I'm just starting to search for preschools in my area and want to know if anyone knows of any really great ones in the Walled Lake/Commerce Township area. I'm also close to the borders of Novi, Farmington Hills and West Bloomfield as well, so they could probably work too.
Also, how early should I be seriously looking for preschools? My son right now is 1-1/2 years old. Do these preschool usually have waiting lists? Hope you can help! Any tips would be helpful as well! Thanks!
D.
My daughter goes to Ealy in the West Bloomfield school district. They have 3 year old and 4 year old programs.
West Bloomfield can at times be hard to get into. Attached is a link you can hit to find out more.
http://web.westbloomfield.k12.mi.us/ealy/
Hi D.:
I'm sure your child has moved beyond preschool by now, but wanted to respond in case anyone else came across your question. I L-O-V-E Mayfair Co-Op Preschool in Farmington Hills!
The school has four programs: a mom and tot class (for two year olds and a caregiver), a threes class, a fours class and a pre-K class (for older fours not quite ready for kindergarten). Each class has on average 15 spaces available; it's always worth a phone call or email to check to see if the class you're interested in has openings.
All classes are play-based, which is the only way to go with this age group, in my opinion. The teachers are experienced, smart, warm, loving, funny and engaged. I can't say enough about them. We just had parent teacher conferences and their evaluation of my son's development was spot-on.
Parents have the opportunity to get really involved in the school by volunteering inside the classroom on the monthly basis and also holding a 'job' outside of the classroom (super flexible-- you can be president of the board, make the school's playdough, help with book orders, etc.). As a result, this is a really tightly-knit community. I feel really lucky-- and smart-- to have found it!!
My boys went to Lollipop Cooperative Preschool in Walled Lake and we all loved it there. It's a co-op, which means that it is a parent owned school with parent involvement, even in the classroom. The co-op experience allows for the parents to be involved in the classroom twice a month, giving a great start to you child's learning. This allows you to see your child in the school involvement and also gives you the opportunity to get to know all the other children and their parents. The teacher is wonderful and the instruction great. They have a parent-tot class that meets once a week, as well as 3 year and 4 year classes. My grade school son still talks about his preschool teacher.
I remember going through this process last year! There are so many choices! On Tuesday, February 19th there will be a preschool open house at Commerce Library
http://www.commercelibrary.info/?q=children
After attending this last year and visiting 5-6 programs we decided on Milford Cooperative preschool and have been extremely happy!
http://www.milfordpreschool.org/
MCP also has a wonderful parent-tot class so that you can familiarize yourself with the school/teachers before leaving your child in the 3 or 4 year old classes.
Good luck!
A lot of preschools require a child to be potty trained prior to enrolling. I started my daughter off at nursery school when she was almost a year old; she went to Farmington Hills Nursery on Middlebelt between 10 & 11 mile. By the time she was 2 she was potty trained and then she went to TLC Preschool (which is a wonderful, and very reasonably priced preschool) however it is in Livonia and looks like it's out of your area. You might want to call around and ask if being potty trained is a requirement.
What I found with preschools is that there is generally not a wait list for registration, only a wait list after they are full. Usually, they allow previous families to register first and then open enrollment - depending on the popularity of the school sometimes a lottery style drawing. Check out the mom and tot classes that alot of preschools offer for 2 year olds. This is a nice way to introduce them to a school setting and will then be a familiar place when they are 3 and will stay by themselves. I don't know if the Milford area is too far, but Discover Preschool is awesome - we had families come from Commerce, Waterford etc. Open houses will be going on at most schools in February and March so check them out. Good luck!
Hello,
I recommend Lollipop Cooperative Preschool in Walled Lake. In business for approximately 35 years, with the same teacher for the past 25. It is a play-based program which offers classes for 2, 3, and 4 year olds.
If you aren't familiar with how a non-profit co-op works, I'll give you an over-view. The parents basically own/run the school so you are very involved in your child's experience there. You don't just get a note or e-mail from the teacher telling you what your child experienced, you actually get to be there for some of it. Parents usually spend an average of one day per month in the classroom working with the teacher. You get to see their excitement and progress first hand; get to know the other children there and see your child build friendships; get to know the other families. And, tuition rates are notably lower than non-cooperative programs: and that is increasingly important in Michigan's economy.
My kindergartener went there for the 4 year program last year (the first year I was a SAHM). My two year old and I attend the Parent/Tot program now. I will return for two more years with my son. I think its a great program with a wonderful, caring, competent and licensed teacher.
I am on the board there, so if you have any questions, let me know. Or feel free to stop by our booth at the Preschool Information Night at the Commerce Library on Tuesday, Feb 19th from 6-8. You can also visit their website: http://lollipopco-op.com/
Good luck in your search. It's important to find a program that you are happy with.
The Peanut Patch in Walled Lake is great!
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the usually have a waiting list.
I looked into a few and I am going to send my 3yr old to ACS which is West Bloomfield Community schools. It is on the corner of Hiller and Commerce and I am a Wolverine Lake residence. They take 3yr olds days a week, not a lot of the preschools in the area do, they take them only on Tues and Thurs.
You might want to check out Lollipop. It's a co-op so there is lots of parent involvement, it's run by the parents. This is a great way to help keep costs down. My daughter is only 18 months so she doesn't go yet, but I have a friend who sends her two children there and loves it!! It's in Commerce, here's the website so you can check it out...
