I have my son in Petals Child Development Center in Bethesda!
It feels like family because it's a small center and small class sizes. The staff are very caring and friendly too. I highly recommended it!

Family Academy of Bethesda is great for the Kindergarten preparation- My son is new too and adjusted so well. We are so happy. Very flexible , lot of outdoor time now in the summer. You should visit to tour. You have many choices no fear- in Bethesda. Good luck.

Cedar Lane is a co-op and has spots on its 4/5s class. It's 5 days a week, but it's only 9-12:15. It is play based. You can email admissions at CLNS.org or check out the website CLNS.org

You should try Edgemoor Children's Center or Leland Children's Center.They're both part of Wonders Child Care.

We loved CCUMC. We had the same concerns re: stamina and added some of the "extra" early afternoon enrichment classes so DD could stay until 1:30 some days and 2:30 some days (some are drop in). It really seemed to help. The director is wonderful, the teachers are very kind and there is a great playground. DD thrived there.

Try Suburban Nursery School off River Road in Bethesda. Fabulous co-op pre-school, great teachers - esp for the fours/fives. We loved it!

Call Primary Day School - they are just wonderful, very close to you, and often have spots available - I know they did last year for your son's age group. Good luck.

Rockville Community Nursery School still has slots in the 4s class (my daughter's class!), I believe...? 301-340-7584 is the office number. For the 4s, they have 4- or 5-day options 9:30-12:30, and they also have a "lunch bunch" that you sign up for in little bits (so you could try going to LB till 2:30 on Mondays in January and see how that goes to ease into a Kindergarten schedule later in the year). It's a co-op, so you'll get to know how he's doing, lots of feedback from the teacher, great insight into how he works with other kids, etc. They use the Creative Curriculum, which is the best play-based curriculum out there IMHO as a former teacher. www.RCNScoop.org www.facebook.com/RCNScoop
We have really liked this school for both of our kids. It's about 2 mins from exit 6 on 270, but it's tucked away on a church campus in the woods, very quiet and secluded back there away from traffic. You'd be reverse communiting from Bethesda, so probably pretty easy to get to.

I am actually looking for someone to take my daughter's spot at St. Paul's Nursery School in NW DC (right by the MD Chevy Case border). It is a fabulous school; however, we are moving out of state. You can email me at recyclingisgreat07@yahoo.com for more info

Glenbrook Cooperative at Fernwood and Democracy has openings in their 4/5 year old class. It is a wonderful, play based, nurturing environment; it sounds like a great match based on what you described looking for. My son just finished the 4/5s there; the teacher is amazing! And we loved the whole school and community. The coop options are once a week, twice a month, or once a month, but the website hasn't yet been updated to reflect the once a month option as it was just recently adopted. You can email membership@glenbrookschool.org or call 301-365-3190 and leave a message to set up a tour.

Thank you! That gives me a good start!

Petals Child Development center. Located next to Whitman high school in Bethesda. Small center, great caring staff. Full time care or part time care available. Very reasonable prices too. Was told spaces are filling up fast.

http://www.petalschilddevelopmentcenter.com/All_About_Us.php

Check out Clara Barton Center for Children on MacArthur Blvd. Its a play-based curriculum and heavy on outdoor activities. Great teachers, creative environment.

Its tough around here to get a spot last minute so always ask to be added to a wait list if possible. Good luck!

Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church Nursery School. It is off Bradley Boulevard and not far from Landon. I grew up near Landon and went there and although I now live in Virginia, many of my friends who are still in that area send their kids to Bradley Hills. Lots of teachers have been there for years and so has the Director. It is not a co-op.

My son is 4 1/2 - he won't be 5 until January, so I'd like to find a preschool for him for the year. I know it is late for this given the competitive nature of preschools, but we just moved here... I'm not looking for anything that is particularly heavy in academics - I believe play is still important at this age. He's had some health issues, so I'm really looking to increase his stamina to be able to make it through a full day of Kindergarten when it is time. Increase his ability to follow a teacher's instructions, start to learn how school is structured, etc. Three days a week would be ideal, but I'd consider 5 days if it were really good. I will not be working, so co-ops are OK. I know... Late to the table, but I'm hoping someone has suggestions. I've started calling some of the ones our neighbors suggested, but some of them are closer to their workplaces than our homes (Landon School area). Thanks for suggestions!