Short answer: a preschool tour is a sales meeting, so bring questions that need specific answers: who can pick up your child, how many adults are in the room, what happens after an accident, what a normal day looks like, and the all-in annual fee in writing. Vague answers to any of these are your signal to keep looking.
The school controls what you see; your questions control what you learn. Take these fifteen with you, and tick the physical checks on our 13-point visit checklist as you walk around. Where a national standard exists, we say what it is, so you know what a good answer sounds like.
Safety and supervision
1. "Who can pick my child up, and how do you check?" Good answer: a named-person system with a photo ID or pickup card, and no exceptions. Worrying answer: "We know all our parents."
2. "Where are the CCTV cameras, and who can view them?" You are checking coverage of classrooms and play areas, whether the cameras work, and whether there is a clear policy on who sees the footage.
3. "Who on staff is trained in first aid, and which clinic do you use?" The NCF for the Foundational Stage (section 8.2) asks for a working first-aid kit and for all teachers to be trained to use it. Expect names and a specific clinic, not "everyone knows the basics".
4. "What happens if my child is hurt or falls ill here?" The same framework says parents should be told immediately after an accident or medical emergency. Listen for: parent called at once, incident written down, and a clear plan for a child who feels unwell.
5. "How do you check the adults who work here?" Good answer: background checks (police verification) for teachers, helpers and drivers, and staff who know their duties under the POCSO Act, 2012, which the national framework says requires "zero tolerance" of child sexual abuse.
Staffing
6. "How many children and how many adults are in my child's room, for the full session?" India's National ECCE Policy 2013 sets a minimum of one adult per 20 children aged 3 to 6 and one per 10 under three. We suggest looking for about 1:10 for ages 3 to 5 and 1:5 or 1:6 for two-year-olds. See our ratio guide.
7. "What training do the teachers have, and how long has the lead teacher been here?" Look for a recognised early-childhood qualification (NTT, ECCE or a diploma in preschool education; Montessori training if Montessori is claimed) and ongoing training. High turnover is the strongest hidden signal of a badly run centre.
8. "What happens when a teacher is absent?" Good answer: a named, trained substitute. Worrying answer: classes are merged, which doubles the ratio for the day.
Programme and daily life
9. "Walk me through a normal Tuesday." The single best question. Specific schedules mean a real programme; adjectives mean a brochure. The NCF sample day for ages 3 to 6 includes circle time, free play and activity corners, a snack break, music and movement, story time and outdoor play.
10. "How much time do children spend outdoors each day?" The NCF says outdoor play and free play "must have adequate time" in the day, and its sample day sets aside 30 minutes for outdoor play. The ECCE Policy asks for at least 30 square metres of outdoor space for a group of 30 children. A preschool with no regular outdoor time is a concern.
11. "Is there homework or a written test?" For ages 3 to 6 the right answer is no written homework and no tests. The NCF says page-after-page homework is "exactly what should not happen" at this stage, and calls explicit tests and examinations "completely inappropriate". Light tasks like "draw the rangoli outside your house" are fine.
12. "How will I know what my child did today?" An app, a diary, photos or a weekly note: pick a school that communicates, and ask to see a real example.
Money
13. "What is the all-inclusive annual cost, in writing?" Admission, tuition, kit, uniform, transport, activity charges and annual day. Schools that resist writing it down usually have a reason. To know whether the number is normal for your city, check the preschool fee estimator or fees by city; a mid-range preschool in Delhi, for example, charges about ₹80,000 to ₹1.6 lakh a year in tuition.
14. "What is the refund policy if we withdraw mid-year?" Ask for it in writing before you pay, including what happens to the admission fee.
15. "How much have fees gone up in each of the last three years?" Past increases are the best guide to future ones. A school that cannot or will not tell you is asking you to sign a blank cheque.
After the tour
Stand at the gate at pickup time and ask two current parents one question: "Would you choose this school again?" Their faces will answer before their words do. Then compare your notes across schools using how to choose a preschool in India.
Revised October 2026: the ratio benchmark corrected and sourced, answers on first aid, accidents, outdoor time and homework tied to the NCF for the Foundational Stage, a staff-checks question added, and the unsupported fee-increase figure replaced with a question.