How To Find A Preschool Close to You

First day of preschool 2013

I started Paige off in preschool last year when she was 2.5 years old. That may seem a bit early to some, but I felt like she 1) was  ready for a bit of independence from me, 2) needed to socialize and develop her interpersonal skills, and 3) mama needed a break : ). She went two days a week. This year, I started Deacon in preschool 2 days a week, and Paige is now up to 4 days per week (4 hours each day). They absolutely LOVE it and I am seeing amazing progress in both of them. Plus, it has given me the opportunity to jumpstart my freelance PR business, working 20 hours each week for a brand I am wild about.

But how do you know which preschool to send your child to? We started out at one last year, and then switched to a different one this year. I chose both based on word of mouth and recommendations from other mamas. And recently, I cam across a preschool search engine from Parents.com where you can enter in your city, state or zip and see a comprehensive list of preschools close by. It provides student to teacher ratios, as well as an opportunity for parents to review their experiences. I think this "Preschool Search" tool is invaluable to parents who like to do their own research, see all that is available in their town, and then gauge other mama's experiences at that preschool.
Here is a link to check out the Preschool Search tool on Parents.com: http://preschool.parents.com/

Paige's first day of preschool 2013 - 3.5 years old

Deacon's first day of preschool 2013 - 2 years old