We are very similar. I too have the chance to start teaching this fall. I want to, so my daughter just started preschool this week! I was a little nervous at first.. HOW IN THE WORLD DO I CHOSE SOMEONE TO TAKE CARE OF THE MOST PRECIOUS THING IN THE WORLD?! Well here are some things to take into consideration...
1. Decide fairly quickly so you can get them in and started soon. That way they have time to adjust, and YOU have time to adjust. You don't want to start them the week before you start working. Then you will just be worried all day at work.
2. Decide if you want to do a home daycare or a facility. There are BIG differences between the two. I decided on a licensed facility because of reccomendations through friends in play groups. MY daughter goes to school like classes at the community center and she LOVES it. But I stay with her. She loves learning and hanging out with the teacher.
Here are some of the big things that came into play when I was deciding... Who covers when the home daycare person is sick or goes on vacation. In most cases, the daycare is closed. Home daycares do not HAVE to tell you when they have days off. There might be specific days in the contract you sign with them. So look carefully at that. At a school, there are many teachers, directors, all who have taken classes and know most of the children, so its not a big deal if a teacher is sick. Holidays are usually teh same as school holidays, so being a teacher, you won't have to wrry about that. Also, at a school there is someone watching the teachers, the director, to kind of make sure that everything is kocher at school. In a home daycare, its really just that person and maybe one helper.
Those were the two biggest things that helped me to decide on a school. One other thing was that usually home daycares have a wide variety of ages. Tehy could have two infants, 2 2year olds 2 4 year olds and a couple after school care for kindergardners... Since my daughter is very interested in learning and being challenged, I didn't like that she could be held back at times.
Now as far as picking one.. Ask around. Here in our area we have a website that lists all the preschools in our area and when they have openings so I started there. I picked a couple that I liked, from the reading... Look at the class sizes and ratios, sometimes they vary. Though it will say 1:5 there may be 2 teachers per classroom so there are 10 kids and two teachers, but often schools have a roaming helper or two.
As far as dicipline and stuff like that, many schools have set guidlines. My daughters school has a 4 step program. If it happens the 1st time then they talk to the child, write up an incident report and talk to you when you come to get them. 2nd time, same thing and give you reading materials and ways to work on this challenge at home. 3rd time the child is sent home from school as soon as possible. and the 4th time the kid is asked to be removed from the school. This I think is a good plan, and of course the school is willing to work with you. If it is something that you and the school are actively trying to prevent, and working together, then there maybe some leway. Im off track..
so first I picked a couple that I liked based on location, class size, price and pictures. So then I called and set up appointments for tours and trial runs. I did one a week for a couple weeks. My daughter and I would go and take a tour of the school, meet the director, teachers. See the classes and the kids she would be with. She would stay and play in the class for about half our or so... Then we left. I either got a good feel or not and cross it off my list. I narrowed it down and made the decision.. One last time we went and my daughter stayed for a whole day (well a preschool day) and I was sure. I really have a great feeling about the school, teachers, and students... My daughter is really excited too!
Also another thing for you to consider, since I only have 1 I didn't have to, but at a home daycre they will be together all day. That could be something benificial to them, little less scary being left somewhere together. On the otherhand, sometimes its better for them to go and do their own thing, make their own friends?
TRight now she is just going 3x a week part day 9-12:30 So she goes, plays with her friends has lunch and then I pick her up. Towards the end of the month we will add 2 more mornings. Then throughout August we will start to leave her for 3/4 days 7-4. That way when I start teaching in September she will be ready and neither of us have to stress about it.
Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions! I know its been long, but I know how hard of a decision it is... Lastly, I really think its a good idea for the kids to get into some kind of social environment. The kids learn so much. Not just the bad behaviors, but the good things too. They learn so much from situations liek that with their peers. Even if you just work part time, I would try to find something for them. ;o)