Parenting Pointers: Choosing a School

Our daughter is going to be 3 this fall, and is a very social and gifted child. I say that as someone who was a gifted child, so I know that it's not really all it's cracked up to be.

Because she's so bright and so social, we decided to put her in preschool this fall. It's a tough decision to make, for several reasons. First of all, there's the financial aspect of tuition - although it's going to cost us about the same as we were paying last year to have a sitter come and we'll get twice the hours (my other daughter is young enough that I'll be able to do most of my "regular job" as a teacher while she naps or before she gets up). Then there's the whole "I-work-at-home-so-I-should-be-able-to-keep-the-girls-here" mentality, that makes me feel a little bit guilty. And she doesn't turn three until the end of September, so she'll only be 2 when she starts. So there's a lot to consider just in the fact of whether or not to send her anywhere. Then we had to weight our options and decide which of the many places available in our area were right for her, affordable for us, and convenient enough based on our schedule and needs.

One option in our area (and in many areas) is KinderCare Learning Centers.
In a nationwide survey of parents, KinderCare Learning Centers learned that when selecting a school, 76% of parents are most concerned that their school of choice employs quality and passionate teachers and 80% want to know that their child is excited to take part in activities while at school. KinderCare strives to fulfill those needs - passionate, high-quality teachers and engaging activities - with programs for kids of all ages, including before and after school care with homework support for school age children. One thing I didn't know was that some centers offer "enrichment programs" to give kids even more experience in math, phonics, reading, Spanish, music, and fitness. Summer day camps are also available (including Kids' Kitchen, which starts next week).

One of my favorite aspects of KinderCare, which doesn't affect all families, but is important to me since so many of my immediate and extended family are military, is that they offer reduced tuition for active duty military families.

What factors do you look for when selected a daycare or school option?

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of KinderCare Learning Centers and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.”