Seeking Preschool in Southwest Minneapolis

I have my twins at Hope Preschool in Richfield, it's on 72nd and Portland. I had my oldest son there as well, and they are fantastic! Everyone who works there is great with children, and I know that they have had a few children with food allergies and are more than happy to give them their own snacks when it's snack time. The director's name is Nancee Erickson, and their number is ###-###-####. The website is www.hope-pc.org/preschool if you want to take a look at it, and they have really reasonable rates. They are a part time preschool, 9-11:30 or 12:30-3, but if you need additional childcare they do have afterschool care available. Let me know if you have any questions!

My son turned 4 this September and has been going to Mayflower Preschool. He LOVES IT! He also has food allergies and they have been just great. They are a completely nut-free facility and are very conscientious about other allergies (my son is allergic to all dairy and eggs along with peanuts). They have a Hi-Five program and are starting to accept applications Jan.7th. Call and talk to Dolly (you can find them on the web) the director. If you decide to go there and you know a current family, they get a referral bonus too.

Good luck!

You might want to check out Step by Step Montessori that is off of 66th street near Southdale mall in Edina. We live just off of 50th & Nicollet and it's conveniently a minute off of Hwy 62.

The whole facility is nut free and VERY accommodating to special needs of kids with allergies. I've been there during snack time and a number of kids have their special foods/drinks. The teachers are good about watching closely what the kids eat and also not making them feel bad about having something different than other kids. They clearly have protocols setup to handle allergies and the teachers/director keep an Epi-pen on hand just in case a reaction occurs.

Their Montessori program is top notch and tuition includes music and Spanish or French lessons. The teachers are the best we've experienced at a preschool and are well trained. Turnover of staff has been a lot lower than the first pre-school my daughter went to.

I've also heard that Sunshine Montessori on 46th street is good and a couple neighbors have gone to Concey's on Nicollet but I'm not sure about their approach to allergies.

We have also had a very positive experience at Mayflower.

My son goes to preschool at the Edina Family Center on about 58th and Hwy 100 and we love it there! Others I looked into in SW mpls that I liked were Lake Harriet United Methodist (50th and Chowen), Judson (40th and Harriet), and St.John's (49th and Nicollet). Also, here is a website to check out for Mpls pre-k info...
http://schoolchoice.mpls.k12.mn.us/Pre-K_Programs.html

When we moved to Minneapolis 18 months ago, I went through the same thing. I live in the same area as you and I can let you know what I found. My daughter did Hi-5 at Lyndale. That is the MSP public school pre-K. It is done on a lottery. You can find out application deadlines and which schools are offering the program this year at the MSP public school website. It can be a little hard to navigate sometimes, but it has all the info. The applications are probably due soon, so if you want to consider that, you should check it asap. As far as private and in the area, Mayflower on Diamond Lake Road has a good program. We were on the wait list there before getting into hi-5. I've heard good things about Judson(I think around 43rd?) and there is also Lake Country. Of the three, Lake Country Montessori is the most expensive, so that might also be a consideration. Hope this helps. Happy New Year.
D. K

Hi M.,

My three children have, do and will attend Mayflower Preschool at 35W and Diamond Lake Road. It is located in Mayflower Church, but is not a faith based program. Last year my daughter was in a class with a child with severe peanut allergies. The entire school is peanut free and the Director, Dolly Hinze, is really great about working with families' special needs as are the individual teachers. They really understand the serious nature of allergies the need to follow strict guidelines. Enrollment for next year has begun. Dolly can be reached at ###-###-#### to schedule a visit. Also, I am a member of the Parent Advisory Council for ECFE and this fall coordinated a preschool fair. I still have the materials and if you'd like, I can send you some contact info for other SW Mpls schools. Good luck and welcome to the area! S.

There are a lot of good programs. Southwest Montessori ishighly recommended at 50th and Washburn. ###-###-####. Also Sunshine Montessori on 46th and about Colfax. Don't have their number off the top of my head. Both are difficult to get into but have open houses in the late winter, early spring. The Minneapolis schools has a pre K program and probably something for preschool as well. Call the main district office to inquire ###-###-####. If you Google southwest Mpls preschool programs you also might get more ideas. Fraser has a good program too. There are many. Good luck.

First off, call the school district and find out about High Five, the public school preschool program. It is an excellent program, and there are sites at Whittier, Jefferson, Lyndale, and perhaps some other southwest sites. The deadline for applying is coming up soon.

High Five is harder to get into these days unless you are lower income, so you could also check out the Fours Explore program at Kenny, which replaced a former High Five site. However, I've heard mixed things about it.

I've heard very good things about Judson preschool (Kingfield) and Grace Nursery School (Uptown). If you're looking for daycare, one of the best is Child Garden Montessori, with two sites near Loring Park.

Hi M.,

I live in SW MInneapolis as well and have two boys, almost 6 and 4. I have had experience with both the Edina Public Schools Pre-school (Edina ECFE) and Lake Harriet UM Preschool.

The phone number for Lake Harriet UM Preschool is ###-###-####. The address is 4901 Chowen Avenue South 55410.

My 4 year old is currently enrolled at Lake Harriet. He attends the afternoon session from 12:30-3PM on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. They have morning and afternoon options.

They are a private school so do not adhere as strictly to food guidelines as the public schools. However, a boy attends school with a peanut allergy and they do make sure to bring snacks that are peanut free.

The class sizes are small. My 4 year old has 10 kids in his class, including him.

The Edina ECFE program is fantastic and worth your time to check it out. They are peanut free and I think would work with your son and his food allergies. They also have more flexibility as far as days and time for school.

The phone number for the Edina Family Center is ###-###-####. The address is 5701 Normandale Road Edina MN 55424.

I hope that helps. Good luck!!