I laugh at all the things pre-kid Allena never thought she’d worry about when it came to parenting. Hahahaha, how naive that girl was. Every day I find a new something to laugh at my old self about. Right now? It’s preschool! We’re re-evaluating where our kids are currently enrolled and have spent a lot of time compiling lists for the different preschool options. I wanted to share some of that information in the hopes that it might be helpful!
- Co-op – For us, a co-op is not an option as my husband and I both work outside the home, but it’s something my sister considered for her kids, and I think the concept is really interesting. With a co-op, the parents take on some of the responsibilities of teaching. This enables tuition to be lower, and I think the kids really grasp the importance of education because their parents are involved and taking it seriously too. The All-Austin Nursery Cooperative is a local choice if this concept appeals to you.
- Waldorf – I hesitated including Waldorf on the list because there aren’t too many local options {and most are called ‘Waldorf-inspired’}, but I do like the concept of a Waldorf education – it seems to be a much more nature-based education. Tuition is probably the highest here because it is a private school setting. We have friends enrolling their older daughter at the Good Earth Farm School, and I’m so jealous it’s not a little closer to us.
- Montessori – I sometimes think a Montessori school can get a bad reputation as being ‘weird’. I know I heard that before becoming a parent. What, I think, is so great about a Montessori-based education is that there is no ‘teaching to the test’ which has become so common in our schools today. There is a greater emphasis placed on the fact that all children learn differently and need to be allowed to learn the way that suits them best. Tuition would also likely be higher in this setting. I like this one just outside of Austin as it also offers an education option through 6th grade!
- Childcare Based – This would be the traditional ‘daycare’ setting. A great option for working parents! It’s hard to generalize this type of preschool because they will vary greatly from center to center. This type of setting is where our children are currently enrolled, and I definitely see the learning that happens there every day. But there are also lots of kids in each class, and it sometimes looks more like mad chaos more than a learning environment.
- Public Preschool – For example, Head Start. Best explained from a quote from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: The Head Start program provides grants to local public and private non-profit and for-profit agencies to provide comprehensive child development services to economically disadvantaged children and families, with a special focus on helping preschoolers develop the early reading and math skills they need to be successful in school. Obviously this option isn’t available to all families, but it’s a great program to those who qualify. Here is some more information about Head Start.
So there you have it – your different preschool options!
What do you think is the best preschool and why?
