how do preschool applications work in your area?

Re: how do preschool applications work in your area?

• bumpuser8448316 member

  July 2014 edited July 2014

  We applied in January for the Fall school year. Ask around with friends and family and see where their kids go and ask them about the process. I googled schools in my area, picked 4 that looked good and asked around, took tours etc before deciding on one

  
  

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• brachysira member

  July 2014

  Thanks.  I go to a moms' group, but mostly those people live in suburbs on the other side of town, and I don't want to go all the way there several times/week.  Plus, a lot of people are transplants like we are and we usually do things with kids DD's age, so there doesn't seem to be a ton of knowledge.  We just started going to a playgroup at our neighborhood library and I don't know anyone yet, but unfortunately DD will not play and just runs through the library at top speed for an hour so starting a conversation that extends beyond hello has not been possible...  

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• spring_time member

  July 2014

  I started looking in November for the following September.  Some places were already full at that point, but most didn't have registration until March.  Most of the preschools have priority registration for people who had other children in the program. That leaves the more undesirable days and times as the only option. A few of them had wait lists and went in order on the wait list.  A few more had a lottery.  

  
  

  I had a bad experience at DS's previous school with registration, wait lists, and favoritism. It was a private Lutheran preschool. I much preferred registering for the preschool at the school district because it was online, and the administrative staff didn't have anything in the game.

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

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• Socialworkgirl member

  July 2014

  Most of the preschool registrations around here happen in February and it is recommended that you sign up the first day. We chose a school associated with a Catholic Church that is very popular. We were told that it is pretty easy to get into the 2 year old class but the 3 year old class fills up pretty quickly (I.e. If you are not a returning student there may not be space even on the first day of registration). Returning students get to register first and siblings get priority. Otherwise it's first come first serve. The youngest class starts at 18 months.

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• catycate member

  July 2014

  I have always just signs up when registration starts. I started when DS was 2.5, and it was easy, but then we moved and there are less options in the burbs. I got put on 2 wait lists before I found one that I loved and signed him up for. I've already been called on for both wait lists.

  

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• penguingrrl member

  July 2014

  With my oldest we were in NYC, so the admissions calendar was identical to a college admissions calendar (not joking). Applications are due by October 15, January for interviews and March 1 all the admissions offers are mailed. She ended up going to a universal preK program at a private school that we found later in the process. We absolutely adored her school (and if anyone happens to live near the Bronx I would gladly pass on the into!).

  
  

  Emma's we didn't sign up with until late summer as we moved that year. All the preschools around us had openings to start in the fall. Apparently once the public schools opened up tuition-based programs the small preschools lost a lot of their families (which is odd to me because drop off and pick up for preschool was still at a different time than older siblings, the tuition was more expensive and the teachers had the same training), so everyone had space and even accepted mid-year entries.

  

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