RE: preschool??? what to look for?
Well, around here, it would be too late to get into preschool for this fall. It surprised me that schools had deadlines in January, February and March for the following fall.
I had not planned on sending DS to preschool until he was 4 and then starting kindergarten at 5. However, I guess I was swayed a bit by other moms I know all sending their kids at 3. So, I started looking and wound up going with a 1 day/week mother's morning out program at a local church. I actually view it as an experiment for us. I think it will be good for DS to be more comfortable with the idea of being away from me for a little while (we have some issues in that area), but if it doesn't work out, I will pull him from the program and have no regrets.
The PP's questions are good. I actually took DS with me to see his reaction to the rooms, teachers, etc.
Talking to parents with kids who attend there was the most helpful thing for me. I also asked about the potty training requirements and how that whole situation is handled, along with just describing what a typical day would be like for DS.
I don't feel it matters where the preschool is located. I might have a different view if I lived in a very small area and thought DS would be going through school with all the kids, but other than that, I'd go with a school you like the best, regardless of location.
Good luck.
Mommy to Justin (13 years) & Ashlyn (8 years)