Tue, February 11, 2025

Love and Learn: It’s Time to Decide

By Ann Levine, Parents League School Advisor

Welcome, you’re here, you did it! The results are in (almost!) and as you cross the preschool admissions finish line, Parents League is here, too, to congratulate and support you on your last few steps.

As you review the delightful days and sometimes sleepless nights of your journey to find a just-right preschool placement for your child, recall where you started and where you are now: the quality, the choices, the things you hoped to learn, and the things you discovered along the way.

No matter what you cited as an initial dream for preschool enrollment, your list of must-haves was most likely realized – not always possible in a place other than New York, where education is honored, revered, and respected from the youngest age all the way through high school.

Now that your search is winding down, here are a few reminders of what to consider as you edit your choices down to “the one,” the early childhood program that in your mind is king of the hill, top of the heap, an a-number-one New York education at its finest.

1. Guiding principle
   How do you define the wonderful spirit, driving ethos, and community spirit of the place? Maybe the bright classrooms, well-read books, individual cubbies, tiny toilets. Notice the things you love and be grateful.
   
2. Warmth and caring
   Do you hear individual names as you enter the school environment? If so, it probably implies that people recognize and acknowledge each other. How lovely!
   
3. Communicate, collaborate
   Are you eager to be involved in the life of the school? If so, staff members make it easy to participate by working together with teachers and families to build a program that sings (and counts and reads and learns).
   
4. Location orientation
   What do you love about your neighborhood? Everything? Well, now you will fall in love even more so, knowing that your child’s program is a big part of a small piece of your local world.
   
5. Kinship
   Preschools make it possible to meet and greet others who are probably aligned with your family in wonderful ways, although they might celebrate different occasions, honor other traditions, or speak languages other than English at home.
   
6. Ages and stages
   Becoming part of a school setting with a comfortable fit means you have thought long and hard about the size of the school, beginning and ending grades, school affiliations and associations, and events and activities that invite all to join in.

These final Q&As will help close the circle of knowledge with information to support your final choice. So look, listen, and learn how to read the signs, follow the arrows, connect the dots, and lead with your heart to a wonderful conclusion for a new beginning.

We are here for you! Parents League school advisors will talk through these questions with you! When you become a member, valuable 1-1 consultations are included with your annual membership. Discuss your questions and prepare for private and independent school admissions.

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Ann Levine advises families applying to preschool for their children. Ann’s love of books, words, and reading has steered her career choices: from editorial roles at Meredith Publishing and Hearst Magazines to teaching and administrative positions at the School at Columbia and Preschool of America to assistant manager at Bank Street Bookstore. She received an undergraduate degree in English at Washington University and a graduate degree at Bank Street College of Education. She is still a big believer in the three Rs of learning — reading, reading, and reading.