No matter how many pictures I peruse or memories I revisit I can't seem to figure out where the time has gone.  Two and a half years ago I became the proud dad of a beautiful baby girl.  This past autumn, she started going to preschool and took to it like a fish to water.  She started out going two days a week and we soon added a third.

As surprising as the monthly and even daily changes can be, perhaps there's something to be said for looking back on how we got where we are - something I can share with other parents who are learning how to be a parent, too.  There isn't any manual or guidebook that can tell you how to be a Pro-Active Dad, of course.  It will be different for every dad and for every child.  Still, I hope my thoughts on selecting a preschool will help others direct their searches.

My wife and I were very lucky in our search.  Our synagogue runs a semi-autonomous preschool program that starts for children as young as 12 months at the start of the school year.  Returning students and siblings get first priority on the spots, followed by synagogue members, and finally the rest of the community.  However, there are almost always a few open spaces so entrance isn't competitive.

A few of the factors we considered in our search were price, program, schedule, facilities, and student to teacher ratio.

Preschool can be very pricey, as with almost everything related to child rearing these days.  Our synagogue's price point was only about a third of comparable programs in our area.  After a bit of investigation, it wasn't really clear why there was such a cost difference aside from the fact that the preschool shares the same facility with the synagogue and religious school.  Likely building and maitainance costs are thus lower.  If you can find a preschool that's part of a larger institution, you may find the same price difference.

The program consists of mostly creative time (artwork, song, etc.) and playtime, though they do include some religiously themed material.  For example, in the first couple of weeks alone our daughter brought home a paper shofar (a ram's horn trumpet used in Jewish religious ceremony) decorated with stickers and a handkerchief challah cover decorated with paint stamps.  We get at least two new creations every week and often more.  This has let us share plenty of her work with grandparents who, of course, love it.  The school also brings in several outside organizations to provide special activities throughout the year, such as the city library, representatives from a local museum, and a real fire truck to climb on and explore. This variety creates an interesting environment that keeps children involved and interested.

The schedule is quite flexible, with 2, 3, and 5 day options with extended care available for the older children.  Although the standard 2 day week is Tuesday/Thursday, one of our friends was able to work out a Monday/Wednesday 2 day schedule due to prior commitments and our daughter goes on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.  This also speaks to the flexibility of the school to work with individual families' needs so all children can get the most out of the experience.

Since we're members of the synagogue and my wife had taught at the religious school, we were already familiar with what the facility had to offer.  From a well-maintained playground with several structures to clean classrooms we knew that the building was in good repair and well looked after.  The teachers and administrators show very evident interest in maintaining a healthy and safe environment for the students.  In the youngest class, there are two teachers for up to eight students.  Our daughter's class started with only six students and now has seven on the highest attendance day, so we know she's in very good hands and receives plenty of personal attention without being the only focus.

Selecting a preschool can certainly be daunting given all we hear about how prepared children do better in school.  It’s important to remember that children will learn at their own pace no matter what we as parents do for them.  Give them a safe, welcoming environment with plenty of opportunity for stimulation and they’ll come up with games you never even considered.  Hopefully they’re already teaching you almost as much as you teach them.  In the meantime, I hope my experience is helpful as you think about what may work for your child.