Preschool - Saint Paul,MN

Do you have any friends with kids the same age or slightly older? Neighbors, people at church, coworkers, etc? You can ask them what they know or did.

Some preschools are very academic. Some are more play based. Some are all day. Some are just 2 1/2 hous. The number of days each week varies. Many churches have preschools. Sometimes the school districts have PreK, but the type of funding they receive dictakes the criteria for attending.

My son goes to a preschool at the Park Districk (so the cost is about the same as many churches in town). We love it! It is play based, and the teachers are great. One thing I did not consider at the time was that the kids that go to this school will be going to different grade schools. Has I chosen one of the churches in our community, he would be going to Kindergarten with his preschool classmates. Still, he loves his teachers and his friends.

Hmmm, most preschool programs around here are not really affiliated with a certain district. I am in the Centennial District here in Lino Lakes and the district is great. My kids have all gone to a fabulous preschool here in the city and it's affiliated with a local church. I think what's important is to do visits with your child. We visited a few and I knew instantly that my oldest would not mesh well with the teacher. When we found our preschool we just knew it was the right environment for our kids. We have been here for 3 years now and will be there for another 3, all of my kids will be graduates. I know nothing about St. Paul public schools but I have a girlfriend that lives in the city and she says you really have to be picky about what school you pick. Some of the schools are in a sad state of affairs and the district itself is very political. And, enrollment for preschool happens as early as January so you should start looking as spaces fill up very quickly. Good luck!

I think location is important (don't go further than 15min from home).

I only looked at 2 preschools and got a tour from the director--they were both at churches so I knew they would instill positive values (religion or church membership not required). We heard good things about them from people who have gone there (their kids) and were happy. I think referrals are the best way to get a good feel for a place.

My daughter is 3yr and started 2 days/week. It is 9-noon and it is good for her. They do a lot of artsy-crafty stuff that I replicate on off days at home. They do play doh and at circle time they do books and songs. And of course a safe playground! There are no more than 10 kids in her class.

What to look for: To me, socialization was the most important skill for her. And I also value the creativity instilled...that it is not the end product that is important at this stage, but the exploration in how things work that is important for a child's brain development. Academics (learning letters, numbers...) is nice, but low on my priority list for what I expect/looked for in a preschool (and I'm a teacher (HS)!)

*You might check out your local rec centers--I found out ours has a preschool program for a very good price! (Maybe I should have looked into that before enrolling her elsewhere!)

I highly recommend White Bear Montessori School. The school offers programs from infant through third grade. We have two children attending, one age three and the other in first grade. The school is amazing, incredibly effective and affordable! http://www.wbms.org

I'm curious why you want to limit your K-12 school choices to places that have a preschool. Some private schools offer that option but I am not aware of any public schools which do. I chose the preschool for my son based on very different criteria than his elementary and I am sure I will have even different criteria when it is time for middle school.

Your local school district should have a list of licensed preschools in your area. Then think about your child and their personality. Read up on different preschool philosophies (Montessori, Reggio-Emelia, academic based, play based) to see what will fit your child's personality best.

Talk to other parents in your neighborhood to see what they like. I don't judge schools by their test scores. I think it is an unreliable way to assess a school. Make a list of what matters to you in a school. For preschool I wanted DS in a play based environment where they were outside a ton (Dodge Nature Preschool!!!!!) For K the list included: diversity, year round schedule, recess, outdoor time, looping (teachers stay with same students more than one year), differentiated curriculum, science focus (Harambee Elementary fit the list the best...).

It's good you're starting to reasearch programs now. You'll need to enroll early next year and often there are lotteries for placment in these schools. You may even find yourself enrolling at multiple locations to ensure you get a spot somewhere. Schools welcome tours and/or have open houses which I would recommend checking out. You will be able to get a good feel for the environment, philosophy, etc. and can make an informed decision from there based on what's best for your family. Preschool is really about socialization and achieving developmental benchmarks more than curriculum so look for a place that you think your child will have a good experience and begin a love of learning. You will find that fees really depend on the length of the program (day/week, hours/day) more than public vs. private. Good luck!

There are many excellent programs in the Woodbury area:

Woodbury Lutheran Preschool
http://www.woodburylutheran.org/school/

Woodbury Methodist Preschool (Oldest preschool program in Woodbury... since the 1960s)
http://www.woodburyumc.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=50308

St. Ambrose Preschool ECEC (Woodbury)
http://www.saintambroseofwoodbury.org/Education/ecec/ecec...

Lil Angels Preschool at Guradian Angels (Oakdale)
http://www.guardian-angels.org/education/preschool/

ECFE/School Readiness program through the South Washington County School Disctrict 833 (Woodbury)
http://www.cecool.com/Programs.aspx?ID=66