The Search Is On

About a week ago, Tiny and Buba hit the two and a half mark. They were not old enough to start preschool this year (most MA preschools require kids to be two years nine months old), so they’ll be starting school next fall instead. That means that I have to start looking at preschools now. It’s crazy to think that I’m calling places now to try to get spots for my kids for September of 2011, but that’s what several of these schools require.

I’ve actually thought quite a bit about the type of school that I’m looking for. I want a program where they can go two or three days the first year and then four days the next year. So, any place that requires five day a week attendance is out (sadly, I’ll have to exclude our town’s public preschool, which I’ve heard fantastic things about). I also really want a school that is just a preschool and not also a childcare facility. Unfortunately, cost is also a HUGE factor in my search. While the Montessori and Waldorf philosophies are quite appealing to me, the cost of sending two children to one of their local preschools is unbearable under our tight budget.

So, I’ve decided to look mostly at co-op preschools and nonreligious programs that meet in church buildings. These are the ones that seem to meet the criteria I’ve deemed most important. I have a fairly long list of these types of schools in our area but have narrowed the list down to my top four choices. Three of these schools have open houses and/or schedule parent visits and tours in the fall. One has an application deadline of October 1st, another is November 1st, and another is January 1st. The fourth school doesn’t schedule parent visits/tours until January. You can’t get an application until you visit the school, and I’m not sure when their applications are due.

I currently have two school visits scheduled within the next three weeks. Children are not allowed at either of these visits, so I’m also now in search of an occasional babysitter with daytime availability. Tiny and Buba have never been left with a sitter before, and I’m a bit nervous about how it will go. So, I’ve decided to try to find someone who is also interested in working as a mother’s helper and will attend gymnastics class with us as a way to get to know the kids with me still in the picture (not that the class is unmanageable on my own, but the extra set of hands will certainly be helpful). My hope is that this will keep the sitter/helper in our lives on a regular basis, and hopefully make it easier for the kids when I need to have them stay in her care while I shop for preschools. And I suppose, I secretly hope that the kids will love this person so much, that I’ll feel free to call on her when I’d like to spend a morning or two a month on my own.

So, the search is on for a good, affordable preschool and a caring, energetic daytime sitter. Wish me luck!