It is preschool decision time at our house.  The plan is to have Maya to start preschool next fall.  Since her birthday is in November she will be almost 6 when she starts kindergarten so by starting her in preschool next fall, when she is almost 4, that will give her 2 full years of preschool before she starts kindergarten.  Most of the preschools in our area have pretty long waiting lists so we need to get cracking on deciding which one(s) to get her name on.  There are too many options, I don’t know what to do.

I heard that our school district had a booklet of the area preschools so I called them up and had them mail me one.  Would you believe there are 21 preschools within 5 miles of us, 21!  How am I supposed to choose between 21 preschools?  Top on our list is the preschool run through our school district, it comes highly rated and I like the idea that she’ll be starting out with the same teaching/education philosophy that she’ll encounter once she starts kindergarten.  However, I’m also really interested in the Montessori approach but I don’t know a lot about it other than what I’ve read.  Hmm, decisions, decisions.

Our first step is to narrow it down to a 2 or 3 schools and then schedule tours so we can base our final decision on what we think of the teaching philosophy, the environment, the facilities and the teaching/administrative staff.  However, getting to that point is tough.

Here is where you guys come in.  Since this is my first go around with preschool I’m afraid of over looking something, not asking the right questions, etc.  So, I’m turning to you guys for guidance.  Do you prefer traditional or Montessori preschools and why?  What do you love most about the preschool your child is going/went to?  What questions do you think are most important to ask a prospective preschool?  I need your help!