Preschool- How do you find them in your area? (more ? too!)

How do you find a preschool? Do you just drive around? Is there a website? How do you find if they have violations?

We are starting from scratch. DH and I rotate shifts around one another, so we haven't even looked into daycare.

TIA!!! I am completely lost!

Re: Preschool- How do you find them in your area? (more ? too!)

I contacted the Child Care Council of Suffolk for a list of daycares so I could call about hours. They have a website http://www.childcaresuffolk.org/default.aspx?PageID=535 but I'm not sure if you have to pay to be a member now.

Then I checked out the violations online, the place in person and asked everyone I knew if they heard anything about it. Most places have a few violations but you want to make sure they are one that were fixed & not so serious.

Re: Preschool- How do you find them in your area? (more ? too!)

I went by recommendations and just did a google maps search...searched around a specific area, and the names and numbers came up, and I started to call around, then checked them out. HTH

Re: Preschool- How do you find them in your area? (more ? too!)

We went with recommendations of friends and family and we wound up very happy with the school we chose.

Re: Preschool- How do you find them in your area? (more ? too!)

Word of mouth is best....but the NYS Office Of Children and Family Services
gives listings of day Care Centers, some of which of pre-k programs...To a degree, the violations are speculative
( if there is a center you like that shows a violation, you may want to see what that violation was before you count them out) Hers is the site :

http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us/ccfs_facilitysearch/

Re: Preschool- How do you find them in your area? (more ? too!)

There are a lot of children on my block so I went by my neighbors recommendations.

Re: Preschool- How do you find them in your area? (more ? too!)

We have known where Caden will go to preschool before he was even born.

Ariel attends camp through the JCCC of Suffolk County. They have a wonderful daycare and preschool program. I wanted a religious based program b/c with me being Christian and Scott not having been to temple since his BarMitzah we both need a lesson or 2. We already have a relationship with the JCCC so it was an easy decision to make...

NOW...this is all without knowing about cost etc. Should, for some reason, it be beyond our budget to send him there...I will start on here for recommendations of Hebrew/Jewish based preschools in my area. Then make some phone calls...talk to moms of children who have attended...and then take it from there.