Remember the Modern Family episode where Cam and Mitchell start thinking about preschool for Lily?  At first they don’t even want her to go at all.  Then, they become obsessed about getting her into the best preschool in their area.  It culminates with Cam acting ridiculously (doing a horrible stereotype of an American Indian), to out-compete a lesbian/disabled couple for the coveted spot in the school.  Needless to say, it doesn’t work out so well!

We’ve been thinking about preschool since before Little Jacks was born… not because we’re all competitive and uber-concerned about getting her ready for Harvard, but because our preschool times hold some of our best memories as children and we want that for Little Jacks as well.  I went to a Montessori school, so initially I thought, “Well, that’s where we should send Little Jacks.”  I started doing some research and found that there are a lot of different preschool options out there.  We didn’t want to limit ourselves, so we did some investigation. I thought I’d share some of what I found with you.  Let me preface this by saying that at times it can be challenging to wade through the academic terminology to understand the differences between the various programs.

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Montessori:

The Montessori philosophy was developed by Maria Montessori, who was the first female physician in Italy.  She was charged with taking care of children in an asylum in Rome.  Through her careful observations and tailoring the teaching to the children’s needs, she had great success.  This was recognized throughout Italy as the Montessori method.  The method is quite detailed and I encourage you to read more about it because it is really cool, but I’ll try to summarize a little.  This is a model of human development that recognizes that children and developing adults engage in psychological self-construction by means of interaction with their environments. Second, children, especially under the age of six, have an innate path of psychological development.  Montessori capitalized on this by having a prepared environment for children that allows for these activities.  In Montessori method, “play is the child’s work.”  There is an emphasis on independence, social interaction, and self directed learning at the child’s own pace.  Montessori classrooms provide a safe place for exploration and Montessori teachers are well trained in facilitating this development, all while taking meticulous notes and observations on each child’s progress.

Next we looked into Reggio Emilia (which I didn’t even know existed until we started looking at preschools).  What is it with the Italians and great educational programs!?

Reggio Emilia was started by Lorris Malaguzzi just after World War II.  The program is based on the principles of respect, responsibility, and community through exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching environment, based on the interests of the children through a self-guided curriculum.  To be a true Reggio Emilia school, there needs to be full community participation… so needless to say that could be a challenge in the US.  However, there are Reggio Emilia inspired schools here.  Self-directed learning is the norm in this system, so the curriculum is driven by student interest at the time.  If the kids are in to water, that’s what they’ll explore until they are ready to move on.  You can read more about Reggio Emilia here.

Waldorf Schools.  I have some experience with Waldorf because I have a nephew who is thriving in a Waldorf program.  Waldorf preschool programs emphasize play and experience, while in later grades Waldorf emphasizes artistic and creative development.  Reading and writing are not introduced until around 7 years of age, and the curriculum depends on strong parent reinforcement within the home.  Instead a love of oral language and listening is instilled so that the child is excited to read.  Waldorf kids are discouraged from using electronic media in the home.  Textbooks are not a part of the curriculum until 5th grade.  Standardized testing is kept to a minimum.  Plenty of studies have been conducted regarding the success of Waldorf, and it seems to hold up well in tests comparing it to other methods.  One study said that Waldorf educated kids have a slight preference for liberal arts over science in college, but otherwise similar outcomes.  For a busy hands-on kid, this could be a great choice.  You can read more about Waldorf schooling here.

Play-based preschools:  These are child-centered programs that focus on children learning through play and interaction with other children and their environment.  This is a very common preschool style in the US, and elements of play-based preschool can be found in most local community preschools.

Co-op preschools: Co-op is great for parents who want lots of input in their children’s education and have lots of time to contribute to the school.  Co-ops are parent driven and are typically more affordable than some of the other options.  Each co-op can range from completely play-based to more academic, depending on the input of those running the program.  This is a great way to have a lot of control over the education your child receives, but also requires a lot of dedication and skill in working well with other parents.

Religious preschool:  These are schools run by your religious organization of choice.  They typically emphasize social and religious education, and may contain varying amounts of academic content.  They vary widely, so you are definitely going to want to visit and get a feel for whether a particular program is right for your child.

Academic preschool:  These are the types of preschools we think of when we hear talk of getting our children into “the best” preschool.  These programs focus on kindergarten readiness including reading, math and writing skills.  They typically have a more structured environment and structured curriculum than some of the other programs we’ve mentioned.

You might want to do a little preliminary investigation of the schools you like while your child is still an infant if you live in a large metro area like New York City, San Francisco Bay Area or Chicago, as many of these areas have long waiting lists for spots in some programs.  A friend in San Francisco actually just ran into this issue, and her child is only a couple of months old!

We used some of the online resources for guidance, including some “how to find the right preschool for your child” sites.  We ended up looking at a number of different local programs including Montessori, Reggio Emilia, JCC (religious), Co-op, academic and a theme based preschool (dance and arts focused).  We tried to envision Little Jacks in each different environment to see where she’d blossom.  We went to information nights and then visited classrooms in action.  As soon as we had our classroom visits with Little Jacks, we knew one program stood out among the rest for her.  Usually she is fairly quiet and observant in new situations, but she immediately felt comfortable with both the teachers and the classrooms in our local Montessori school. Like mother like daughter!  It’s further from home than all the other programs, but we were so convinced that it was the right environment for her, that we were willing to make it work.

When we met with the administrator, I threatened to reference the Modern Family episode… but in the end I decided to behave myself in the interest of Little Jacks!

What considerations do you have in looking for preschools?  Are there any other major types of programs that I’ve missed in my discussion that you can teach us about?

Hellobee Series: Mrs. Jacks part 2 of 12

1. Attachment Parenting: One strategy by Mrs. Jacks
2. School is now in session! by Mrs. Jacks
3. Babywearing 101: Inward or outward facing? by Mrs. Jacks
4. My baby's head is flat! What's the deal with plagiocephaly? by Mrs. Jacks
5. Responsible media viewing by Mrs. Jacks
6. What to do when your baby goes on bottle strike by Mrs. Jacks
7. Birth plans: the other side of the story by Mrs. Jacks
8. Beyond colic: milk/soy protein intolerance by Mrs. Jacks
9. Cracking the code on toddler tantrums by Mrs. Jacks
10. Talking with children about race by Mrs. Jacks
11. Toddler eating habits cause parental grey hair by Mrs. Jacks
12. A warm winter treat by Mrs. Jacks