[bookgal09]

My husband is stationed in Eglin AFB and I am going there for 5 months with my 4 year old girls. They have been going to a very good preschool in NY and I want to get that same type of education in Florida. I have been looking online and I cannot find any decent places that I like. The schools are either Christian/religious or just buildings/homes with a nonqualified instructor. Forget about the base because the waiting time is months away. I just want to give my kids the same type of learning that they have received, but in Florida.

Can anyone recommend a great preschool with a state regulated curriculum in Shalimar, Fort Walton Beach or Destin?

Thank you.

[BioAdoptMom3]

What kind of program are you looking for exactly? I am a kindergarten teacher who has taught first and Pre-K, all here in FL (not in those areas though). I am going out on a limb here and encouraging you in your search for a "good" pre-school to shy away from those which are highly academic. Just my opinion as an early childhood teacher.

Nancy

[bookgal09]

I am looking for a Kindergarten Readiness program that has a state based curriculum with certified teachers. I would like emphasis on reading/language arts and mathematics, art crafts and music play etc. I would like a Pre-K within a school and not in a home. Definitely clean and safe; everything that you would look for. The school they are in now is part of a wing at a school and that is what I am hoping to find.
I am just looking for a Kindergarten type class, but developed for Preschoolers.

[BioAdoptMom3]

In most districts in FL there are few no Pre-Ks housed within schools due to funding and budget cuts. I used to teach Public Pre-K, but in FL it served only low income families.

I would suggest that while you are looking for those things in a good Pre-K, also make sure they focus on hands on activities and provide lots of opportunities for dramatic and constructive social play. Children learn so much and develop a lot of skills through those types of activities. When I taught Pre-K the children learned, but if we were even caught with a worksheet in our classroom we were considered out of compliance. Kindergarten here is very academic, in my opinion, actually too academic, but in just about any Pre-K program you find here located within a public school you are probably not going to find it to be highly academic, at least not in the terms most of us would consider academic. You will see, or should see a lot of reading aloud, math manipulatives, creative arts, music and movement, hands on science experiments and outdoor and indoor play. The reason is not because they don't know what they should be doing or teaching, but that the focus is on developmentally appropriate curriculum for three and four year olds. Even if that is what you are looking for though, the programs are now going to be hard to find because they are few and far between due to budget cuts. The reason is not because they don't know what they should be doing or teaching, but that the focus is on developmentally appropriate curriculum for three and four year olds. You may be able to find what you are looking for in private Pre-Ks, especially Montessori schools, but unfortunately few of them have certified teachers.

Good luck!

Nancy

[bookgal09]

Thank you so much Nancy for taking the time out to answer my question. You gave me a lot of information that I am thinking about.

Thank you,

L

[beachmouse]

It's in Niceville, but I'd call the Mary Lou O'Connor Child Development Center at NWFSC and see if they've got any community spaces available. ( 850-729-6081) Would also look at La Petite, which seems to have a couple of centers around here,