PRESCHOOL PREP PARENTS NEED TO DO SOME HOMEWORK WHEN IT COMES TO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.

Byline: JoAnn E.B. Yerem Correpsondent

Parents are barraged with studies about the importance of early childhood education and the need to stimulate a child's brain in the first five years.

California voters passed Proposition 10 in 1998 specifically for funding and creating early childhood education programs statewide.

The California Legislature this year approved $100 million for a statewide universal preschool program, despite a projected $38 billion state deficit. First 5 LA - the commission created to handle Los Angeles County's portion of Proposition 10 funds - has set aside $100 million for universal preschool in the county alone.

``Young children are the greatest asset for the future. When you think about early childhood education, it plays such an important role in their future success,'' said Carolyn Wilder, a First 5 LA commissioner. ``Quality is the key.''

So if early childhood education is so important, how do you go about finding a preschool for your child?

It's not always an easy quest. There is no agency that grades or rates preschools. You can find out if your local fast-food place gets an A, but you'll have to do some investigation of your own to learn if your neighborhood preschool earns high marks.

``There are not enough resources,'' said Dr. Kerby T. Alvy, executive director and founder of the Center for the Improvement of Child Caring in Studio City. ``There are waiting lists, waiting lists, waiting lists. There aren't enough quality centers and homes.''

That's why First 5 LA has set before itself the task of ensuring that all children have access to quality early childhood education.

``The Proposition 10 commission is making a gigantic effort to create more high-quality centers. The issue of quality is big time,'' Alvy said.

Until then, many parents do what Northridge resident Susan Lee did when she needed to find a good preschool program for her oldest daughter: She drove around and looked.

``I stopped anywhere that had a preschool, probably within a 10-mile area of our home,'' said Lee, who was new to the area and had no one to rely on for help in finding the right school.

``By the end, it was depressing. Places look OK from the outside, but then inside you don't care for the layout, the classroom or the curriculum,'' she said.

Her advice? Get recommendations.

``Referrals are the best way to go and to visit schools yourself,'' she said.

Early childhood education experts echo Lee's comments. Finding a quality preschool, like finding quality child care in general, is difficult and takes work on the parents' part.

``It's very hard. We are starting with a kind of a deficit with supply,'' said Ellen Decker, manager of resources and referrals for the Child Care Resource Center of the San Fernando Valley.

The Child Care Resource Center - with offices in Van Nuys and Lancaster - responds to about 1,000 requests each month from parents looking for child care and preschools. The center provides lists of referrals, not recommendations. It's up to parents to visit and inspect each facility.

``We try to teach parents what to look for, but we don't tell them what to buy,'' said Decker, who has an extensive background in child development and care.

Parent Susan Savage of Simi Valley did just that. She had heard of the resource center from others and gave them a call.

``I got a list. I called everyone on it, and didn't like any of them. I got another list and finally I got a couple of names I was willing to go visit,'' she said.

Eventually Savage found the right place for her child and now works for the resource center.

``If you visit a lot of places, you will begin to know a good school,'' said Arlene Rhine of the Children's Center at California State University, Northridge.

But parents don't need to make countless site visits to judge the quality of a preschool, Rhine said.

``Parents can look at the interaction of the caregiver with the children. It has to be a loving and caring atmosphere.''

Along with teacher/child interaction, parents should look at the facilities, visit classrooms, inspect play yards and ask questions.

``There are lots of basics. Is it clean? Is it safe? Does the provider have all the files on the children? You want those kind of basic things taken care of,'' Decker said.

Decker also recommends inspecting the toys and equipment. Are there enough toys for everyone? Are they age appropriate? Do they have all their pieces?

``How do they handle it when a child cries? Because a child is not smiling is not an indication that they are not being well taken care of,'' Decker said.

Find out if the school is accredited. Accreditation is not a must, said Rhine, but it does increase your chances of finding a good preschool. At a minimum, accredited schools will have met national quality standards.

``It's certainly a plus if the school is accredited. We would love to see the day when all preschools are accredited,'' Rhine said.

Rhine is a member of the Los Angeles County Policy Round Table on Child Care. The commission is considering creating a rating system for preschools. Private groups have tried to rate preschools, but none of them lasted, said Rhine.

The Round Table group has been working with individuals and schools to help them navigate the accreditation process. The commission has funds to help improve the quality of these facilities and to help pay the fees required.

Parents should also ask about the education and training levels of staff members.

``The more training and education they have, the better the quality is,'' Decker said.

What about academics for the preschoolers?

Most early childhood education experts respond with an emphatic ``No.''

``It's not at all necessary,'' Rhine said. ``Children are learning by their play. Dittos and flashcards are a detriment.''

Rhine recommends building blocks, climbing, playing and painting.

``They are developing muscles which are important for their academic success,'' she said. ``You don't teach a child to walk one day. A child progresses to walking.

``They need the pre-skills for reading and math, which they learn through play. They need to develop their minds by play.''

In the end, finding the right preschool depends on the family. There are countless options from private schools to church- or temple-sponsored facilities to parks programs to parent-participation nursery schools.

Education experts and parents who have been through the search for the right preschool say trusting your instincts is the best advice.

As parent Savage said, ``You need the feeling that you are in the right place.''

Helpful Web sites

For Los Angeles child care and preschool listings:

www.lachildcare.com

For California Child Care Resource & Referral Network:

www.rrnetwork.org

For a listing of California preschools:

www.preschooldirectory.org/ca.htm

For parent-participation or co-op preschools:

www.ccppns.org/

For the Center for the Improvement of Child Caring:

www.ciccparenting.org

For First 5 LA:

www.first5.org

For the California Children and Families Commission:

www.ccfc.ca.gov

For Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY):

www.hippyusa.org

For the California Association for the Education of Young Children:

www.caeyc.org

Before you enroll your child

Does your preschool make the grade? Here's what you want to look for and ask about when you visit a prospective facility:

--Teacher/caregiver interaction with children. Is the teacher kind, loving and patient? Does she/he have a calm voice? Does the staff talk to the children? Do they give the children time to respond?

--Facility condition. Take a look at the classrooms. It doesn't have to be the fanciest place. You are looking for a clean, safe and open environment. There should be room to move about inside and outside.

--Staff education levels. Does the staff have training and background in child development?

--Staff-to-children ratio. In order for the teacher or staff to have good interaction with children, the ratio needs to be low. How many children are enrolled per staff member?

--School accreditation. A good preschool doesn't have to be accredited, but your chances of finding a good preschool are better if it is accredited. Accreditation is a long and expensive process so many schools aren't accredited.

--A typical day. What will your child be doing and when? When is playtime? How long? When is snack time? Where? Are there tables set up for the children? What toys are out and do they have the freedom to move from activity to activity? Or does the teacher expect children to sit at desks with work sheets?

--Your feelings. Experts say the bottom line is a parent's gut instinct. Does it feel right to you? If it does, chances are that it will feel right to your child.

- J.Y.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Student assistant Fabian Naranjo holds a pair of preschoolers as other toddlers play at the CSUN Children's Center Preschool.

(2) Ashley Larco, 15 months, settles down for a nap at the California State University, Northridge, Children's Center preschool. For youngsters' safety, toddler-size cots are close to the floor and without sharp edges.

(3) Two-year-old Walter Casuga plays with a plastic telephone at the CSUN Children's Center preschool. Parents should look for an assortment of age-appropriate toys.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) Helpful Web sites (see text)

(2) Before you enroll your child (see text)