RESOURCES
The books, websites, and organizations listed below are great sources of additional information about choosing a preschool and the preschool admissions process. They are a small sampling of the sites mentioned in How to Choose the Best Preschool for Your Child: The Ultimate Guide to Finding, Getting Info and Preparing for Nursery School. If you live in NYC or San Francisco, check out the site’s New York City Preschool Resources and San Francisco Preschool Resources pages.
FINDING A PRESCHOOL
www.savvysource.com - Savvy Source is an online directory of preschools, with in-depth profiles of preschools in some metropolitan areas such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Dallas and Seattle.
www.greatschools.org – GreatSchools features an online search tool for preschools and K-12 schools, as well as parent reviews and community boards.
http://maps.google.com/ – To find the preschools nearest to you, simply type your address into Google Maps, click on “search nearby,” and type in “preschool.”
www.rightchoiceforkids.org or www.naeyc.org – Learn more about National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation, get information on what makes a high quality preschool program, and search for NAEYC-accredited preschools.
www.childcareaware.org - Child Care Aware© is a program of the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA). On this site you can find out how to contact your local Child Care Resource & Referral Agency, which will help you locate daycare and preschool programs in your area.
www.nieer.org - The National Institute for Early Education Research publishes an annual State Preschool Yearbook, where you can look to see if public pre-K is available in your state and check out the eligibility requirements.
www.gocitykids.com, www.yelp.com - These websites may not list every preschool in your city, but they contain parent reviews that may be helpful to read.
PRESCHOOL PHILOSOPHIES
Preschool Philosophies: What Are They? (GreatSchools)
Montessori – International Montessori Index, Association Montessori International (AMI), American Montessori Society (AMS), North American Montessori Teachers Association (NAMTA)
Reggio Emilia – North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA), Innovative Teacher Project (Reggio Emilia)
Association of Waldorf Schools of North America
Cooperative – California Council of Parent Participation Nursery Schools (co-op preschools)
PRESCHOOL ARTICLES
About.com’s Choosing the Right Preschool for Your Child
CBS’ Early Show’s Scenes from the Pre-K Admissions War Zone (9/27/09)
The Daily Beast’s Private School Parents Confess (2/11/09)
Wall Street Journal’s It’s Not That Kids Need Preschool — But It Can Help (1/21/09)
Slate’s The Getting-Into-Preschool Puzzle (3/15/07).
New York Times’ The Real Value of Public Preschool (12/7/06)
See more articles.
PREPARING FOR PRESCHOOL
Parents.com - articles on preparing for preschool from Parents magazine
What Your Preschooler Needs to Know: Get Ready for Kindergarten (Core Knowledge)
Practical Wisdom for Parents: Raising Self-Confident Children in the Preschool Years (Vintage)