How did you pick a pre-school?

Mystery2B

So when we first moved a neighbor gave me a preschool application for the preschool that's popular in the neighborhood and that her kids went/go to and said I should apply now...C was 9 months old, and the school doesn't start till after they turn 3. I googled a little and then got busy and forgot about it. 

Now I'm hearing that yes, I really do need to apply asap and to multiple places but how do I know what's going to be a good fit for her in 2 years? 

Co-op, Waldorf, Montesorri, small teacher/student ratio, location, academic vs "play is a child's work" - I'm overwhelmed by the options. Do I apply to a variety of types and locations (since I don't know what neighborhood we'll live in 2 years down the road) and hope for the best? 

How did you pick your LO's preschool? Especially if you had to apply way in advance? Thanks!

Meritage

We had my older son on all of the lists when he was 4 months old, and my younger one when I was pregnant with him.  For most of them, it simply involved putting our names on the list.  I think one of them had a $25 application fee, so unless the fee is more substantial than that, I don't think it hurts to put your kid on all of the lists that you're interested in.  You can pick the one you like most when she's 3 (or whatever age she starts).

We currently have two kids at two different pre-schools, and next year (when they are both over 3), we'll have them both at the same school.  I get asked all the time why we picked one school over the other, and I still can't articulate a great response.

One of the schools has a great community, and I have lots of mommy friends at that school that get together all the time.  Tons of social events, playdates, GNOs, etc.  The other's community is meh, but I think it's a better fit for my kids so that's the one we're going with.

In the case of our specific decision, we went with the school that has less structure, "play is a child's work" philosophy, and all of the teachers have Master's degrees in early childhood education.  Artwork he brings home is truly artwork he has made.  At the other school, artwork was clearly made by the teachers with my son's hand or foot print on it.  They also really push social skills, and don't push academic skills (i.e. reading and writing).

It is a really tough decision so the only advice I have is to get on all the lists now and then decide later!  :-)

Mystery2B

Meritage:

It is a really tough decision so the only advice I have is to get on all the lists now and then decide later!  :-)

That's what I was leaning towards...I know that some types of schools are better fits for different personalities but C doesn't talk yet so how am I supposed to know how her personality is fully going to emerge 2 years down the road? 

amyfelice

I started looking around late last year, just to check and see if I needed to get on wait lists (when DD was about your child's age, maybe 14-15 months). I wanted to start her when she turned two, so this fall. Most of the schools I spoke to just said to check back in January when they do their enrollment. I just got put on their email list. I went to a preschool fair as well and spoke to the various directors. I didn't really find that any place in Oakland was closed off to me except for maybe one, where i heard different information at different times. One director said they were full but I could take a tour and get on a wait list. At the actual tour I spoke to a different director who said it was early in the process and they were wide open. Hmmm. Crossed that one right off the list. 

I basically checked out Montessori and play based/emergent curriculum. My best friend from home has spent her career as a daycare director/consultant, etc and her advice was to really focus on the director because they set the tone for the school. In the end for me it was more about the feeling I had from the people running the place and the environment that she would be in. The place I picked also is Spanish Immersion/bilingual which I love. I found that I did not dig Montessori or at least the ones I looked at. Just not my style i guess. I did not find any Waldorf schools to look at. I was limited though by her age, some schools do not take children less than three years of age. 

We wound up starting early because the school we picked also has daycare and they had openings and we felt she was ready.  My best advice would be to look at a bunch of places, really due your due diligence and go with your gut more than anything else. 

EmmieB

We're going to start looking in late May and I know there are going to be a lot of tours, narrowed down by price, again by schedule, and again by the personality of the school.

I'm also not afraid of homeschooling for preschool (or finding/starting a co-op) so that will be in there as a fall-back if I can't find a program we like that fits with Baz. If he won't flourish, he won't go. :-D

ashleyhuney

Mystery2B:

That's what I was leaning towards...I know that some types of schools are better fits for different personalities but C doesn't talk yet so how am I supposed to know how her personality is fully going to emerge 2 years down the road? 

What I think I'm hearing you say is how do you choose between the different education philosophies that will best fit your daughter in a few years.  I don't think you can really know now, and even at 3 years old it still might be not be clear.  At almost 3 I am sure that J would thrive in different types of environments other than the one I choose for him.  What I did was choose the philosophy that I most support.  Our home environment now and what I want it to continue to be is most like the school that I choose.  However, I am open to the possibility that as he becomes more of his own person that we might need to make a change.  I did a lot of research on the different types (Montessori, Waldorf, mainstream schooling, etc) and choose what fit us best, which is Waldorf.  From there I looked into the different Waldorf preschools and picked the one that fit us best. 

futrkingsley

I looked at several differernt types of preschools, trying to find one that met our basic needs (days, times, ages, potty training, etc). I was leaning heavily towards Montessori as I really like the philosophy and environment.  As a bonus for me, DS showed a lot of interest in that type of activity from an early age (his favorite acitivity at age one was doing the laundry).

As for lists and such, we did not get on any.  I researched and visited a few schools when DS was 18 months and none had long waitilists.  They may not have had openings for the days I needed but they didn't keep waitlists for them like some schools.  I was able to revisit the schools in August, chose a school, and enroll him in the span of two weeks.

My biggest issue was that I love the staff, the few kids we saw, and the school itself at my first choice place, but absolutely adored the outdoor space at another school.  I really wish I could combine them.  

f&s2006

We are doing this right now - in SF it's a bit crazy with the waitlists, so we are supposedly 'late' on this already... whatever. 

Our strategy has been to visit the schools near us that have been recommended to us by others, and then decide whether to apply or not (all of the schools near us require a tour before applying). 

Deciding on whether to apply has been based mostly on our own personal take on it as parents.  My general opinion is that P will be fine pretty much anywhere, he's pretty easy going and social, it's whether we can handle the other parents that I'm more concerned about.  haha.  

We have applied to two so far, and they are both totally different ends of the spectrum.  One is a play based co-op, the other is much more structured traditional preschool. I guess we're trying to cover our bases and see what will work out best when the time comes. 

But it has been easier to narrow down for us as we are going by location first as a filter -