Jenifer Wana - How to Choose the Best Preschool for Your Child: The Ultimate Guide to Finding, Getting Into, and Preparing for Nursery School

This well-organized, comprehensive book will help parents navigate the world of preschool admissions. Its practical, clear advice breaks down this sometimes overwhelming process and gives parents helpful guidance.

Nancy Schulman and Ellen Birnbaum,
authors of Practical Wisdom for Parents: Raising
Self-Confident Children in the Preschool Years and
directors of the 92nd Street Y Nursery School

I highly recommend this bookits the most useful tool out there for families about to embark on the search for a preschool! Not only does it provide sound advice on how to navigate through the admissions process, its also filled with useful information on helping your child get ready for this new experience, from handling separation anxiety to packing lunch and snacks for your preschooler.

Helen Cohen, director, Frances
Jacobson Early Childhood Center

All families who are beginning the search for a preschool need to read this book. It is well organized, approachable, and takes a well thought out approach to the preschool selection process.

Aimee Giles, director of admission,
Childrens Day School

How to Choose the Best Preschool for Your Child is a gift to every parent starting the preschool search. It offers clear and detailed advice on every aspect of the search, so that parents can make an informed decision for their child.

Irene Byrne, MA, author of Preschools by the Bay
and executive director of the Phoebe Hearst Preschool

Any parent questioning where and when to send their child to nursery school should definitely buy this book! It gives invaluable insight on finding and getting into the right preschool for your child.

Victoria Goldman, author of The Manhattan
Directory of Private Nursery Schools

How to Choose the Best Preschool for Your Child is a must-read for any parent looking for a preschool. Jenifer Wanas book offers practical, step-by-step advice to help parents find a program that fits their child and familys needs.

Lee Ann Slaton, MS, former Parents Place
education coordinator for over twenty years

This guide reveals everything you need to know to choose a great preschool. Wana takes what can be a stressful and overwhelming task and transforms it into a simple process any parent can successfully navigate.

Bill Jackson, president and founder, GreatSchools

Copyright 2010 by Jenifer Wana
Cover and internal design 2010 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover design by Jane Archer (www.psbella.com)
Cover images Beau Lark/Jupiter Images

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systemsexcept in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviewswithout permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.From a Declaration of Principles Jointly Adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wana, Jenifer.

How to choose the best preschool for your child : the ultimate guide to finding, getting into, and preparing for nursery school / by Jenifer Wana.

p. cm.

1. Education, PreschoolUnited States. 2. Nursery schoolsUnited States. 3. Education, PreschoolParent participationUnited States. 4. School choiceUnited States. 5. Readiness for schoolUnited States. I. Title.

LB1140.23.W36 2010

372.210973dc22

2010002995

Printed and bound in the United States of America.
VP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

I want to dedicate this book to my husband, Kevin, and our children, Josh and Ruby, whose smiles and laughter inspire me every day.

FIRST, THANKS TO MY HUSBAND, Kevin, for his unwavering encouragement and support since the moment I came up with the idea for this book. I am truly grateful for his never-ending belief in my ability to complete this project. Thanks to my son, Josh, for being a good boy while I worked, and my daughter, Ruby, for sleeping well during the night.

I also want to express my sincere thanks to the following people and organizations:

The preschool directors, admissions professionals, and other experts who shared tips and insights, including Aimee Giles, Diane Larrabee, Nancy Schulman, Ellen Birnbaum, Gretchen Ott, Bea Wilderman, Lysa Farrell, Arthur Anchipolovsky, and Jessica Salinas.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children, the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, and Amy Korytowski Matsui from the National Womens Law Center for reviewing portions of the manuscript.

My friends who read the manuscript and provided valuable feedback, including Karen Cho, Jieun Choe, Sabrina Moyle, Fermina Phillips, Karen Lee, Karen Shea, and Amy Schigelone; family and friends who provided their assistance and helpful suggestions along the way, including my siblings John, Julie, and Joe Wana, Matthew Chang, Monica Gonzales, Julia Coblentz, Adoria Lim, Nelson Wang, Audrey Gerber, Brigitte Brady-Harris, Andy Sareyan, Cam Chan, and Amy Eschliman.

My parents, Linda and Sunt Wana, and my in-laws, Margarita and Ching-Kuo Chen, for their support and baby-sitting help.

Lisa Jones and Marcia Santore for their terrific editing skills.

Stephanie Kip Rostan, my agent, who believed in the books potential from the very beginning and found it the perfect home; Shana Drehs, my editor, whose dream and enthusiasm for this project helped turn my vision into a reality.

Lastly, all the parents who shared their experiences and advice for finding and applying to preschool with meI couldnt have written this book without you.

THIS IS THE BOOK I wanted to read when I started looking for a preschool for my son, Josh. Unfortunately, it hadnt been written yet.

Like any parents, my husband and I wanted to find the best place for our sona preschool that would nurture him, teach him, and be a good fit for our family. But I quickly learned that this would not be as easy as it seemed. I was overwhelmed by the optionswhen I was growing up, kids just went to the nursery school closest to home, if they went at all. I didnt know where to begin to find the best preschools in my neighborhood or what characteristics defined a high-quality program. Terms like Montessori, child centered, and co-op were foreign to me. School tours gave me a clearer picture of what each school was like, but I wasnt sure what I should be on the lookout for or what questions I should ask to see if it was the right place for us.

What I also discovered about the preschool process was that there is no process. Unlike college or graduate school, there are no standard time lines or admissions procedures that all nursery schools followand very few resources to help parents navigate the process. So I went to preschool fairs, attended seminars and panel discussions, read books and articles, and had countless conversations with other parents who had been through the process. I pored over school websites and brochures, toured schools, and filled out endless applications. For a few programs, I brought Josh in to be observed at playdates and wrote essays describing his strengths and challenges.