Is he really old enough for this already??

Dear Local Preschool,

Thanks for your hospitality! I enjoyed the open house tonight. It was unfortunate that Hub and Beaker couldn't come with me because of the whole stomach bug thing (kiddo's better now, but we wanted him to be symptom-free for at least 24-48 hours before letting him roam through the classrooms of a school), but I'm in love with what I learned about you and really, really hope we can snag a spot in one of your classes for next year.

Beyond the fact that I have several friends whose children attend your school and absolutely love it, there are a few things about you that have left a significant impression on me:

1) You reserve a significant percentage of your slots for children with special needs. Beaker's potentially one of those kids, though we're not certain of that just yet. He definitely has unique medical circumstances, and as a result, he'll be potty-training well behind most of his peers. This fact alone will make a ton of other pre-schools a non-option for us because they expect all children to develop on the same timeline, no matter their individual situation. In addition, he's late to talking and is about to begin weekly speech therapy sessions through a state-funded program for little ones. While we anticipate that he'll benefit from the therapy and will probably catch up with his peers relatively soon, if he does continue to demonstrate a speech delay, he'll need to be in a place that can accommodate his needs with individualized instruction without taking him out of the environment of a typical, age-appropriate classroom. Kids at your school with special needs learn in the same classroom with more typical peers, and everyone seems to benefit from this blend.

2) There are two teachers in every classroom, and all the lead teachers are CERTIFIED (pretty rare in a private school environment), with a limit of 10-12 kids per class, depending on the age. The children range in age from 12 months through 3rd grade, with 4th and 5th grades to be added in the next two years. The curriculum is challenging, but individualized for each child's developmental needs, and there is plenty of opportunity for learning through both unstructured and structured play time. The focus is on educating the whole child--socially, emotionally, and intellectually, and parents receive ongoing assessments of their child's progress. All of this makes me exceedingly happy as a parent and as a former educator.

3) You promote and teach respect for differences, respect for the individual, peaceful conflict resolution, non-violence, and non-competitiveness. Yes, even pre-schoolers can learn such lofty concepts, and I love that you're making that happen.

4) You are a family cooperative, meaning you not only encourage, but expect parental involvement. Parents are asked to work a certain number of hours each month in the school, assisting in the classroom, with school fundraisers, and in various other ways to help the school as a whole. This means the whole family becomes part of the school community. There are family fun nights, picnics, and other family-centered activities to encourage family involvement and participation.

5) The director reports to a parent-run board. That means parents have the final say in all major decisions, including budget stuff. Call me a control freak, but I like the idea of parents having a say in how their own childrens' school is run.

In addition to all of this, I have to say it doesn't hurt that the school's director is an old friend of mine from college, and I feel very comfortable knowing that she's ultimately in charge of the curriculum. Plus, it would be nice having a familiar face watching out for my child's best interests... though I can tell she takes a personal interest in every child at the school, and she really loves her job.

I suppose you're wondering if there's anything I don't like about you, huh? Well, not really, at least not in terms of what you have to offer our family (and more specifically, our kid). But let's be real: you're kinda' pricey, and it's going to be a stretch for us. Hub recently made the leap into grad school, we've got a new kid on the way, and I've currently got what you might call limited earning potential--gotta' love self-employment in a crappy economy! Oh, and it will be a slight nuisance to have to buy disposable diapers because you won't use the cloth ones we already have. But yeah, all that said, we really want to make it happen if at all possible. So let us have a spot, ok??

With utmost admiration,
One Mom