What Type Of Preschool Fits your Family

Know the options to help find the best fit for your family

- Julia Pelly

It’s no secret that securing a preschool spot in Charlotte can be challenging. With fewer available spots than children who want or need to enroll, waitlists at some Charlotte preschools can stretch beyond the two-year mark. While long waitlists and preschool talk among parents can lead to a lot of stress, the process of searching for the right preschool can be an exciting venture for families as they begin to think deeply about the sort of educational experience they want their child to have.

Whether they feel more stressed or excited, parents who are beginning their preschool search often report feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of preschools in the area and the wide range of philosophies and environments they offer. By answering a few key questions about what they want and need in a preschool, parents can opt out of the preschool-choice anxiety that is prevalent in many social circles and spend their time and energy interviewing and touring at the handful of schools that will meet the needs of their family. In order to narrow down their options, parents should ask themselves three questions before they begin their search:

• How important is full-time care versus part-time care?

• How important is the location of the school?

• What sort of philosophy most closely mirrors the parenting philosophy used at home?

Most parents can easily answer the first two questions but unless they have a background in early childhood education, many parents aren’t able to articulate the major priorities and differences between the countless options available in Charlotte.

As you begin your preschool search, take a peek at the round up of different early childhood educational philosophies found in preschools in Charlotte.

MONTESSORI