I've toured a lot of preschools, and almost all of them require you to come without your child. I think that's most appropriate and can actually be due to legal reasons like child ratio and things.

It's rude when parents show up to tours that are clearly labeled parents-only with their kids. Read the fine print if you decide to bring your kids. Most times, if they are invited, it will be specially designed for them. In one case, they had the kids do a "mini-day" in a room with parents, and in another, they had childcare provided while the parents toured. Otherwise, all said "no kids" (yet in some cases, people still brought them!).

No, don't take the child. You'll be distracted, your child will freak out.

Huh. Maybe because they were play-based co-ops, but the ones I toured (and chose) encouraged us to bring our kids.

First time without kid, if we were truly interested we brought kid by for a short activity (always at the invitation of the school, never on our own initiative).

OP here. Thanks all. I should clarify that it is only one preschool that we are planning to visit. She's already at another preschool so she is familiar with the classroom setting.

I teach preschool—kids come on the walk-throughs all the time. They are sometimes a distraction, but distractions are a part of early education. I would just ask whomever is walking you around if it’s okay for your child to explore a classroom a little (ie sit down to hear a story) or if they should stay close because it’s a brief visit to each classroom.

Anonymous wrote:Most specifically say children are not invited.

This. It was clear in the process whether the child was invited. My experience is that the kids were invited to private tours, but not public.