Eureka!

We have found it! The preschool search may be over. We are on the verge. Jeff and I have found a school we like- well, I LOVE IT!!! The plan had been to find a top 2-3 schools, take Teagan on visits, and then decide. But after visiting the little independent school and then Goddard... we've decided that we like this school best, we will take Teagan to visit this school, and that's that. We did not choose Goddard. We just didn't love it. Jeff just didn't really like it. It was too chaotic. I didn't like what the director had to say about her teachers. She kept referring to them as her "girls." She hires them directly out of college and they stay a couple of years and then move on to public school positions. It isn't until school starts in August that she knows that she has a full staff for the year. Huh? It was just a little odd. Also didn't like that she welcomed us in but immediately had us sit in her office for 20 minutes or more instead of taking us on a tour while talking about the program and then sitting us down to see if we had questions. Various adults walked by several times and it made me feel like word was spreading that "potentials" were in the house!! The first school we visited was the little independent school. Little Explorers. The drawback is that it is 10 to 15 minutes away from home and in the opposite direction that we travel for work. So choosing this school definitely means some inconvenience. But I'd already made up my mind that if it was The Right School, the drive would be worth it. Here's the bottom line. Tuition at this school isn't too much more than what we pay for daycare. It includes 2 snacks, breakfast, lunch. No fundraising, no parental requirements (but parents are welcome to be as involved as they wish). In addition, they hold regular evening and weekend events so that parents and siblings can see the classroom and be part of the child's experience. The pre-k teacher has 32 years of teaching experience and she is fantastic. We heard her class before she knew we were coming, we got to talk to her and the kids and see the room. There are class pets- a hamster, 4 hermit crabs, and... *gulp* a tarantula!! Apparently, Spidey is quite the people-spider, though. The director told us some amazing stuff about him that makes me feel kinda ok about it. The school is small and will stay small. Only 4 classrooms- one for 3 year olds, one for pre-k (4 year olds), one for kindergarten, and one for the child care portion. There is a little computer lab and the kids usually get on the computers about twice a week (T loves the idea of that, as do her techie parents). The price is right, the hours work, and the program just fits us!! HOORAY!