
- does the kindergarten have pedagogical educated employees?
- ratio: children per caretaker
- is the kindergarten divided into “departments”?
- opening hours?
- geographical proximity (location, location, location)
- meals?
- how do they handle absence due to sickness amongst the employees?

Our process before applying for a kindergarten were as follows;
- With the above“criteria” at hand I made a spreadsheet and inputted the kindergartens we were considering.
- I read up on the kindergartens homepages – those who had.
- I contacted the kindergartens and asked if we could come by for a visit.

One of the most surprising things I learned during this process is that very few parents take the time to make a visit to kindergarten they consider placing their child in. Would you trust your child in the care of a complete stranger? Most parents are on maternity leave when the kindergarten application is due, why not take your baby for a stroll to the kindergartens your are considering?

After we had made a visit I also made a note in my spreadsheet about my gut feeling. Based on all the information in our spreadsheet we sent in our prioritized kindergarten application.

Now we just keep our fingers crossed that BabyS gets a spot in the kindergarten we had at the top of our list.

- how did you choose the kindergarten for your kids?
- did you get a spot in the kindergarten you had at the top of your list?