The questions that reveal most on a preschool tour are about people and ordinary moments, not facilities. Ask who will look after your child every day and how long they have been there, what happens when a child cries, refuses food or has an accident, how the two languages are shared across the day, and how the school talks to parents when something goes wrong. The pool and the robots can wait.
Below is a list grouped by theme, with notes on what a strong answer tends to sound like and what a weak one sounds like. You will not need every question at every school. Pick the ten that matter most to your family, ask the same ten everywhere, and write the answers down straight after each visit, before the schools blur together.
Before you go: decide what you are testing
A tour is short, often thirty to sixty minutes, and the school has planned it to show its best side. That is fair, but it means you need a plan too. Write down the three things that would make you rule a school out, such as a long commute, English only for an hour a week, or no outdoor space, and the three things you most hope to find. Bring your list and do not be shy about reading from it.
Ask to visit during an ordinary part of the day rather than only after the children have gone home. Mid-morning activity time, the transition into lunch, or late afternoon free play show how the school really runs. If your child comes along, keep your expectations low: a tour is not a test of whether your child likes the school, and many toddlers cling or melt down in unfamiliar places. What you want to watch is how staff respond to that.
It also helps to agree with your partner beforehand on who asks and who watches. One adult asking questions while the other quietly observes the room catches far more than two adults listening to the same answer. The watcher should look at the children rather than the decorations: whether they seem busy and at ease, how often an adult gets down to their level, how many are waiting with nothing to do, and how staff speak to each other in front of the group.
People: who will be with your child
Children under six learn through relationships, so these questions matter more than any others. Ask them about your child’s actual age group, not the school in general.
- Who would be my child’s homeroom teacher, and what training in early childhood do they have? A good answer names the role and the training, not just a nationality.
- How long have the current teachers in that group been at the school? Several years is a strong sign; frequent changes mid-year deserve a follow-up question.
- How many children are in the group, and how many adults are in the room during the morning, at lunch and at nap time? Ratios often change across the day.
- Who covers when a teacher is sick or on leave, and will my child already know that person?
- Is there a staff member who speaks our home language, and how do teachers communicate with children who do not yet understand Vietnamese or English?
- Who trains the teachers, and how often? A school that describes regular in-house training and observation usually takes teaching seriously.
Listen for specifics. “Our teachers are all very experienced” says less than “the homeroom teacher has led this age group for four years and the co-teacher joined last September.” You do not need names, only a sense that the school knows its own staff.
Ordinary moments: crying, eating, sleeping, toileting
These are the moments that fill a toddler’s day and the ones parents worry about most. The answers show the school’s attitude to children more clearly than any mission statement.
- What happens when a child cries at drop-off or during the day? Look for a description of comforting and waiting, not of distraction or telling the child to stop.
- What if my child refuses lunch or eats very little? Schools that describe offering food without forcing, and telling parents how much was eaten, are on the right track.
- How is nap time arranged, and what happens if a child does not sleep?
- How do you support toilet training, and what happens after an accident? Calm, matter-of-fact answers are what you want.
- How do you handle biting, hitting or snatching between children, and how are parents told?
- How do you adapt meals for allergies, religious or vegetarian diets, and how is that checked at every meal?
Ask to see where children eat and sleep. A clean, calm nap room and a kitchen that cooks on site tell you more than a description of either.
Language: how the two languages share the day
For a bilingual or international school this is the core of what you are paying for. Ask for numbers and examples, not adjectives.
- How many hours a week does my child’s group spend with an adult speaking English, and how many with an adult speaking Vietnamese?
- Is the English-speaking teacher in the room for routines such as meals, toileting and transitions, or only for planned lessons?
- What happens when a child answers in the other language, or in a third language from home?
- How do you support a child who arrives with no English, or no Vietnamese?
- What do children of this age usually understand and say by the end of the first year? A careful school answers with ranges and caveats rather than promises.
Be wary of guarantees such as “fluent by four.” Language development varies a great deal between children, and schools that understand young children talk about exposure and progress rather than outcomes.
Safety, health and the building
You do not need to inspect the fire system yourself, but you can ask how the school thinks about everyday safety and how it would tell you about a problem.
- Who is allowed to collect my child, and how is that checked at the gate?
- What is the policy on sick children, fevers and returning after illness?
- Is there a staff member trained in first aid on site all day, and what happens if a child is hurt?
- How are outdoor play, heat and heavy rain handled during the wet season?
- Where are cameras used, who can view them, and how are photos of children shared or protected?
The details of health rules and when to see a doctor are covered elsewhere on this site. On the tour, what you are judging is whether the school has clear rules and explains them without hesitation.
Notice the small things as you walk around: whether the gate is staffed or locked during the day, whether stairs and balconies have barriers at child height, whether cleaning products are out of reach, and whether the outdoor area has shade. None of this needs expert knowledge, and it tells you how carefully the school looks at its building from a toddler’s height.
Communication, fees and the fine print
Many disagreements between parents and schools start with things nobody asked about at the start. A few questions now save a lot later.
- How will you tell me about my child’s day, and how quickly do teachers reply to messages?
- Who do I speak to if I am unhappy about something, and how are complaints handled?
- Which fees are charged, what does each cover, and are there extra costs for meals, uniforms, trips or clubs? Ask for the fee schedule as the school publishes it.
- What is the policy on deposits, refunds, holidays and withdrawing mid-year?
- Can my child attend a trial period, and what happens if it does not go well?
Write down the answers, then compare them across schools. A school that gives you clear written answers before enrolment is likely to communicate clearly afterwards.
Ask also which language the school uses for messages, newsletters and parent meetings. Families who do not read Vietnamese need to know whether important notices, such as a closure for a holiday or a change in health rules, will reach them in English as well.
Questions about your own child
General questions tell you about the school. These tell you whether the school can meet your particular child, and they often produce the most revealing answers of the whole visit, because staff cannot reply from a script.
- My child speaks a third language at home and little English or Vietnamese. Have you had children like that in this age group, and what did you do in the first month?
- My child still naps twice a day, or not at all. How would the group routine adapt?
- My child is cautious with new adults and takes time to warm up. How would the first weeks be arranged?
- My child has a specific diet, allergy or medical need. Who would know about it, and how is it passed on when staff change?
- Our work hours mean late pick-up some days. What happens to children who stay after the main group leaves, and who is with them?
- We may move again within two years. What records would we take with us, and in which languages?
Describe your child honestly, including the hard parts. A school that responds with curiosity and concrete plans is showing you how it will treat your child. A school that says every child is fine within a week is telling you it has not thought about the question, or does not want to. There is no need to share a diagnosis or private detail on a first visit; describing habits and needs in everyday words is enough to see how staff think.
After the tour: reading what you heard
Within an hour of leaving, write three lines: what impressed you, what worried you, and what you still do not know. Then look at your list of deal-breakers and hopes. Impressions fade fast, and a lovely reception area or a friendly admissions officer can outweigh a vague answer about teacher turnover if you wait a week to reflect.
Pay attention to how the school answered as much as to what it said. Did staff give concrete examples or general reassurances? Did they ask about your child, their habits and their languages, or only explain the school? Did the children you saw look absorbed, relaxed and free to move, or held still for the visitors? A school that asks you good questions about your child is usually one that will notice your child. If several answers remain unclear, ask for a second short visit or a written follow-up before you commit to anything.
Finally, compare like with like. A school you visited at nine in the morning will always look livelier than one you saw at five in the afternoon, and a school you toured on a rainy day will feel more cramped. If two schools remain close, visiting each again at the same time of day is the fairest tie-breaker, and many families find the decision makes itself on that second look.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
How many preschools should we visit before choosing?
Most families find that three to five visits give enough contrast without becoming exhausting. Try to include at least one school of each type you are considering, and visit them within the same couple of weeks so the comparison stays fresh. Use the same set of questions at each one.
Should I bring my child on the first preschool tour?
It can help, but it is not necessary. Many toddlers cling or refuse to engage in unfamiliar places, which tells you little about how they would settle over weeks. Some parents visit alone first, then bring their child on a second visit to the one or two schools they are seriously considering.
Is it rude to ask about teacher turnover?
No. It is one of the most useful questions you can ask, and good schools expect it. You can phrase it simply: how long have the teachers in this age group been with the school? A confident school answers directly and may explain how it keeps staff.
What if the school will not let us see classrooms during the day?
Some schools limit visits during activity time to protect children’s routines, which is reasonable. Ask whether you can observe briefly from a doorway, visit at a quieter transition, or join a trial session. If no form of observation is ever possible before enrolment, weigh that carefully.
What is a red flag in a preschool’s answers?
Watch for guarantees about language fluency or academic results, vague replies about who will care for your child, reluctance to describe the complaints process, and pressure to pay a deposit on the day. One of these alone may be nothing; several together are a reason to look further.
Can we ask to speak to current parents?
You can ask, and some schools will connect you with a family willing to talk. Others prefer not to share contacts for privacy reasons, which is understandable. Parents you meet at the gate or in community groups can also give a view, but remember that one family’s experience is only one data point.