Pre schools in Chapel Hill? Help! (Durham, Carrboro: house, preschool, club) - Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary - North Carolina (NC) -The Triangle Area - City-Data Forum

jharris213 · 07-03-2008, 06:48 AM

I am moving my family to the Chapel Hill in the fall (whenever our house in NY sells.....) I have heard on this site that all the pre schools in chapel hill are full and you have to get on a waiting list? We are looking to move into the Lake Hogan Farms area and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on good pre schools near there. Perhaps I should get on a list now? My son is 4 so I will only need one year of Pre school for him, but I don't even know where to start. We are coming out to look around soon and I would love to have a few schools to visit while I am there....
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated....
I have moved a lot in my life time, but doing it with two young kids is definately more of a challenge!!!
thanks
jharris213

frogandtoad · 07-03-2008, 07:14 AM

There are tons of good preschools here ,but it's true they fill early. Many people go w/church related preschools (even when Jewish, atheist, etc). Some that have really good reputations are:

Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church
Orange United Methodist Preschool
Chapel Hill Cooperative Preschool (not church-related)
Binkley Church Preschool
Chapel Hill Bible Church (I think that's what it's called. The name scared me off--being atheist especially--but it is a very liberal church).
There's also a really good one on MLK Blvd. and I"m totally blanking on it. Anyone???

If you're into alternative preschools, there is the Waldorf School (great) and a number of Montessoris (no idea about which are good).

It's true that most, if not all, of these will have waitlists for fall which were established way back in Feb. so calling now and getting on a list would be worth doing right now. Even then it might be tough for this fall.

Finally, Duke School I know has a few openings but I think it's only in its 3 year old class, not 4 year old...but you could check (that's a private school in Durham which goes through 8th grade. It's a great school and they have preschool. Will be much more expensive than any of the other options though). Also Carolina Friends is a private school (pre-k through 12) and Durham Academy (prek-12). Again, much more expensive.

cettvm · 07-03-2008, 12:36 PM

Hi there,

Was in your boat until recently. Have now placed my 2 yr old in one of the chapel hill preschools. This webpage: chapelhillmothersclub.org - was an excellent resource. Yes, most preschools have a long waiting list. But getting on their waiting list helps - I got lucky with this opening that came out of the blue. You will too I am sure. August is also when more openings come up.
So you should be fine. You can start with this website and call/email the schools.

But Chapel Hill has some of the best preschools in the country and you will get one of them soon.

jharris213 · 07-03-2008, 01:16 PM

Thanks guys, that really helps.... I will check into all of those schools and see what happens!
Jharris213

welovedurham · 07-03-2008, 03:36 PM

There's a big list at the Chapel Hill Mothers Club site:
Chapel Hill/Carrboro Mothers Club: Preschools by Location (http://www.chapelhillmothersclub.org/Preschool/preschoolsbylocation.htm - broken link)

Don't give up! We decided to enroll our kids both times at the last minute (mid-summer) and got in where we wanted (in two different schools).

PDXmom · 07-03-2008, 04:38 PM

You might also try St. Stephen's Episcopal Preschool. It's in Durham (Hope Valley), but has a few CH families too.

http://www.ssecdurham.org/learning-and-education/preschool (broken link)

muse1110 · 07-03-2008, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cettvm

But Chapel Hill has some of the best preschools in the country and you will get one of them soon.

How is this measured ('best in country')? I'd like to have this information when I'm evaluating CH preschools. We're going to be utilising Orange County schools soon and want to understand why CH has some of the best preschools int he country, what makes the curriculum and environment so different from the rest of the nation.

Thanks!

saramama · 08-13-2008, 03:36 PM

My kids attend the International Montessori School (our 3rd year). We just moved here and had a devil of a time finding a preschool. They used to be called the Language Center, so you still see that name.

Anyway, the school is a language immersion one -- either French or Spanish. My kids are in French. They love it and their accents are amazing. We are very pleased.

I think they might have one or two spots left for the fall. Their website is [url=http://www.imsnc.org]International Montessori School [International Montessori School][/url]

Good Luck!