Why do you love DC's preschool?

[elektra]

I am starting a preschool search and I really don't know what to look for. My search has consisted of typing in "preschools" and my zip code in Google. I don't know anyone in my area with kids in preschool, although I may start asking a few neighbors where their kids go if I happen to run into any of them.

So what do you love?
Class size?
Religious affiliation?
Teacher?
Montessori?
Proximity to home?
Some kind of official ranking?
Cost?


I know I have heard that the type of program that is best is also dependent on the child's personality. But honestly, I can't tell yet if DD would do better with more structure or less.

[KrystalS]

My DD goes to a headstart program but shes in the older more advanced class. The class in the morning is 3 & 4 yos and it's a very basic class. DD goes in the afternoon to the preschool program. The teacher is GREAT, she loves her job which I think is so important when you work with young kids. I originally was worried about DD going to a headstart program because she already knows her letters/colors. Most of the kids in her class didn't even know their colors at the beginning of the year, let alone how to write their name. But DD loves the socialization aspect of preschool which is more important to me at this age mainly because DD never went to daycare so she didn't interact with peers very often. Anyway, this is getting long winded, what I'm getting at is that DD's teacher is very good about working with the kids individually. At our teacher conference she said DD was the most advanced child in the class so she had started working more with her on forming words when they do individual time while the other kids are in centers. The only bad thing is that when they are in circle time my DD yells out the answers to questions all the time. So the teacher has had to work with her and explain that while she knows the answer she needs to let the other kids answer sometimes too.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I only wanted preschools that were play based and developmental. I ruled out any that had a potty training cut off because my college professor (who ran the university's child development program) brainwashed me. :) She said that a developmental preschool wouldn't have a cut off because they would respect that not all kids will be ready for potty training by a certain age. It sounded like a good theory and it really was nice to have some simple criteria to narrow things down with. I found that all of the top rated programs in my city did not have potty training cut offs so I had to move on to other criteria from there.

There was one program that just rubbed me wrong from a security standpoint. It was probably ok but I had reservations so I ruled it out.

Another school wasn't appealing because the parking situation was miserable. You could wind up parking 2 blocks away (after driving around for 10 minutes to land that spot). No fun.

2 I couldn't do because they were already full. I started looking on January 2nd for the upcoming school year but that was too late for some.

The one I ultimately chose had been a recommendation from a friend. It was located in a synagogue. We are not Jewish but they were very welcoming. They had free parking in their giant parking lot. It was the farthest school from home but it was an easy drive and it put me in the neighborhood of errands I commonly ran (gym and grocery store). They had a great lounge for parents. They welcomed you in the classroom. They did fun, engaging activities with the kids. They had a great space. The best was the great ratio- 2 teachers to 11 students in the one class and 2 teachers/ 7 kids in the other. There was no teacher turnover- the staff was still enthusiastic and had been there for years.

Ds2 will be going to that preschool for 1 year but will then go to the school ds1 went to for kindergarten. Again, it is an other developmental program. I had rules it out with ds1 because they had a drop off line and I worried I wouldn't have good communication and interaction with his teachers. However, in reality they were great! I got daily email updates and could easily reach the teachers with concerns. Bonus with the car line is they were the bad guys that had to tear him away from his toys and friends! Leaving preschool with ds1 was a major ordeal and could easily take 20 minutes. I am looking forward to the drop off this time around. :)

Something to consider is your plans for pre-k or kindergarten. With a March b-day it probably isn't a big deal but it is nice to know that they can be in whatever school you choose until they are ready for kindergarten. One less transition to make.

Ds2's preschool is NAYCE (?) certified but it wasn't a deciding factor for me. You could look at those schools and get a starting point.

Look at universities because many of them have good programs.

Don't limit yourself based on religion.

Ask everyone and anyone!

See if there is a local parenting magazine you can check the ads in. OR go over to MDC and see if in "finding your tribe" you can get some referrals.

Best of luck!! I'm sure you will find a good school. :)

Beth

[hellokitty]

So what do you love? I like that the preschool my son has been going to has been in business for about 25 yrs. All they do is preschool, so they are very good at it. They do really cute crafts, projects and field trips too. He has two teachers, there is one that I really like, the other one is ok, I think that she's just been doing it for such a long time, some of her charm has worn off.

Class size? My son's class has 19 kids and 2 teachers. I wish that it were actually a smaller class. The boys tend to get rowdy and disruptive, and I think that if the class were smaller, this would be less likely to happen.

Religious affiliation? This is what I don't like. I was told by everyone that while this preschool was a religious one, that it was very light, some friends complained that the only fault of the school was that it was not religious enough. So, I thought, great, this sounds perfect for us, b/c we aren't that religious (we're UU). Well, I volunteered a few wks ago, only to discover that, "music" class on Mondays, basically translates into singing religious songs. Now my son goes around saying, "Jesus is the light." So, beware, even if the school is just, "a little" religious, it still may be too religious for you, depending on your comfort level. At this point, I'm just sucking it up, b/c we already started the school yr, I am not going to pull him out, b/c they sing religious songs.

Teacher? The teachers are ok, it is really a toss up. We have two teachers, one is very warm and fuzzy, very charming, the kids adore her. Another one is very old, kind of stern, kind of dry, my son doesn't like her as much, but I think that it's b/c he prefers the younger one who is more bubbly and as he says, "the pretty one," LOL!

Montessori? We chose not to go the route of Montessori. It's my understanding that there are two types of certification to be a Montessori teacher and the Catholic school in our area that is Montessori has the less desirable certification for its teachers. I've had friends who sent their kids to many different preschools in the area, and they felt that the Montessori one was the least impressive. The teachers did not communicate with the parents as well, concerning what types of topics and activities were being covered in class. Our preschool now, is very good about it. Every Friday, my son gets an outline for what they will be doing the following week, it includes reminders for snacks, letter of the wk, color of the wk, and what each child needs to bring for each different day, etc.. Our Montessori school has a weird drop off, the parents pull up, the teachers take the kids out of the car and then the parents pull back up after school and kids are loaded into the cars again. It just seems too mechanical to me. I've also heard complaints from parents whose kids went to Montessori preschool and then had difficulty adjusting to traditional school. They were used to doing whatever they wanted to do and not as used to traditional classroom settings. Several parents I know, complain that if they had to do it over again, they would never have done the Montessori school, b/c they feel that it sabotaged the transition to traditional school, b/c traditional school is different from Montessori.

Proximity to home? Fifteen minutes and it is very close to my DH's work, so when he is able to, sometimes he will drop off or pick up our son.

Some kind of official ranking? No, we live in an area where schools are not that competitive, I basically found this school by word of mouth.

Cost? Very cheap compared to other parts of the country. $100/mo for MWF, 2.5 hrs mornings. Parents take turn bringing in snacks (about once every other month), $40 non-refundable registration fee, $30 supply fee per student, field trip costs and then don't get me started on the fundraisers... UGH!!!!!

I will say that if you have younger kids, and your school wants parents to volunteer (ours does), check their policy on younger sibs. My son's school will NOT allow parents to bring any young sibs to any class parties, field trips OR when you volunteer. I can see where they are coming from, but it also really stinks for me that I cannot attend these things unless I find a sitter for my younger child. Also, check to see how strict the school is about snacks. Our school sent out a list of healthy suggestions and basically the majority of the parents send crappy snacks to school. I get so sick of my son saying, "I had spider man fruit snacks again!" I was about to complain, but when my turn finally came up, I sent mini-carrots and grape tomatoes and little containers of ranch dressing as dip. Since then, I've noticed that some parents are being more careful about bringing healthier snacks to preschool, I hope that maybe I helped to start a more positive trend. I think some parents want to bring junky snacks, b/c they think it will make their kid popular. What I DO like is that the school only serves water for snacks, no juice. Not only is it cheaper, but I don't really like my kids to drink too much juice. Don't get me started on fundraisers. I think that all schools have this problem though, so it's not something that is totally unavoidable.

[emily_gracesmama]

5 mins away, NAYCE ranked, small class size, some days she has around 12 with a teacher and 2 aides, no religious afilliation at all here, which for us is a bit easier as we are a mixed jewish/catholic family. They celebrate the seasons but not any specific holidays. It's set on a farm so there are animals, but I honestly just felt that it was right, visiting there was "home" for us and Emily. Very close knit family atmosphere. Cost is 415/mth for three days per week, about 4 hrs each day. No pressure on potty training was a boost also, since I didn't want the age 3 pressure some schools have.

[jacksmomtobe]

Ds goes to a Coop so I like the ability to go into the classroom and see what he is experiencing, getting to know the other kids especially since last year was his first school experience. I also like the community and the fact that the parents are people I can relate to. I went to visit and just felt it was the right school. The environment was welcoming. The school is more social based rather than academics based which I felt was important for preschool. I also like that the teachers and assistants all have masters. The school has been around since 1955. The Teachers are a mix of older and newer so you have consistency,experience but with some new ideas as well. Someone I know used the website www.savvysource.com to get info on preschools. Not sure if they cover your area but that might be worth finding out. Word of mouth is also good.

Good Luck in finding the right school for your child!

[elektra]

Thanks so much for all the detailed responses so far! I just checked out the savvysource website and I am starting my spreadsheet. :)
I will also be keeping an eye out for the local magazines and may take the dogs and DD on some extra walks (hate that it's getting dark so early!) in an effort to corner some neighbors for interrogation purposes.
Thanks!

[KpbS]

So what do you love?

Class size? 12 max. A good size IMO.

Religious affiliation? Just a little--could be more emphasized.

Teacher? Last year we had great teachers, very involved, very experienced. This year, they are nice but inexperienced and noticeably overwhelmed at times. OK

Montessori? Not an option here and others I have found (neighboring towns) require 5 d a wk. Too much for us.

Proximity to home? 3 minutes--YES!

Some kind of official ranking? Accredited

Cost? VERY affordable. It is about 1/5 of the price of a sitter.

[wencit]

Do you have a local mom's club you can join? I've found ours to be a great resource for recommendations like preschools, as well as a wealth of general parenting information and support (in addition to these boards, of course :) ).

[Neatfreak]

The thing that I truly love the most about DD's preschool (Reggio Emilia, if it matters) are the special things they do, actually. Like the art portfolio that she brought home at the end of last year, or the DVD presentation that her teachers made of her throughout the year going about stuff in the classroom. It helped me understand what her days there are like.

The things that I've also learned to appreciate are the small class sizes (avg. student teacher ratio is 4:1) and approachableness of all of the staff. The teachers recognize all of the students by name, regardless of whose class they are in, and this is also true of the support staff.

[s7714]

I checked out a number of preschools throughout my area. My DH was all for using the one across the street from us, but it was NOT at all what I was looking for--large classes, very academic with generic teaching plans, and almost military academy feeling. My second choice school was close to us as well, but it was much more expensive, much larger overall and just felt a little too academic for my taste although I could have lived with it if need be.

I ended up choosing one that is has a low student/teacher ratio (6:1, with 24 kids total in the class and 4 teachers and various teacher trainees) and has a very natural, student lead curriculum. The teachers do insert traditional concepts at various times of the year, but they really adjust their lesson plans to what the kids are talking about at the moment. Like recent local fires had the kids talking about fires, which lead to fire trucks for a day, then to water for a couple days, then from water to the ocean, and then on to whales... The school also has a fantastic playground and working garden, so they really tie in the outdoors and nature into their daily routine. The four lead teachers have been there for 10-20 years each.

The school is religious based, which was actually the only con on my list for it, because we're not religious. (I don't have any issues with my DDs going to a religious preschool, it just makes me feel a little hypocritical when I'm around some of the parents and teachers who are clearly quite religious. :innocent: ) They do a really good job of covering different religion's holidays and customs though, which makes me happy. The school is NAEYC accredited, but that wasn't a factor in my decision. Price wise it is about middle ground of local schools. Lower tuition would always be nice, but I'm fine with paying a little more if it means getting better quality teachers!

I really felt like I'd found the right place the minute I visited it. All the others I thought "o.k., I suppose I'd feel o.k. sending DD here..." But after visiting the preschool I chose, I felt comfortable with everything about it. Even my older DD, who I always took with me on visitations, was clearly more at ease and excited about the school vs. the others we had visited.

ETF typos

[maestramommy]

We checked out two school in the area because by the time we moved it was already mid to late summer.

1) District preschool - we went there first to get Dora evaluated to see if she still needed services for speech. She didn't, and the classes were full, but we were told that a young 3yo class was opening up in a couple of months and she would be put on the list for that class if we wanted. This preschool is part of our local elementary where Dora would go for K-3 anyway, it's 5 minutes away, and when I took Dora to get evaluated I was very warmed by the general atmosphere. Even though it looks like the traditional school, there were little touches that I really liked, like a huge fishtank in the main hall. There was a sign telling kids to watch for more fish coming, and what they could expect. Dora was fascinated (she likes looking at fish) even though it didn't have anything but snails yet;) The preschool teacher who helped do the eval is very young, but she seemed very bright and enthusiastic, like someone I would've worked with back when I was teaching. I really liked her attitude.

2) church preschool - actually in our church. We visited when we found out there was a space in the 2yo program. Very small class, 5 kids total. The setting was small but very cozy. I liked how it was all play based, but the kids were working on skills like cutting, pasting, painting, drawing. They had music time and 2 playtimes. Religious aspect was pretty low key. They teach about Christmas and Easter. But if they have Jewish students they encourage them to bring books about Hannukah so they can read to the class.

Neither of the schools required potty training, which was key because Dora wasn't trained yet (she is now), and all the other schools in our area do. We ended up going with the district preschool because it felt like Dora would have a better transition staying in the same school It was also a little cheaper, and there was no real advantage to her going to our church preschool. For not doing any real research I'm satisfied with our choice, but of course we haven't started yet. The class opens in January.

[o_mom]

One of the things I love is that siblings are allowed on field trips. That means I can drive and attend the field trips without paying a sitter.

I also looked for small classes and a smaller school in general. Ours is 10 or 12 per class with a teacher and an aide. There are a max of two classes at any time (morning or afternoon) which means no more than 24 cars at pickup time and usually less due to carpools and twins. I looked at a school with 12-16 per class and 6-8 classes at once - picture 80-100 cars at pickup time.

At this age, I was going for social skills. They do some academic stuff and all the activities could be considered educational, but it isn't hard core.

Not requiring potty training was also on my list. Both boys were PTed before starting, but it was more of the philosophy. I don't think it is developmentally appropriate to expect all three yos to be PT and to hold them back from school because of it. I like that our school doesn't have a problem with it.

[KHF]

We have DD in FT childcare, but the same sorts of things apply as preschool, since she's 3 now. We actually just left an NAEYC accredited school and went to one that is further from our house, adds to my commute, and not all of the teachers have degrees in ECE, but has been a true blessing to us.

Her old school had all of the things we were looking for on paper, but we found out that isn't always enough. It was a Goddard School and between the Goddard regulations and the NAEYC accreditation, it always felt like they were just checking items off a list. They had a set plan for the day, and it was almost always too much. There was very little time left for the kids to interact with one another and just be social. (It was kind of the preschool version of teaching the standardized tests in school.) They also didn't provide meals, opened a half hour later and closed a half hour earlier. Not having to prepare her meals at the new school is something that I didn't realize how wonderful it would be, but it has been! She has always been a picky eater, but she's tried a lot of new things since moving to the new school.

The one thing about the new school that I think has made the biggest difference is the size of the classroom and outdoor space. Her new classroom is about 4 times the size of the old one at Goddard. There are anywhere between 14-22 kids in there (lots of part time kids), but it doesn't seem crowded because there is so much space. In her old school, there were 22 kids in her class and it was packed. There was lots of picking at one another and crying because they weren't able to have any personal space. The small room sizes were fine when she was younger, but it got to be way too tight as the kids got bigger (and the class size expanded).

They also have a huge outside play area, with separate playgrounds for each age group and age appropriate equipment in each. At her old school, it was not nearly so nice. Not that they did a great deal of outside time anyway...there were too many activities that had to be done inside.

The positive change in DD has been remarkable since the move. Any insecurities I had about whether I made the right decision have been erased. Bottom line, visit the places and see what kind of feel you get for them. My mommy instincts told me more than any list of criteria :)

[mommylamb]

We will be moving DS from his current daycare to pre-school in June. I hope I like it as much as I think I will.

Pros:
Very close to home (DH and I have to pass it regardless)
Stays open until 6:15. DH and I both work in the city and commute, so very important to us
Great facility
the parents I've talked to rave about it
they offer Spanish (and french in later years)
they have music class
they have a computer curriculum
I really like the general teaching philosophy (as far as I can tell from a visit)
When DS is old enough for real school, the bus from his school picks kids up at the pre-school and drops them off there after school

Cons:
It's not a religiously affiliated school, BUT (and I don't get this) they say grace before all meals. I'm an agnostic Jew and DH is an atheist. Surprisingly, DH is not bothered at all about the grace thing, but I am. To me, grace is a very Christian tradition (I know Jews have certain prayers for certain foods, but this is the Christian grace that they say). Anyway, I've decided to suck it up and have the discussion early about why we do some things differently at home.

[SASM]

I LOVED our last preschool. It accommodated ages 2 through preK. Field trips were standard for ages 3 and up and, depending on the location's capacity, parents were allowed to go along. They had a day-extension (lunch bunch) option which was nice. The classes were not too big...2's had 7, 2.5's had 12, 3's had 15 and 4+5's had 16. The cost was cheap for our area ~ 2-day was $132 and 3-day was $168 ~ I do not remember the pre-K 5-day program cost. They had various programs throughout the year ~ Fall Festival, Halloween parties and parade, classroom parent gatherings, Christmas pagent/sing along, parties for the various holidays in the winter and springtime, Mother's Day tea, Donuts with Dad. Scholastic flyers, school pictures, classroom contact info shared amongst all of the parents are also things that I liked. It was in a Presbyterian church, however, it was a non-denominational program ~ melting pot of children, which was wonderful.

Our current school is just a joint class of 2.5-4yo's. This is the best program that I could find in our area. Obviously a lot smaller. I miss the above "amenities" of our last program. It really allowed the parents to get to know the other parents and really get involved with the class.

[tny915]

I was first drawn to the ratios and the location. Ratio is 6:1 but we actually end up with lower ratios. DD's pre-K class has 18 kids and 4 FT credentialed teachers.

Philosophy is play-based, child-led, no potty-training requirement, and geared more towards their social development. No formal academics. Very nurturing of both the kids and the parents. DD's school teaches them how to get along with other kids, conflict resolution, transitions, things like that. Advice for us as parents to help them out with these skills as well. And advice that helps during harder times like when DD#1 was adjusting to the baby and acting out at school.

Lots of parental involvement and activities, so we really get to know the other families and all the children in the class. Plenty of opportunities for parents to volunteer and do projects and visit the classroom.

I LOVE the school. I'll be sad when DD has to leave at the end of this school year.

ETA a few things I forgot to mention...
DD's preschool is the perfect size. There's one class for 2-3s, one class of 3-4s and one class of 4-5s. This allows the teachers to really get to know all the kids, and they keep the same teachers throughout their entire time at this school. When I was looking for schools, I looked at the very large close to 100 kids schools and the very small all ages mixed in someone's home type of school. DD's preschool was what felt right to us--small and nurturing, but still a real school environment.

I also really liked that we could gradually transition DD to the school experience by starting her 2 mornings (TTh) her first year, 3 mornings (MWF) her second year, and 5 afternoons this year for pre-K.

[erosenst]

So what do you love? Ours is a daycare that a lot of people use as a preschool. (For 3 and older, more traditional preschool hours are available.) It's a Goddard, and I know that a PP had a bad experience there. Be aware that they are individually franchised, and even within the Goddard system they vary widely. There are three in our relatively large suburb. One is excellent (ours!), one is OK, and one is known to be really pretty bad. Among other things, ours has a lot of unstructured, or very loosely structured, play time, even in pre-K.

Class size? Ours is based on state regs. 20 kids with two teachers for 3 year olds, 24 for 4 year olds

Religious affiliation? Nope. Had there not been some things that didn't work for us, we would have chosen one at the JCC or our Temple. We continue to be glad we didn't, even though a lot of people love both programs. And both programs have a large number of non-Jewish kids.

Teacher? We've been very lucky. Abby's been there for two years, and in four different classrooms. When we first started, there was a lot of turnover in that room...but very little since. The teachers all have elementary ed degrees. Not a huge factor in choosing it - but as it turns out, it's been good for Abby. More importantly, they agree with my idea of structure and discipline, but at the same time are very warm and nurturing.


Montessori? Nope - not my thing.
Proximity to home? Maybe three minutes away :). The Temple and JCC were 15 minutes the wrong direction - one of the big reasons we didn't choose it.

Some kind of official ranking? No, although NAEYC accredited.

Cost? Don't ask :)


But the best advice I can give you is to visit a couple, and then trust your gut. I didn't know what people meant when I first heard that. Now I do.

Emily
Abby 4.75

[KrisM]

So what do you love? I love that it is only 3 miles from home and a 8 minute drive. I love that the teacher has been teaching for over 25 years now. I love that it is play based and developmental, yet she makes sure all the kids get through the different centers each day, such as the math area, art work, a project etc.

They have baking and journalling day once a week. They made pineapple upside down cake last week. He brings his journal home every month and is so proud of it!

I love that DS loves it.

Class size? There are 20 kids and 2 teachers for the 4 year olds. Three year old class had 18 kids.

Religious affiliation? none.

Teacher? She has so much enthusiasm that she is the primary reason I chose the school. She changes her agenda every couple of years so that it is exciting to her. She's very creative and does great crafts. She learned the kids names right away and greets them by name and with a hug. DS cried the first 2 weeks of 3 year old school. He'd be fine in 10 minutes or so and the teacher called me at home to tell me he was now playing.

She is very open to suggestions - I just suggested that she consider adding a 4th day to 4-year old class since they're moving to all day kindie. She's doing a survey about this today to see if there is enough interest.

I love that she works what the kids want into the day. She told me a story last week - DS told her "wouldn't it be fun if we made silly faces in school?". So, at circle time, they played instruments and she did a game of making silly faces. She said DS's face just lit up when she started it! I love that!

The other teacher is also wonderful as well and is a great compliment to the school. They've been working together for a number of years and you can just tell they both love what they do and really care about the kids.

Montessori? no

Proximity to home? 3 miles

Some kind of official ranking? NYSAE or whatever the letters are :)

Cost? This year is 130 for 3 year olds (T, Th 9-11:30), $210 for 4 year olds (MWTh 12-3)

[maestramommy]

Besides being an inexpensive school that had an opening, :p I like these things about Dora's preschool.

Class size: I think her class has 5 kids.
Proximity: It's a 3 minute drive from home, and starts at 9, what I consider a humane hour.:D
Even though it's a church based school (our church), it's not overly religious.
Skill based: Dora's class, the two's, work on skills only. When the teacher went over the daily routine, there wasn't any academics that I could see, BUT
There is a routine that is followed each day. I really wanted Dora to get used to that.

Dora's teacher is also the director, and she's been the director for 30+ years. One of the older ladies at church told me her (twenty something) daughter was a student of this woman, and she loved it. I don't know this woman all that well, but her manner reassures me. Gentle, sensible, caring but doesn't gush, iykwim. She knows full well that next year our plan is to transfer Dora to the district preschool, and she hasn't tried to presuade us otherwise.

I personally would like to keep Dora in this school because of the later start time. The big draw with the district preschool is that 1) It's at the elementary school where my kids will eventually end up anyway, and 2) The preschool is an immersion/inclusion program, which I think is valuable. Also, our neighbor's kid, who has Down's, is the same age as Dora and goes there already, so it's safe to assume they will be in the same class next year. I figure that is an easy op for them to become friends, if that is their inclination. But it starts at 8am. Getting the kids up by 6:30 latest is going to be BRUTAL.