One preschool calls itself international. Another offers an English-focused programme. You want your child to get to know English, but what would either choice mean for their day? A school’s international status and the place English has in its programme are separate questions. Ask about the school’s licence, its preschool curriculum and its English activities individually.
What matters for your child is how those details come together: who they will hear English from, what they will do, and how an adult will help when they don’t understand yet. This guide gives you a way to compare schools using everyday examples. For the question of when to begin, see our guide to starting English at preschool.
What Does “International” Tell You?
When a preschool uses the word “international”, ask what it refers to. The school might be describing an educational approach, welcoming families from different countries, or referring to a particular programme affiliation. Read that explanation alongside its official licence information.
It helps to keep three questions separate:
- The school: What licence does it hold, and which age groups does it accept?
- The curriculum: How is a preschool day planned, and what does the approach look like in practice?
- English activities: When does the English teacher join the children, and how do they interact?
If the school mentions accreditation, ask who awards it and what it covers. Using an approach and holding accreditation for it are different pieces of information. Documents and examples from the classroom help you understand what a description means. If your family is relocating, our guide to choosing a preschool in Istanbul also covers admissions and settling in.
What to Look for in an English-Focused Programme
Ask a school to describe the moments when your child would meet English. How do songs, stories, movement games and everyday conversations fit into the day? Does an English teacher visit for particular sessions, or join activities at different times too?
Use the table below to ask for detail. A school may offer several of these features together.
| Description You Hear | What to Clarify | A Question to Ask |
|---|---|---|
| International school or programme | School status and programme scope | “What documents or practices does this description refer to?” |
| English-focused programme | Opportunities to hear and use English | “Could you show me a sample day for my child’s age group?” |
| English throughout the day | English communication during everyday activities | “Which parts of the day does the English teacher join?” |
| Separate English activity sessions | Age-appropriate games and session length | “What do the children do, and how can they join in?” |
Frequency is one part of the picture. Look at the interaction as well. A recording playing in the background offers a different experience from an adult noticing a child’s choice and responding to it. On a visit, pay attention to the space children have to answer, as well as what the teacher says.
Look Beyond the Number of Hours
A group might repeat colour words in an activity. At another moment, a child chooses a paint, shows it to the teacher and connects what they hear with what they are doing. Ask for examples like these: what caught the child’s interest, how did the adult respond, and what happened next?
Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child describes how responsive, back-and-forth exchanges support early language and social skills. This is a general account of development, rather than evidence for the results of any particular English programme. It offers a useful reason to look at the relationship behind the activity too.
Try asking, “What happens if my child points to something rather than speaking?” The answer can tell you how the teacher invites children into a conversation and responds to what they are trying to communicate. Our article on the benefits of an English-intensive preschool explores what you might expect from these interactions.
How English Fits Into the Day at Sun Preschool
At Sun Preschool, English is part of daily play, songs, stories and conversation within a curriculum based on Türkiye’s Ministry of National Education preschool programme. The classroom teacher leads the group’s daily routine. A dedicated English teacher joins activities and communicates with the children in English, connecting the words they hear with things they are doing and interested in.
During an art activity, for example, the classroom teacher might organise the materials while the English teacher takes an interest in a child’s choice of colour. They show the paint, ask a short question and respond when the child points. The child can join the activity by showing, moving or speaking when they are ready. The example makes the teachers’ roles and the everyday English interaction easier to picture.
The arrangement changes with age. Tiny Caterpillars (ages 2–3) and Caterpillars (ages 3–4) meet English through play and everyday interaction throughout the day, with no separate English lessons. Cocoons (ages 4–5) and Butterflies (ages 5–6) also have separate English lessons alongside those daily encounters. Lessons therefore start at four, with activities that give children ways to participate appropriate to their age. You can explore the daily arrangements in the English section of our curriculum page.
Include Your Child’s Needs in the Comparison
Being able to ask for help, show that they need a rest and trust an adult are important parts of a young child’s day. Ask how these needs will be met while your child is getting used to English activities. You can tell the teacher the familiar words your child uses and the routines that help them feel comfortable.
Keep making time for conversation, stories and play in the language you feel comfortable speaking at home. NAEYC’s guidance on families’ home languages explains the value of supporting them as children meet English. Our guide to helping with English at home offers small, practical ideas, including for parents who don’t speak English themselves.
Ask how progress is observed and shared with families. A promise of fluency by a fixed date tells you little about your own child’s experience. An example from a game, an instruction they understood or a conversation they started can help you see how they are getting on. If Turkish development is a concern, read how early English relates to your child’s Turkish.
To understand an English programme, ask what your child would experience during an ordinary day.
Questions to Take on a School Visit
Asking each school the same questions makes their answers easier to compare:
- Who plans and leads the English activities?
- Which games and routines include English in my child’s age group?
- If there are separate English lessons, when do they start and what do they involve?
- How is my child supported when they don’t understand or need help?
- How do children get opportunities to choose, show and answer?
- What examples of their progress will you share with us?
Ask for a sample daily routine and a description of one activity. Together, they help you connect the programme’s name with the teacher’s practice and your child’s likely experience.
If you’d like to talk through what your child’s day would be like, you can arrange a visit. We can discuss English activities and the support your child needs.
References & Further Reading
- Harvard Center on the Developing Child — Serve and return: responsive exchanges between children and adults.
- NAEYC — Supporting families’ home language practices.
Frequently asked questions
Is an international school the same as an English-focused preschool?
The descriptions answer different questions. Ask what school status or programme affiliation “international” refers to, and what daily activities make up the English-focused programme. Get a concrete explanation of each rather than assuming one tells you about the other.
Does “English throughout the day” mean my child will speak English all day?
It should describe opportunities to encounter English at different points in the day. It doesn’t guarantee that your child will always speak English or become fluent within a set time. Ask which activities the English teacher joins and how children can take part.
Can my child join Sun without knowing any English?
Yes, children don’t need any English before starting at Sun. We can discuss your child’s communication habits and settling-in needs when we meet. Play, objects, gestures and familiar routines help children make sense of the English they encounter.
When do English lessons start at Sun?
Separate English lessons begin at four, in the Cocoons group, and continue in the Butterflies. Tiny Caterpillars and Caterpillars don’t have separate English lessons. Their encounters with English come through play, songs, stories and everyday interaction throughout the day.
