Overwhelmed already!

[Anonymous]

Our son is 14 months old and we just did our first preschool tour today. I need a reality check from parents who have gone down this road before - some on this site make it sound like I need my son's entire educational goals figured out before I select a preschool because that determines the elementary and secondary,e tc. Frankly, I have a very social, happy and energetic son who likes to run around at break-neck speed, likes to brush the dog's teeth with his toothbrush whenver he can and has just mastered not to eat crayons. In other words, I have no holy clue what time of learning environment he's going to want/need when he's 4, 10 or 14! Am I misssing something?
I want him to feel supported and cared for in preschool, to have fun and to learn how to socialize and learn manners and GET EXCITED about learning more. After that, engaged teachers and a challenging yet supportive environment seems like the top priority. At the same time, I don't want him to miss out on something amazing by simply ruling out the schools that have people in a flutter on DCUM.

Interested in how others made the decisions and for any feedback. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Well -- it sort of depends where you live. It also depends on how you and your husband think about things -- public vs. private; small vs. medium vs. big; co-ed or single-sex; language immersion or no? Lots of things to think about. It's good to get babies in little play groups; exercise clases, etc. so they get used to seeing and being around other kids.

[Anonymous]

I am with you. We chose to place our DS in a preschool that was convenient for drop off/pick-up, would engage him, was clean and safe, and where we thought he'd have fun. Oh, and affordable. I can't imagine spending $40k on preschool.

I have no idea what kind of student he'll be or what his learning needs will be. We'll deal that later. For now, he is loves preschool (which is half the battle, right?)