Downers Grove Preschools - the Good the Bad?

I live in DG but am close to the Darien border so my son goes to their park district preschool and ive been happy with it. If thats an option for you, i would check it out. The best part is they have a drop off and pick up where you dont get out of your car. They come to get him out of the car and bring him to the car after class. So, if you have younger children with you, you dont have to get them out of the car and walk into the school. I didnt realize this when i registered him, but since i have a 21 month old, its been really convenient. Besides that, my son loves the school and the teachers are great and he is learning a lot.

My daughter attended "3-School" at the park district She is attending Immanual Lutheran in DG for 3 yr old preschool. My other daughter attended Christ Church of Oak Brook for 3 year old, and Immanual Lutheran for 4 yr old. A friend's daughter went to DGPD for 4 year old. We were both happy with the PD programs. If you would like the church aspect, I completely recommend Immanual, they have a wonderful program. Their open house is on Wed, the 27th, at 7:30 pm. If you don't want the Christian aspect, then stick with the PD, also a good program, and slightly cheaper to.

We looked at teacher/student ratio, lesson materials, hours, price, outside activities (field trips, visitors, etc), discipline to name some things to consider.

Good luck!

Avery Coonley School on Maple has a three year old program and is beginning the process now of screening children for next year. You'll want to contact the admissions office. It is a three day program (MWF) half day. It has a wonderful balance of academic and social components. Good luck with your decisions.

My oldest daughter attended the program at the YMCA for 3 years. they have a 2 year old program there. My youngest is now in the 2 year old program. I've been very happy with them. they work on both age appropriate acedemics and building confident independent kids. once they enter the 3 year old program they include free swim class once a week on Wednesdays. The program director is Linda Girardi and she is wonderful. She's been with the program for a very long time.

I love the experience my son is having at the Grove Preschool through Downers Grove School District 58. He has grown both intellectually and in maturity, and I think the teachers run a really tight--but fun!--ship. They use a curriculum that has been designed for preschool children and they have designed a routine and schedule that the kids acclimate to easily. It is definitely worth looking into, and their application dates begin soon, I think. the website for the school district is http://www.dg58.org, and the Grove Preschool is one of the links on the left side of the screen. Good luck with your search!

I don't have information on Downers Grover preschools, but I do have a little advice. Don't worry too much about registering your son right now. Due to the economy, it seems like pretty much every preschool has space available. I think the days of waiting lists are over for now. Even if there are waiting lists for some schools, they are usually gone by fall.

You should visit as many preschools as it takes to find a good fit for your son. He may be a much different child by September than he is right now (especially with regards to potty training), so if you do enroll him soon, make sure you review the withdrawal policy of the school. Some schools require at least 60 days notice or proof of financial hardship before they will release you of your financial obligation for tuition. I know it is a financial hardship on these schools when parents withdraw their children, but you shouldn't feel trapped by a draconian withdrawal policy if you don't end up liking the school.

There are so many preschools available near you. I'm sure you'll find one that fits your son's needs. Just keep in mind that you don't always get what you pay for. Even an expensive school with a great reputation can be a waste of money if your son doesn't like his teachers. Kids don't learn very well when they're anxious at school. Good luck to you!