Pre K Preschool Info Please? (Richmond, Tuckahoe: appointed, rent, credit)

[bsfreefalllt]

Hello,

My family is moving to Richmond next July, and I am looking for information about preschools. We have a 4 year old son and finding a preschool which is good at kindergarten preparation not just a daycare is one of our highest priorities. My husband will be at MCV, and we will probably only be in richmond for 1-2 years, so we are very flexible in where we rent but would prefer as little commute for him and preschool as possible. Any recommendations are appreciated? We're pretty agnostic but not entirely against church options if they have good teaching and prep.

Also, how does the preschool sign up work in richmond generally...can you get on a list this far ahead or do they have sign up days?

Thanks,
Courtney

[kids_are_great]

i am not from richmond. we will be moving to virginia soon too. i use www.schooldigger.com to find good schools for my kids.

if your child will be going to a richmond elementary school maybe you want to choose a good elementary school first and then find a good preschool in that area before you settle down in a certain school district.

[consideringamove]

We just moved to Richmond, but in my experience with preschools, you will WANT to get on a list in advance. The preschools in Michigan did their enrollment in February/March for the following school year. You may want to start looking in January/February.

Also, I wanted to let you know something that I learned. If you're looking for a class for a child for the year before they start Kindergarten (assuming they're starting "on time"), you'll want to look for a "preschool" class or "Junior Kindergarten". I've learned that in this area, "Pre-K" actually equates to what we call in Michigan "Early 5's" or "Young 5's". It's for children who are 5 by the Sept 30th cut-off but aren't ready for Kindergarten. I understand that seems silly but it's all in the wording. I got excited when I saw that it was offered in so many areas, only to be disappointed when I talked to the people who worked there.

I hope this helps. I ran into this issue quite a bit. My daughter is going to be 5 at the end of Oct and misses the VA cut-off but not the MI cut-off, so I assumed that "Pre-K" would be where she'd belong.. they won't let her in because she isn't 5 by Sept 30th.

[jazzyk298]

Are you looking for a half day program or a daycare program that is all day (not sure if you will be working) but also has an emphasis on learning? Depending on your answer -- and my personal experience (I have a 3 y/o and did a few visits a couple years ago -- we ended up at a 1/2 day 3 day a week program since I don't work):

No particular order:
1. Richmond Montessori - has a 5 day program 8:30-11:30 but also has before and after care. There is a waiting list that is a year long -- HOWEVER -- there may be openings for 4 y/o's -- the wait list is for 2 1/2 to 3's most of the time. Tuition is steep (around $8k/year) but I loved their program.
2. Tuckahoe Montessori -- similar deal. Difference is that they are not accredited like Richmond Montessori but I know someone who's child goes there and loves it.
3. Brandermill United Methodist preschool -- 1/2 day programs ages 2 1/2-Jr K (5 but not ready for kindergarten). One of the few schools where parents camp out overnight to get their kids a spot.
4. Winfree preschool (also a camp out spot) -- they have a waiting list but usually the director will bump you to the top if you call regularly to see if there is an opening.
5. Cedarhouse preschool -- This is a daycare/preschool but I was super impressed with their program and focus on learning.

Hope this helps! The others I visited were not worth mentioning here. The last 3 are in Midlothian.

[childrenfirst20]

MCV has a day care but I wound not recommend it- Several people I talked to had horrible experiences. (quiet corners, making children cry into a pillow, calling children ‘retarded” –yes using that word).

[ettagrl]

Originally Posted by jazzyk298

Are you looking for a half day program or a daycare program that is all day (not sure if you will be working) but also has an emphasis on learning? Depending on your answer -- and my personal experience (I have a 3 y/o and did a few visits a couple years ago -- we ended up at a 1/2 day 3 day a week program since I don't work):

No particular order:
1. Richmond Montessori - has a 5 day program 8:30-11:30 but also has before and after care. There is a waiting list that is a year long -- HOWEVER -- there may be openings for 4 y/o's -- the wait list is for 2 1/2 to 3's most of the time. Tuition is steep (around $8k/year) but I loved their program.
.

Richmond Montessori definitely has openings (my son is there). The toddler class typically fills (age 2), but they added a second class for this coming fall so there will be twice as many openings this coming year. As for other pre-K ages, there are almost always a few spots available so I would definitely call Grainne Murray in admissions for a tour if you are interested. Worth every penny!