A guide to picking the right preschool for your child
Shopping for a preschool is not exactly like buying a hamburger. But with all of the options available, you may be able to have it your way. Whether you’re looking for a preschool that encourages more parent involvement, one that offers before- and after-school care, or one that provides religious instruction, there’s a preschool out there for your child.

When Ellece Campbell was looking for a preschool for her kids, she of course looked at the school’s curriculum. But most importantly, she looked for a school that would treat them with respect and encourage their differences.

She found the welcoming environment sheWas looking for in Mayfair Co-Op Preschool in Farmington Hills. Campbell is now in her sixth year at the co-op with her third child. She serves as the preschool board president.

COOPERATIVE PRESCHOOLS Cooperative preschools, or co-ops, are preschools that have traditionally required a high level of parent involvement. Parents help in the classroom, serve on the board and are assigned specific tasks or jobs that support the day-to-day running of the classroom. For example, a parent may be asked to take home towels to wash or make Play-Doh at home for the children to use in the classroom.
However, with today’s busy schedules, many co-ops have adapted by relaxing some of their requirements. At Mayfair, parents can choose to opt out of volunteering in the classroom if their schedules do not allow them to do so. In exchange, a little extra is added to their tuition each month, Campbell says.

Even so, she says many parents take a personal day from work here and there, so they can have that experience with their kids.

Sometimes, a grandparent or other relative will step into the volunteer role. Campbell says parents are encouraged to volunteer at their own level.

“Every parent for every position is vital to the running of the preschool,” she says. Campbell’s own position as president has proven to be personally rewarding as well.

“I’ve enjoyed using my business skills to help run the preschool. It keeps my mind working on a different level,” she says.

Because of the high level of parental involvement, the child/adult ratio at Mayfair is about 4-to-1, so parents know their child is getting a lot of attention, Campbell says.

Tuition at Mayfair is on par with similar programs in the area – maybe even a little lower. To keep tuition low, fundraising is required. Campbell says there is a $100 fundraising minimum at Mayfair.

She described the curriculum as an academic program with a play-based approach.

To find a cooperative preschool near you, visit the Greater Detroit Cooperative Nursery Council (GDCNC) Web site at www.gdcnc. org and click on “Our Schools”.

CHILD CARE CENTER PRESCHOOLS Due to long work schedules and commutes, many parents require a full-day program with wrap-around childcare. Childcare centers are often the perfect choice for those families.

The Goddard School for Early Childhood Development serves children from 6-weeksold to 6-years- old and is open from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Kris Bayerl, owner of the Goddard School in Macomb, says its play-based program consists of several learning centers that help children explore their interests and develop social skills.

Learning centers include music, science, math, creative art and dramatic play.

“Our philosophy is that children learn through play,” Bayerl says.

Goddard’s tuition is competitive in the preschool/ early childhood development center market, she says. The school is currently looking into offering scholarships to lower income families.

The Goddard School also has franchises in Canton, Grand Rapids and Lake Orion. For more information, go to www.goddardschool.com. CHURCH-AFFILIATED PRESCHOOLS Like child care centers, church-affiliated preschools vary from program to program as to curriculum and level of parent involvement, as well as the level of religious education introduced into the classroom.

First Steps Preschool is an outreach ministry of the First United Methodist Church of Brighton.
Director Lisa Guise says children at the preschool do not attend chapel or formal religious education classes. However, they do pray before snack, and the pastors do come into the classroom at Christmas time to talk about the birth of Jesus and at Easter time to talk about the Resurrection.

Christian education teachers from the church often come into the classroom to informally interact with the children, and information about Vacation Bible School is passed out prior to the end of the school year for those interested in attending. Guise says teachers also model the Christian way of life, emphasizing values such as showing respect and kindness to one another.

Despite the preschool’s church affiliation, she says children of all faiths are welcome. “It’s not intended to force a religion on people that they may not believe in,” Guise says.
She describes the curriculum as a play- and developmentally-based program. Children are encouraged to develop at their own rate.

For example, the alphabet is introduced, but formal reading instruction is not forced on children who are not ready. Teachers expound on it with kids that are capable of doing more, Guise says.

Like many church-affiliated preschools, First Steps Preschool does not offer beforeand after-care. Morning and afternoon classes, which last a few hours, are available from September to May. The program is two days a week for 3-year-olds and three days a week for 4-year-olds. A junior preschool program is available two days a week for children 30 to 36 months old from January to May. The school also will introduce a summer camp in

2009.

Guise says parental help in the classroom is encouraged but not required, except in the junior preschool class.

She says tuition is comparable to similar programs in Livingston County. A discount is offered for families with multiple children attending the preschool.

MONTESSORI PRESCHOOLS Parents looking into a Montessori preschool may do so with a bigger picture in mind.

Many Montessori schools offer classes from birth through high school.

While Montessori programs may differ slightly from school to school, Sam Myers, admissions director for Go Like the Wind Montessori in Ann Arbor, says, “By and large, Montessori schools have the same core philosophy.” He says one of the hallmarks of a Montessori education is that children learn at their own pace. He says Maria Montessori, the founder of the 102-year-old educational movement, believed that all children have the innate ability to learn, but they learn at different rates.
Myers says children use the equipment at their own developmental level. For example, the infant room is equipped with tiny furniture, things on the floor and mirrors. The toddler room has bigger shelves and tables and a gross motor skills area.

He says children use the materials in a specialized way and repeat the work again and again until they master the concept they are working on.

Myers says Montessori classrooms are always multi-age and are always five days a week. He says to really understand what Montessori is about, one must go experience the classroom.

While parents don’t volunteer in the classroom at Montessori schools, Myers says parents can get involved in a variety of other ways, including the Parent Teacher Services Association. Parents are asked to do 10 hours of volunteer work throughout the school year.

Before- and after-school care varies from school to school. Myers says Go Like the Wind does offer it. Scholarships are also available to those in need.

To find a Montessori school near you, visit the North American Montessori Teachers’ Association’s Web site at www.montessorinamta. org. SCHOOL DISTRICT PRESCHOOLS The children who attend public schoolconducted preschools may get a leg up, says Lisa Gryglak, director of Bloomin’ Tots Preschool operated by the Bloomfield Hills School District.

She says the main advantage of having a preschool affiliated with the local school district is the collaboration between the preschool teachers and kindergarten teachers and the wealth of knowledge that comes with it. She says such a collaboration helps the teachers align the curricula to help prepare kids for kindergarten.

The Bloomfield Hills School District also conducts the Bloomin’ Kids preschool program. Gryglak says Bloomin’ Tots has its own building, while Bloomin’ Kids has space in the elementary schools. Both have the same curriculum, and the teachers and directors also collaborate.

While the programs are managed by the school district, they are tuition-based.

Gryglak says the district can’t spend state funding on anything but K-12 programming.

Gryglak says Bloomin’ Tots and Bloomin’ Kids use the creative curriculum, which works to educate the whole child. She says activities are hands-on and theme-based. She says the subjects include math, science, social studies and literacy. They also work on developing social and emotional skills.

“If that piece isn’t in place, it’s really hard to do anything else,” says Gryglak.

She says there are morning and afternoon classes with wrap-around child care from 6:30

a. m. to 6 p.m. At Bloomin’ Tots, where the child care is offered in the same building, the teacher walks the children to and from their preschool classroom.

Gryglak says both programs encourage parent involvement. Parents may sign up to help in the classroom, and both preschools have Parent-Teacher Organizations that help support the programs.

Call your local elementary school or board of education office to find out if your school district offers a preschool program.