What questions should I ask before choosing a preschool in Bali?

Start with how the school teaches, not just what it looks like. Ask whether the approach is play-based, Montessori-influenced, or more structured and academic, and ask to see a sample daily schedule rather than a mission statement. Find out the teacher-to-child ratio for the age group your child will join, since ratios often loosen for older toddlers even at schools that advertise low numbers for infants. Ask how long the lead teachers have been at the school: expat-run preschools in Bali can have real staff turnover between seasons, and a school with the same teachers for several years usually means a stabler day-to-day experience for your child.

Bali preschools are frequently set up inside converted villas, so ask specific safety questions rather than accepting a general reassurance. Is the pool fenced separately from the play areas, and is it drained or covered when not in use for lessons? What is the gate and pickup procedure, and how does the school confirm who is authorized to collect your child? Ask about their first aid training, what they do for a fever or an injury during the day, and how they handle food allergies in the kitchen and at shared snack time. It also helps to ask what the plan is for a power cut or a heavy storm, since both are routine here.

Ask whether the school follows an international academic calendar or the local one, since term dates, holidays, and closures can differ and matter if you're juggling flights or a second school-age child elsewhere. Find out how the school communicates day to day, whether that's a parent chat group, a daily report app, or just conversations at pickup, and whether parents are welcome to sit in during a trial morning before enrolling. Ask about the mix of languages used in the classroom: some schools run mostly in English with a little Indonesian, while others are genuinely bilingual, and this shapes how much support your child will need if you later move them into a local or national-plus school. Finally, ask what happens if you leave mid-term or need to pause enrollment while traveling, since family schedules here are often less fixed than a typical school year assumes.