Private Pre-k/k

My daughter will start pre-k in the fall. She will be 4.5 when she starts. We did not want to start her before age 4, but I found it was difficult to find a place I liked that had a slot open for a mid-year start. (Her bday is in Feb.)

I registered her early, in Oct, to start next fall, and I think that helped a lot. Otherwise, if the classes are full there really isn't anything you can do.

We picked the school based on what we liked. We visited 5 total, discounted 2 right away because we didn't like them. Ultimately, we went with the one we liked the best. You'll know which is the right one for your child -- go by your instincts and feelings.

Good luck!

My daughter went to Tutor Mouse. They take children from 6 weeks to 5 years old. In the last year before kindergarten they put them in a Pre-K program that is accredited by the state. She ended up missing the last 6 months of it because I lost my job, but she had a big head start on the other kids when she started kindergarten. I know they have openings right now because I just visited the owner last week. She and the teachers became good friends with me.

Our 5 up will start private kindergarten in the fall. She is currently in private pre-K (turned 5 last month). She's been at her preschool since she was an infant. I don't believe it is competitive however existing students at the daycare get first crack at enrolling.

My son started Private Pre K at 4 and will start Private K just after turning 5 this coming fall. We have found that it wasnt competitive at our school at all. The education he is getting is well worth every penny we pay them.

My son attends a Prek program at a church a couple blocks from our house. I love it & he loves it. Competition was not that difficult, but we put his name on the list as soon as they advertised openings. He goes mon,wed,fri 9-12 & we pay $100/month. They have a 4 & 5 yr program.

Our daughter started private pre-k at four. We chose the school because her brother had gone there (and that was on the recommendation of a friend of ours). No competition to get in, although she did get one of the last slots available. We just had to fill out some forms and pay money. I couldn't say for kindergarten, because our kids go to the local public school at that point.

Not all private schools require a major assessment or competition to get in. In fact, many had a hard time of it during the recession when people decided they couldn't afford the expense and pulled their kids out to go to public school instead.