Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I do hear you that it's not ideal to not be able to visit in person. There are a couple of online sources of info you should check out (I'll put the Maryland links for Montgomery County in, Virginia/Fairfax probably has similar resources but I don't know where they are):

- Preschools have to comply with child care licensing regs, so you should check their licensing inspection history. Most schools do have some violations (usually paperwork related) but sometimes you'll see something more serious, plus I do think it's generally a good sign when they don't have a TON of violations even if they aren't serious. For MoCo (actually Maryland more generally): https://www.checkccmd.org/
- Some preschools may have some kind of accreditation that can give you a sense of how robust their program is (NAEYC/Montessori/MSDE). In addition, many states including Maryland have quality rating and improvement systems that are optional for schools to participate in but also offer an additional source of info. In Maryland it is called EXCELS. The link above for the licensing lists the EXCELS rating and accreditation though not sure how often these are updated. You can also look up EXCELS ratings here: https://marylandexcels.org/directory/
- Maryland Family Network has a child care search tool that I believe includes information on accreditation and EXCELS ratings, it's probably the same info as the licensing site but the nice thing is you can search for programs on a map and they have price information for some schools: https://locate.marylandfamilynetwork.org/Family/login

When you talk to any school make sure to ask about staff turnover and listen carefully. A good school should be able to brag about how long their teachers have been there. You can also ask for parent references and when you talk to the parents listen to how enthusiastic they sound.

OP here. Thank you SO MUCH! This is exactly the type of help I was looking for.

Thanks for the additional context!

You're welcome! I should caveat that some of the more expensive schools may be less likely to have an EXCELS rating. EXCELS is required for child care providers that accept child care vouchers for low-income families so they are more likely to participate. Some of the more expensive schools are more likely to have a separate accreditation that may or may not appear in the above databases so that is something you'd need to verify with the school or accreditation body.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I do hear you that it's not ideal to not be able to visit in person. There are a couple of online sources of info you should check out (I'll put the Maryland links for Montgomery County in, Virginia/Fairfax probably has similar resources but I don't know where they are):

- Preschools have to comply with child care licensing regs, so you should check their licensing inspection history. Most schools do have some violations (usually paperwork related) but sometimes you'll see something more serious, plus I do think it's generally a good sign when they don't have a TON of violations even if they aren't serious. For MoCo (actually Maryland more generally): https://www.checkccmd.org/
- Some preschools may have some kind of accreditation that can give you a sense of how robust their program is (NAEYC/Montessori/MSDE). In addition, many states including Maryland have quality rating and improvement systems that are optional for schools to participate in but also offer an additional source of info. In Maryland it is called EXCELS. The link above for the licensing lists the EXCELS rating and accreditation though not sure how often these are updated. You can also look up EXCELS ratings here: https://marylandexcels.org/directory/
- Maryland Family Network has a child care search tool that I believe includes information on accreditation and EXCELS ratings, it's probably the same info as the licensing site but the nice thing is you can search for programs on a map and they have price information for some schools: https://locate.marylandfamilynetwork.org/Family/login

When you talk to any school make sure to ask about staff turnover and listen carefully. A good school should be able to brag about how long their teachers have been there. You can also ask for parent references and when you talk to the parents listen to how enthusiastic they sound.

OP here. Thank you SO MUCH! This is exactly the type of help I was looking for.

Anonymous wrote:OP I do hear you that it's not ideal to not be able to visit in person. There are a couple of online sources of info you should check out (I'll put the Maryland links for Montgomery County in, Virginia/Fairfax probably has similar resources but I don't know where they are):

- Preschools have to comply with child care licensing regs, so you should check their licensing inspection history. Most schools do have some violations (usually paperwork related) but sometimes you'll see something more serious, plus I do think it's generally a good sign when they don't have a TON of violations even if they aren't serious. For MoCo (actually Maryland more generally): https://www.checkccmd.org/
- Some preschools may have some kind of accreditation that can give you a sense of how robust their program is (NAEYC/Montessori/MSDE). In addition, many states including Maryland have quality rating and improvement systems that are optional for schools to participate in but also offer an additional source of info. In Maryland it is called EXCELS. The link above for the licensing lists the EXCELS rating and accreditation though not sure how often these are updated. You can also look up EXCELS ratings here: https://marylandexcels.org/directory/
- Maryland Family Network has a child care search tool that I believe includes information on accreditation and EXCELS ratings, it's probably the same info as the licensing site but the nice thing is you can search for programs on a map and they have price information for some schools: https://locate.marylandfamilynetwork.org/Family/login

When you talk to any school make sure to ask about staff turnover and listen carefully. A good school should be able to brag about how long their teachers have been there. You can also ask for parent references and when you talk to the parents listen to how enthusiastic they sound.

Anonymous wrote:We moved and signed up for preschool before we left. I asked for recommendations from my co-workers and called places to talk with the directors about our situation. We picked a place we felt good about that also was good for our commute and planned a visit to tour after our move.

Anonymous wrote:We had to do it last year due to Covid and you really do get a surprisingly accurate view of the school and attitude. Just ask a lot of questions and concerns and listen carefully.