When to Start Looking for a Preschool
See also: Applying to Preschool
General Guidelines for Preschools
In general, the January before your child will be three, start researching preschools in your target area, and find out when you can tour the schools from their websites and/or from the BPN Announcements and Events.
- Ages: Most preschools that are not in someone's home enroll children for the two years prior to kindergarten, so 3 and 4 year olds. Some also offer a bridge program for 5 years olds, which adds a third year. There are a few preschools that also have programs for toddlers and two-year-olds but this is rare because of licensing requirements for younger age groups. There are many home-based preschools that are flexible about ages.
- Start Date: Most preschools form a new class of 3-year-olds each Fall. Openings for 4 year olds, or mid-year openings, may be rare, depending on the school.
- Researching: Preschools hold open houses and tours from December through March. Check BPN for announcements, or check the school's website.
- Applying: Applications are usually accepted beginning in January for the following Fall, for children who will be 3 by then. Very few preschools accept applications earlier than this.
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
| Questions |
When do you need to start looking for preschools?
Dec 2013
I'm a new parent and am just curious about how far in advance we need to start looking for a preschool. I've heard stories about needing to start a couple of years in advance but I'm not sure if the Bay Area is like that. Are there usually waitlists or is that only for certain preschools? We are interested in a Spanish bilingual preschool like La Plazita. Thanks! Anna
Here's what I wish I had known before Preschool. My child has a Feb Birthday, and I thought we would like to ideally start preschool somewhere close to his 3rd birthday. I assumed year round enrollment, but I was wrong. (though there are a very few that do enroll year round). As a result, I ended up paying for an extra year of infant child care which turned out fine, but was way expensive. Preschool enrollment follows the traditional academic year: Apply in about January for a spot that starts in September (this is due to the timing of the older ones moving on to Kindergarten). Many preschools have information available for prospective students in the Nov-Jan timeframe, so now is a good time to inquire and visit a few. Good preschools with low-to-moderate cost often have waiting lists. Some of the more expensive preschools seemed to have more openings and shorter wait lists. Granted my experience was in 2009 when employment was suffering, so an improving economy could change that dynamic somewhat. There are some very good preschools that you have not heard of because the spots are filled by great word of mouth, therefore they don't really need to advertise (for example in this BPN newsletter). Some good ways to learn about preschools near you are: On weekends, play at the park that is closest to your home, and talk to parents of kids that are preschool age and older. Talk to your friends, neighbors and co-workers. Look in BPN Marketplace newsletter and Announcements newsletter for preschool fundraisers such as fun fairs and yard sales. Patronize those events and learn a little about the school in the process. And, if you get on a waiting list for a preschool that you are excited about, check in regularly (every 1-2 months) to find out where you stand and let them know you are seriously interested.
When to start researching pre-schools?
Nov 2003
My first child just turned 1, and I'm wondering at what point do we begin researching pre-schools? Is it as crazy as everyone says it is - do we need to begin looking NOW if we want him to begin pre-school next year? His birthday is in October; how does that factor into it? Having never done this before, I'm welcome any advice as to how to initiate this daunting process! Thanks so much katie
I would start in January. However, you should know that most preschools require that your child be 2 years, 9 months to start. So, yours may not be ready until the following fall. In any case, I found it helpful to start making calls the January prior to the fall that my son began. Good Luck!
Some schools do have waiting lists, but we found that most local preschools enroll children in about December through March to begin attending in August/September. Larger schools, of course, will tend to have more openings than smaller ones, so it won't hurt you to start thinking early about where you'd like your child to go, but you won't be shut out of the process if you start later. Given your child's October birthday, you might want to wait another year (starting him when he is not-quite-3 rather than when he is not-quite-2) since most preschools will not enroll children younger than 2 (sometimes 2.5 or 3), or you could look for a spring opening instead of starting him in the fall. anon
Amazingly enough you really do have to start researching preschools now for next fall. Many schools will be full up by January. The Neighborhood Parent's Network does a preschool school fair that could help you get the lay of the land. They also publish a preschool guide you can purchase. Not all preschools in the area are listed. Check Parent's Press for info on Open Houses and school fair dates. Good luck!
I'm not in Oakland, but in Berkeley. I would suggest contacting the schools directly. Every parent has different priorities when it comes to picking the right school for their child. You are mentioning some more facility type preschools but smaller home base preschools are also great options. Most preschools I have spoken to do not accept children at age 2, typically they look for closer to age 3. Usually 2 years 9 months is the starting age for preschool. Some larger facilities offer a toddler daycare program and you can transition to their preschool when the child is older. My daughter is a July birthday and will be 2 this year. We won't send her to preschool until the fall of 2023 and have been told by most schools that touring or waiting until the fall of 2022 to tour gives ample time. Preschools tend to have more openings in the late summer/fall and many I speak with do not determine enrollment based solely on your position on a waitlist; they often select based on balancing age, gender, schedule (full time versus part time), etc students.
Hi there! 10 months old isn't too early to be thinking about it but you can't really think of preschools as "the best in the area" when really it is the best for your and your child. You'll want to visit and see what the environment feels like, talk to the directors, learn about their programs, and understand their teaching methodology. Your kid might not be a great fit for, say Montessori, for example, but you won't know that just by going off of "the best preschools" in Oakland. Different schools have different enrollment age requirements, so you might also find that the school you think is the best fit might not be accepting kids your son's age until later or sooner than you're thinking. Good luck!
There are a lot of fantastic schools in this area that would probably be a good fit. Application deadlines vary by school. For the independent preschools it can be year-round rolling or with a set time (often Jan-March for the following fall) and the preschools associated with private elementary schools are more likely to have set admission times but will take rolling apps if they have space. Checking websites or calling schools will be best. The more affordable schools and those without application fees will be harder to get into. For my family, the "best" school (in order of priority) is
1) one we got into (limited availability, apply to a bunch. Our first time applying we applying to 4 schools and got offered a spot at 1)
2) one whose schedule fit our needs ( do you want half day? whole day? 3 days a week? Before 8 or after 5? What is the vacation schedule?)
3) a convenient location (how far are you willing to walk/drive to drop off?)
4) clear communication from the administration ( I applied to one of the schools you listed, including submitting an application fee and they never got back to me even when I enquired about waitlist and my status. When I got an automated email to apply this year I wrote them that I would not as their previous lack of communication was unacceptable. Maybe they've fixed that, but if a school is not responsive to your inquiries in the admission process, I would suggest taking that seriously.)
5) has bonuses I care about: nice outdoor space, language immersion, warm teachers, whatever is important to your family
So considering all that, I have friends with kids at lots of schools having great experiences and we are actually switching from one school we've had a great experience with to another school that has a more convenient schedule and will reduce our commute time. Do not undervalue that in your search! Especially if you're driving somewhere every day, make it easy on yourself.
You can call schools and ask when they start accepting applications. Some don’t even take an application till your child reaches a certain age, and some open the waitlist when your child is born. As for “best”, I agree with the other poster that it’s not what’s best in city, but best for your child. When my son was 2 I enrolled him in what I thought was the “best” preschool in town. I sent my husband to stand in line at 7am to turn in his application when enrollment opened! In the end none of it was best for us. The school was too far and the drive was killing me. The hours were inconvenient. The structure was too rigid for my son. It was Montessori and he just wasn’t ready for the activities they wanted him to do. I switched him the next year to a much closer school with better hours and more outdoor play time, and he was so happy there. So definitely explore your options and keep an open mind.