Schools: It's Never Too Early To Start Thinking About Preschool

When we started preparing for our move from Minneapolis to Mt. Airy about a year ago, I started searching online and making phone calls to find a preschool for our then 3-year-old in hopes that she could slide in somewhere in November to give her some structure and social interaction and help ease the transition to a new city.

I think one preschool staff person actually laughed at me over the phone. 'You want to get her in this year??'

I could get her into daycare, but I was looking for a more traditional two to three mornings a week for enrichment. Evidently, I was a YEAR behind the curve.

I post this now because last night I spoke to the admissions coordinator of the preschool our daughter is starting next week. I told her I was going to give her the paperwork for my son who will be entering in the Fall of 2009. She said that even though she does not officially begin accepting applications until Monday, she already has a handful waiting to be processed!

We had our application in for this fall last September and still ended up on the waiting list, the fourth for three spots. Luckily, there was a lot of movement (as there always seems to be with these 'waiting lists') and we had a spot a couple weeks after the initial letters went out.

If you are looking at sending your child to one of the local preschools next year, I encourage you to contact the schools as soon as possible. The statements from some schools stating that their applications are due by January or February can be a bit deceptive since spots are assigned on a first-come-first-served basis (with preference given to younger siblings and taking race and gender into consideration as needed to maintain diversity within the classroom). While the admissions coordinators don't start accepting kids until Spring, sometimes they already have more applicants than spots by December!

Generally, traditional pre-school begins when children are 3, with some schools taking kids as young as 2 1/2 and some private school Pre-Ks not taking children until they are 4. Each school has their own guidelines, as well as their own philosophy, curriculum, admissions process, and culture. I highly recommend looking around, visiting a couple, and finding the one that fits you, your child, and your family the best.

Good Luck!