Are you looking for a kindergarten in Bucharest for your little one? Identifying a preschool institution in the capital may seem like a relatively simple task, associated with priorities such as proximity to home or the family budget. However, it's important to ensure that the kindergarten meets other essential conditions for the development, socialization, and play of a child of a few years.
Read this article carefully and learn more about what the most beautiful kindergartens in Bucharest can offer, as well as how to choose a suitable option for your family. We will develop ideas from one chapter to another about the benefits of preschool education or the essential factors to consider for this choice. At the end, we also provide a series of very good locations in the city, arranged in partnership with Waterboyz.
What are the benefits of preschool education?
Kindergarten is more than important for children's development because it facilitates the exposure of little ones to an environment conducive to learning, using age-appropriate educational tools and an understanding of basic concepts. In this context, education and development through play and socialization, as well as adherence to certain value systems, are fundamental pillars of the preschool education system.
Kindergarten represents the space where any child can experience, for the first time in their life, the dynamics of a heterogeneous social circle, composed not only of parents, grandparents, and other family members. The educational programs implemented at this level are specially designed to prepare the little ones for advanced stages of personal and professional development in a pleasant way, with which they can easily resonate.
Skills that any preschooler develops during their years in kindergarten include:
- Interacting with others: classmates, teachers, and instructors.
- The ability to draw and perform simple calculations.
- Self-confidence and dealing with reward systems.
- Expressing their own ideas in front of others.
- Respect for others and the ability to empathize.
- Understanding their own feelings in certain contexts.
- Creative ability, attention to detail, and the power of concentration.
Enrolling a child in kindergarten is also very important for parents. With the assurance that the little one will spend a certain number of hours during a working day (regular or extended program) in a supervised environment with adults who have specific training, the parents of a preschooler can focus much better on other activities important for the well-being of the family.
How to Choose a Good Preschool in Bucharest?
If your little one is starting preschool this fall, but you haven't yet decided on a preschool institution in Bucharest, we'll help you make this decision more quickly. Here are the main criteria to consider in order to make an informed decision:
Costs:
If you opt for a public preschool, the recurring costs you'll have to cover typically include meals and snacks during the day, with other essential facilities subsidized by the government. In the case of a private preschool, you will need to pay a fee (monthly, quarterly, or annually), depending on the institution's policy.
The fee may also include other expenses, such as meal service. However, these may also be paid separately, depending on the offer presented at enrollment. Therefore, the budget for enrolling your child in a preschool in Bucharest is a very important factor to consider, and you should analyze it carefully from the beginning of your search.
Preschool Schedule:
Some preschools in the capital have a regular schedule, while others have an extended one. If you work full-time, you might be interested in an institution with an extended program that goes into the evening. Most preschools start the day around 8:00-9:00 am and, depending on the offer, the schedule includes educational activities, mealtime, and rest.
Distance from Home and Work:
Consider the traffic in Bucharest during peak hours to find a preschool that is as close to your home or on your way to work as possible. If you drive to work, analyze the availability of nearby parking to ensure you can quickly find a parking spot for a few minutes. Ideally, the preschool should be within walking distance from your residence.
Educational Offer:
Most preschools in Bucharest offer a structured set of activities based on play techniques, which are highly beneficial for young children. The most successful preschool education formats are:
- Montessori format - specially designed to foster a child's independence; various tools and techniques are used during lessons to help the child develop their most important individual skills.
- Waldorf format - emphasizes stimulating a child's creativity as a useful tool for approaching different contexts.
There are also preschools in Bucharest that offer an educational program focused on learning international languages or acquiring basic knowledge in subjects like mathematics, grammar, literature, or visual arts, which are further developed in the early years of primary school.
Number of Children per Educator:
The ideal ratio is no more than 9 children to one educator for preschoolers around the age of 3, and for groups with children around 4 years old, the ideal ratio is 10 children to one educator. These optimal distributions are often found in private preschools, but in public ones, there can be 25-30 children per educator. The ratio we are talking about can significantly influence the quality of the educational process for understandable reasons.
How Important Is the Appearance of Preschools?
The way a preschool looks is equally important for the final decision. The spaces for lessons, meals, rest, as well as the changing rooms and sanitary facilities, should be clean and well-maintained. In a well-kept environment with suitable design, children can feel much more comfortable. Consequently, the level of social anxiety they may experience can be significantly reduced.
Additionally, concentration during lessons and the ability to relate to others can be greatly improved. Of course, a preschool should have dedicated play areas. A space for these specific activities should include equipment that allows children to expend their energy in a way that is beneficial for their development.
Here are two of the most beautiful preschools in Bucharest, which include play areas arranged in partnership with Waterboyz International. Discover more useful information about these locations and include them on your priority list, as play is very important for preschool education:
Preschool No. 138, Bucharest
Address: 52 Tunari Street, Bucharest
Preschool No. 138 is located in the Stefan cel Mare area, near School No. 24. The building where it operates has a capacity for 9 double-functional group rooms, 9 dormitories, 1 kitchen, 1 laundry room, a medical office with permanent assistance, a library, offices, and a speech therapy room. The outdoor playground complex was designed and implemented by our professionals.
This space invites children to play in a tropical universe, right in the heart of the capital. A colorful Monkey Bars climbing system, a yellow spiral slide, and two regular slides provide the perfect setting for the well-being of the little ones. When relaxation takes over from the fun playtime, children can rest on benches to recharge their batteries.
The charm of this space is also ensured by decorative elements that we have installed. The four colorful parrots closely watch over the play of the little ones, and the attractively designed roofs cannot go unnoticed.
Preschool No. 162, Bucharest
Address: 25-27 Sângerului Street, Bucharest
Preschool No. 162 with extended hours allows the little one to integrate into an environment different from the family's, through interaction with other children of the same age. The playground design project was carried out in partnership with Waterboyz Romania and provides an ideal environment for the physical and cognitive development, under the careful supervision of educators.
The perimeter includes the Fire Control 9 outdoor playground complex, in the form of a fire truck. This play equipment stimulates the creativity of the little ones, allowing them to develop various narrative scenarios with their peers. The structure of the complex includes a simple slide, a curved slide, a climbing panel, and a vertical climbing system with discs.
In the same outdoor playground space of Preschool No. 162 in Bucharest, experts from Waterboyz Romania have also installed the Bicycle 2 outdoor playground, specially designed for the little ones to expend their abundant energy resources. The system includes a tubular slide, a spiral slide, a classic slide, a staircase for access, and a climbing ladder.
Today, we analyzed together a series of key aspects regarding the importance of kindergarten for the development of the child and the essential criteria to consider in such a choice: the budget available, the location of the respective institution, the educational offerings presented, and the overall environment.
Play is very important for the development of the little one, and the playful nature of the activities carried out in a kindergarten allows educators to interact much better with children who are just a few years old. Therefore, you know you've found a good kindergarten in Bucharest if the institution includes specially designed play areas on their list of facilities, as discussed above.