Best Preschool in the area?

[Anonymous]

I've seen a lot of posts about the "Big 3" (I'm guessing GDS, Sidwell & Maret?). Which preschool is considered THE best and why?

[Anonymous]

I don't know which are considered the "best" (and don't much care, frankly), but our children went to School for Friends and we all loved it. Laid back parents (not like a lot on this site!), great staff, and a warm loving environment. Our children thrived there.

[Anonymous]

Oh, no!!

[Anonymous]

Best for what?

There's a difference between the satisfaction of getting into a private school at the pre-K stage, if you want to your child to be in that private school, and the best fit for your child (at age 2, 3, or 4) and for your life. (By the way, as far as I know GDS and Sidwell just start at pre-K, not preschool in the sense of children aged 2-3, while I think Maret begins in kindergarten.)

The "Best Preschool" for us was a daycare associated with one of our jobs, near home, with wonderful, loving teachers, great leadership, lots of outdoor time, child-directed curriculum, flexible hours...

[Anonymous]

OP here. A fair question from PP. By the best preschool, I mean the one that is likely to get you the best chance of getting into the Big 3.

[Anonymous]

Well, if you read the threads on this listserve, it would seem that Little Folks, NCRC, St. John's, & Aiden Montessori are the biggest feeders.

I just wouldn't get to wrapped up in all that. I completely agree with PP that best preschool is the that works the best - logistically, financially, philosophically, etc. - for your child and your family.

[Anonymous]

I love School for Friends, a wonderful community and a great educational philosophy.

I do not think that the best pre-schools are necessarily feeders into the "big 3".

BTW, I think that "big 3" is a rather lame generalization of the schools - how do these private schools compare to private schools nationally? Is there even a comparison.

[Anonymous]

I heard that pre-schools are preferable to daycares if you are trying to get your child into a top private school. For that reason, we're doing PUBLIC!!!

[Anonymous]

I don't think OP's question can be answered. Different schools are right for different kids, and the purpose of preschool is to provide a positive learning experience, not to feed into some other school.

[Anonymous]

In Upper NW, probably St. Columba's.

[Anonymous]

Aidan, NCRC, River...although not in any particular order

[Anonymous]

Not to be rude, but to answer your topic post, the best preschool in the area is at home. Remember one of the most common home situations for Harvard grads was Mom (or Dad) at home.

[Anonymous]

School for Friends - a home away from home

[Anonymous]

NCRC, Little Folks, St. John's. Or for parochial: Holy Trinity.

[Anonymous]

I fully agree you can't define "best" if you are in any way interested in what fits best for the child's needs, for the parent's comfort and convenience, etc.

However, if you are restricting this fully to which schools feed into the top three, then the best are without a doubt Little Folks, NCRC and Aidan (and they feed far more children into the Big-3 schools than the wonderful home environment mentioned before...such is the insane world of private school admissions!)