https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 19 Apr 2026 06:49:35 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2540388 Wed, 04 May 2016 04:22:15 +0000 SugarplumsMom 2540388@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>From your list: facilities, location, philosophy, ratio - in that order. </p> <p>Facilities, location and quality of staff tops my list. As long as the teachers care about the kids, everything else is a plus. What I really like about our preschool is that they're attached to the main elementary school. Her school was awarded for its quality of homemade food and when DD first started, she had a lot of food allergies. They serve full meals (packing a lunch isn't allowed) but I never had to worry because they totally accomated for her allergies. I also really like the idea that she'll be growing up in the same school. The location is beside a forest and nature reserve, so being out in the woods is part of the curriculum - I love that! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2540363 Tue, 03 May 2016 23:32:44 +0000 Woolly Mammoth 2540363@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wanted a play-based school where the kids choose their own activities and have long stretches of uninterrupted playtime, preferably outside as much as possible. </p> <p>I'm a SAHM, so we do a cooperative school. It keeps the cost down, I get a social life out of it, and I really know what he does there. Plus, there's a parent education program, so I always have someone to talk to when I need advice. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2540295 Tue, 03 May 2016 20:58:09 +0000 808love 2540295@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@HILSY85: At 2 she was doing letters work that took like 2 minutes and a reading log. It trained the parents, more than the kids to get organized and get something done. At 3 she was working on writing letters, numbers and some parent projects. At 4 they have more reading, writing and math -patterns, comparisons, logic, connect the dots, science connections. I'm thinking most preschools would probably do this at 4, whether they call themselves academic or not. Nothing huge but still don't fret academic. It's all stuff LO probably will get from tv or you anyway! :) I like helping with anything academic as it is my strength. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2540190 Tue, 03 May 2016 18:47:18 +0000 hilsy85 2540190@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MamaCate: His current program is NAEYC accredited but there aren't many in our new city--and honestly, I'm surprised that many of the ones we're looking at aren't! Especially the ones that have excellent word of mouth reputations. And that sounds very much like a "lesson" my LO's current school would do :) </p> <p>@Torchwood: love Reggio schools! Probably my fave "philosphy"</p> <p>@erinpye: so important to find what works for each individual child!! Just out of curiosity, why did the reggio one not work? was it not individualized enough?</p> <p>@808love: how old is she and what kind of academics are they doing?</p> <p>@Pirouette: I think that is super important actually. The issue is that I don't know if we'll be in this city in 2 years, when he would start K, and if we are, I don't know that we'll be living in this area/by this zoned school. Basically too much is up in the air to decide on a forever spot. but before we decided to move, being in an area where many kids went to the zoned school was really important to me!</p> <p>@Happygal: ha I am so used to the whole wait list situation, that it kind of freaks me out/worries me when a school just has openings right away. I start thinking that something must be wrong :silly: We are ok spending a lot on school but I am struggling with whether it is "worth it", or if a less expensive option is just as good, or at least adequate. </p> <p>@gingerbebe: low turnover is great! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2539857 Tue, 03 May 2016 13:19:07 +0000 gingerbebe 2539857@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Practically, we wanted a place close to our home with programming starting from age 2 and a childcare component so that our younger child could go to the same place as an infant. The place we found is on the grounds of a historic church near our house and meets those requirements.</p> <p>A lot of why this preschool worked for us is that while its play-based, they don't push a certain philosophy or method while providing a good amount of daily structure and routine. Plus the integration of religious components in the day, like praying before meals, which we do at home, was important to us.</p> <p>I'm less concerned about what DS is "learning" and care more about him feeling secure and comfortable enough to explore the world within safe, predictable confines. My son is introverted and thinks and plays sort of atypically - even our daycare caretakers have noticed. He's very observant, polite to other kids, but sorta does his own thing. He's very determined and insists on playing toys in totally weird ways, but gets a lot of security from the same daily schedule and seeing the same faces. If he's got that, he's the happiest kid in the world.</p> <p>The place we picked is a smaller school and has had the same director for 13 years. The 2 year old class has had the same teacher for 8 years (who is also the assistant director), they have 2 floating aids between the 2 year old and 3 year old classrooms, and it goes all the way to pre-K. The state licenses up to 12 kids per class, but the 2 year old room is small so it can only legally accommodate 11. The teacher said they typically try not to have more than 10 in the class and probably more like 8-9 if they have a child with special needs. When we visited, all the teachers were super relaxed, they knew all the names of the kids, even those in different classes or ages, the facility was clean and bright, and it just felt comfortable to us. The infant room also has had the same lead teacher for 8 years, so that was a plus.</p> <p>The only minus is that you have to bring your own lunch from home. The preschool associated with the private Christian K-12 we want to send our kids to provides lunch but it doesn't start until age 3 and you have to be potty trained. So I think right now, we'll send our kids to the first school and then we'll move DS2 to the other preschool once he's 3. DS1 will already be in kindergarten at that point so we'll have to shuttle to 2 different schools anyway. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2539724 Tue, 03 May 2016 12:09:28 +0000 Happygal 2539724@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Cost. There are some crazy expensive schools where tuition alone will immediately cross it off the list. The idea of long wait lists and things like that stress me out, so I probably will avoid schools with that type of situation.</p> <p>Location/schedule--close enough so I can drop her off and get an errand or two done without having to turn right back around.</p> <p>Appropriate balance between play and learning with hands-on activities. Basically like what @MamaCate: shared. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2539688 Tue, 03 May 2016 11:25:36 +0000 Pirouette 2539688@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Maybe I under-thought this whole thing, but we moved to our "forever" home and are in the school district where LO will start kindergarten, so the most important factor to me was that she'd be with the kids she was going to start kindergarten with. So I chose the preschool that most kids from her school district go to. I thought it would be nice for her to have some continuity with kids and make some friends that she would be in class with for years.</p> <p>That said, that particular school ticked off all the other boxes - close by, great vibe from the open house, teachers seemed very warm and knowledgeable, and flexible regarding how many days. so i only looked at one school! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2539669 Tue, 03 May 2016 11:11:14 +0000 808love 2539669@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@erinpye: that's awesome you didn't give up and found her fit! Some kids just love to learn real world stuff at this age! </p> <p>I'm glad I went with an academic preschool. They always have time for play at home and my daughter ends up playing all afternoon at school while doing academics in the morning. It is a good balance. My daughter is definitely ready for kindergarten because of it and it didn't feel like daycare. I forgot to mention that I really appreciate LO is getting a faith based education at preschool as well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2539654 Tue, 03 May 2016 10:53:43 +0000 erinpye 2539654@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I thought it was play. But then, my daughter hated 2 preschools, one very crunchy Reggio based, one stricter Catholic school Montessori based, both focused more on play and less on academics. What she needed was a school that kept her interest, did lots of different things rather than the same routine every day, and allowed her to follow her interests as deeply as she wanted to go. She also needed to be with peers who were also early at reading and writing, so that she got to do it. She is now in a school like that, and went from crying, refusing to go, and making herself sick, to absolutely loving school, asking to go every day, and coming home energized. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2539407 Tue, 03 May 2016 00:53:48 +0000 lemondrop 2539407@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nothing fancy, just social play, caring staff, and no more than a 15 minute drive. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2539369 Mon, 02 May 2016 22:01:54 +0000 808love 2539369@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Good relationships with parents, great with kids, affordable, excellent communcation, academic (yes, I value this!), early childhood degrees and accredited. This is not what I chose but this is my ideal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2539349 Mon, 02 May 2016 21:35:16 +0000 Torchwood 2539349@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Play. That is basically the number one priority. Anything that focuses on academics will get vetoed. I'm also a SAHM, and we've talked about part time preschool, but I'm not too sure. I did find a Reggio one I would consider. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2539333 Mon, 02 May 2016 21:19:02 +0000 MamaCate 2539333@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hilsy85: I work in early childhood mental health so I wanted to chime in. I think that a "learning rich environment" is crucial for preschool but it should also be play based. We think of young children's play as their "work". My LO is 4 and has been at the same center since she was a baby. They are very play based but she also has learned a ton. </p> <p>As an example of how they do play and learning, every two weeks they have a new letter that is the "theme". Right now they are on S. So they made superhero capes and talked about what kind of super powers they would have to help others, and they are playing "store". This is fun but incorporates social lessons (helping others) and math, early literacy, etc.</p> <p>The other big thing young kids need are relationships so that is why I think the staff/attitude is so key. I would suggest the NAEYC (national associated for the education of young children) site to look for accredited programs as another resource:<br /> <a href="http://families.naeyc.org/find-quality-child-care" rel="nofollow">http://families.naeyc.org/find-quality-child-care</a></p> <p>ETA: didn't mean to write you a novel!! :silly: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2539330 Mon, 02 May 2016 21:16:24 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2539330@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I want pre-school to be fun. Lots of play time and learning through exploration and experimentation. The daycares we are looking at have what appears to be strong STEM focused curriculum as the children get older. The fact the teachers have early education backgrounds hopefully means they will make learning fun. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2539321 Mon, 02 May 2016 21:04:39 +0000 SweetiePie 2539321@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hilsy85: ah that's right! I forgot you're in NYC. I'm from a small suburb in PA and I am so baffled by the hubbub around preschool in NYC. Like, people are so competitive and some preschools boast preparation for Ivy League schools. Huh? My kid still poops his pants, I'm not worried about college yet :silly:<br /> So I really just researched schools in walking distance and visited the ones I thought sounded solid but not snooty.<br /> We do plan on moving to the suburbs around kindergarten and doing public school, so I'm probably not worried about it for that reason. A lot of friends and acquaintances plan on staying in NYC for life so they are really concerned about the preschool flowing into k-12...which I guess I can understand. But still...its preschool people! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2539272 Mon, 02 May 2016 19:50:58 +0000 hilsy85 2539272@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lamariniere: yes attitude is so important. There were two directors I met with that I really liked, and one that I just got an off vibe from. </p> <p>@T.H.O.U.: honestly, I LOVE everything about his current place--only thing I would change is putting him in a morning program, but that will be a given with his new school. I am also sad about leaving so I'm sure that is playing into my difficulty finding a new school. I agree its nice to have extra stuff--at his school now they do music, library, yoga on rainy days...and they have the best playground in the neighborhood, in addition to a big gym for bad weather. @looch: ha that sounds great but don't know if we could find exposure to animals in a big city :) maybe like a petting zoo!</p> <p>@Silva: @oliviaoblivia: play focus is super important to me--but at the same time I am having a tough time differentiating between a play focused preschool and a daycare. Some of the places I"m looking at are just preschools (like what we are in now) and some are daycares/preschools. </p> <p>@skipra: ha stinkiness would be a deal breaker for me too!!!</p> <p>@travelgirl1: hm I agree that playing is super important and I know socialization is the most important at this age, but I feel like a preschool does that in a learning-rich environment, which is what I want. Versus just like group babysitting or something. </p> <p>@Mrs Green Grass: yeah I usually like a more eclectic approach, but the really good preschools in our new area seem to be Montessori, which is a bit more structured that I am used to.<br /> @SweetiePie: ha I am moving from NYC so I think that whole crazy preschool mentality is playing into my decision for sure. I am probably way over thinking it. And yes, walkable is one of the top 3 considerations for sure. Don't want to take public transportation to get there!</p> <p>@Ms maths: so maybe this is the difference between day care and preschool? Where LO is now, all the teachers have at least a BA in early childhood ed and the majority have MA or are working toward them. At some of the schools I toured in our new area, there did not at all seem to be an importance placed on this. I was kind of surprised, because I tend to feel similarly to you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2539246 Mon, 02 May 2016 19:16:35 +0000 Ms maths 2539246@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>One thing that I have found surprisingly valuable: having well-educated/highly-trained teachers. When we first started looking for daycare/schools, I thought that a lot of training wasn't that necessary for caring for young children. But we ended up at a place where the teachers _do_ have a lot of training. Many have undergraduate or graduate degrees in fields related to early child development, and they have regular professional development. </p> <p>They aren't bookish about it, but they clearly draw on their background regularly to structure the classroom environment, to frame their observations of the kids, and to guide their interactions with the children. They're also thoughtful people who love children and have lots of experience, which comes through in all of their work. But I think their education really adds to what they do. It's amazing the knowledge and insight they bring to their work, and I feel like it's opened my eyes to early childhood development. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2539137 Mon, 02 May 2016 15:54:02 +0000 youboots 2539137@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm happy with her daycare and they have a preschool (it's a private K-8). I've sat in with the preschool to observe. Mostly it's easy. We will have a second and it will be nice to take both kids to the same place. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2539113 Mon, 02 May 2016 15:31:15 +0000 SweetiePie 2539113@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Walkable and staff. That's really it for me. It's preschool, I'm not too worried yet about curriculum or teaching philosophies. But that's very big where I live now, and it's weird to me since I didn't even go to preschool. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2539097 Mon, 02 May 2016 15:17:16 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 2539097@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Play focus<br /> No computers<br /> No strict philosophy (i.e. Embrace many)<br /> Dedicated staff...low turnover<br /> "Gut feel" </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2539057 Mon, 02 May 2016 14:43:48 +0000 BananaPancakes 2539057@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Play-based learning with teachers who adore their job and the kids. Also, I love that our school is so small (120 kids), so every single teacher knows every single student. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2539008 Mon, 02 May 2016 13:52:52 +0000 Kemma 2539008@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Like others have already said, lots of outdoors time and a focus on play! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2538928 Mon, 02 May 2016 12:59:30 +0000 travelgirl1 2538928@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>A good attitude from the staff was a big one for me. Lots of outdoor time and play. I actually didn't care about the learning, I just wanted her to be able to play and make new friends. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2538903 Mon, 02 May 2016 12:39:22 +0000 skipra 2538903@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We recently went through this decision. I feel like due to our family there was an obvious choice but I know one of my friends really struggled with it. </p> <p>The most important thing for us was the option to choose which days to send LO. LO1 and LO2 will only be one year apart and most programs are MWF for the older child and TTH for the younger child which I absolutely wanted to avoid at all costs. Once we ruled out those schools I think we had like 3 options - one of which was way out of our price range. I did struggle a little between the two acceptable options but the deciding factor was that one school just smelled really bad inside. It had a lot of pros over the school we went with but the hygiene factor was major. Plus I really love the staff at the school we did choose. I didn't get a bad feeling from the other one but just a really wonderful feeling from the one we chose.<br /> Other factors we took into consideration, but ultimately were not deal breakers included ratios, teachers educations, co-op requirements, outdoor playtime, building security. While I think all of those are very important, I just couldn't get on board with my kids sitting in a stench filled room for hours of the day! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2538796 Mon, 02 May 2016 11:05:47 +0000 Periwinkle 2538796@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are going through this exact same situation right now and it's been hard for me to narrow down what we really wanted. LO has been at an amazing nursery school this year but it was not without some issues... the school is very unique (it's a nature-based preschool and a bit on the "crunchy" side) but had a tough time getting its administrative "act" together this year. Also, it's a bit of a hike to get there and the prices also increased more than we expected for next year, so we are looking elsewhere.</p> <p>We found a program which we like a lot but we will certainly miss many things about our current school:</p> <p>- Warm and friendly teachers: I feel like they really, truly know our son and his strengths and interests.<br /> - The time outdoors: This is a nature-based preschool and most days are outside for at least 3/4 the day.<br /> - Multi-age program: While the classes are grouped by age, many of the activities are all-school activities and it's actually been good furor son to be around the older and younger children.<br /> - Enrichment: Since we take advantage of the full day program, he is involved in a ton of activities during the afternoon, like music, soccer, additional art, and yoga.</p> <p>We are hoping to add the following in next year:</p> <p>- More flexible schedule: We both work FT and have found that we really, really need a program that is not on the school calendar. We thought it would be no big deal, but it was pretty tough at times accommodating the many days off this year while still paying full fare those months.<br /> - Lunch included: I know this sounds strange, but many of the schools we've looked at include a lunch program at no additional fee. Obviously this is not something we want from an "academic" side but I think this will make our lives easier and reduce some stress.<br /> - Closer location: We loved our current school because it was not a cookie-cutter school, but we paid the price in the time it took to get there. As we near the end of the school year, we're just exhausted!<br /> - Larger group of children: We loved the small group of children this year as our son really got to know his classmates, but we are looking forward to LO getting to know more children as this will be more representative of his future school experiences, we think.<br /> - Play-based philosophy: We are not as interested in the "academics" of the program, especially since LO will have two more years before kindergarten.</p> <p>It's so hard to find the "perfect" school, but I think if you have a starting place (exactly like what @T.H.O.U.: said), it may be easier to figure out what will work/what won't work for you. Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2538794 Mon, 02 May 2016 11:05:17 +0000 Silva 2538794@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Lots of Outdoor time in natural settings<br /> Low staff turnover<br /> Focus on play and socialization, not academics</p> <p>Eta: small program size and getting good vibes form the staff were important to us, too, when we were deciding! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2538759 Mon, 02 May 2016 10:39:52 +0000 oliviaoblivia 2538759@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wanted a teaching style that was more play focused, a stable staff that seemed dedicated to early learning, and some where walkable from home. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2538743 Mon, 02 May 2016 10:26:10 +0000 looch 2538743@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wanted my son to have an experience for preschool that was different than traditional school. I wanted as much outdoor time as possible, with access to nature trails, animals, etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2538738 Mon, 02 May 2016 10:23:59 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2538738@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree that staff turnover/attitude has a huge impact. </p> <p>I would think about what you like/dont like about your current place and then go from there. </p> <p>A few things we like about where they are now:<br /> - Extracurricular - Chapel once a week where they do skits, music man comes once a week for song time, good playground (and a gym for rainy days), extra fee based things like ballet.<br /> - Lunch room so they get out of the classroom often<br /> - Good ratio (2 teachers plus a floater)<br /> - move up cycle annually. </p> <p>What I wish for:<br /> - More toy/book rotation. At the end of the year, she's bored with what they have in the room. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-is-important-to-you-in-a-preschool#post-2538732 Mon, 02 May 2016 10:18:59 +0000 lamariniere 2538732@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Honestly, the most important thing to me is the staff's attitude. We've had two experiences. The first was Montessori, but the educators left me lukewarm. Now we're just in a regular, play based center and you can really tell that the teachers love their job and truly care about the children. </p>