Preschool and Kindergarten, developmental, play-based, child-centered

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movingtoirvine16

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Hello all,

Moving to Irvine shortly. Near the Lower Peters Canyon/Orchard Hills area, close to Tustin. In need of a great preschool for a four year old. I have extensively searched this forum, but require some specific advice from the experts of the area.

Currently we are researching Northwood Montessori School Irvine (will likely have long wait-list) vs Leport Orchard Hills vs Congregation B'nai Israel (though we are not Jewish) vs Irvine Community Nursery School (though the hours are very limited here).

We need other suggestions/help!

We prefer the Reggio Emilia and Waldorf-inspired philosophies and want to find a program that has a kindergarten as well. We believe that children need ample opportunities to run and jump, hide and chase, play in the mud, etc. Some of the programs on the UCI campus and Turtlerock look incredible, but the drive would be far and the wait-lists are likely very long. Many of the options in the area near us seem very academic, which is something our family is not interested in at this age.

Our child turns 5 one day prior to the the TK cutoff, so she would be eligible, but I'm worried it'd be too academically orientated as well. Are the TK programs truly play-based? How much time are they outside? What is the class size?

Any suggestions and/or information would be helpful. I'm feeling a bit lost.

Thank you, thank you!
 
Thank you for the reply! I have looked into Good Shepherd some and will call them today for more information. Neither not accredited by the NAEYC, I wonder if that is important. Is Edgewood PrePrimary Academy developmental? Difficult to decipher from the website.
 
My kids go to the International Christian Montessori Academy in Orange on Mayfair. It might be a little drive for you but the tuition rate are great! $820 for 7am-6pm. I love the director and teachers. Other than the location, I love every aspect of it. My daughter's teacher is French and teaches 4-5 year olds. She has been with the school for years and she is amazing. Love the director Ms. Colleen. She has raised 9 kids of her own and she will make you feel like a family. She interacts with each kid and knows each kid well. My son is in the 18-30 month classroom. They did have some internal structuring recently, which I am glad that it happened. I didn't like the previous director and Ms. Jessica. Now both of them are gone for good. I have followed Ms. Colleen and the teachers from their Chapman Hill location to North Tustin and then to the current location on Mayfair. I have toured creator's corners on Pioneer and Jamboree but didn't like it. Their tuition was higher too. From what I have observed, my kids at Montessori are more focused during Montessori work hours and gives out a different vibe.
 
Thank you for the information! Is the International Christian Montessori Academy in Orange accredited by the NAEYC? Is it highly play-based?
 
movingtoirvine16 said:
Thank you for the information! Is the International Christian Montessori Academy in Orange accredited by the NAEYC? Is it highly play-based?
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Aren't Montessori and Play-based on different ends of the spectrum? You can't have both.
 
My suggestion is to visit every school you are thinking of to get your own up close and personal opinion of each. I think we visited 7 different ones before we settled on the Irvine Montessoris (Westpark, University, Village, Northwood).
 
Montessori programs can have a lot of play. They often have 3-hour "work" periods that can be very much filled with individual play activities. Also, some Montessori programs have a lot of unstructured outside play times. Things are things I'm looking for.

We will certainly try to tour lots of places! It's difficult when you're living out of state and trying to find a program, that's why I am asking for opinions.

Thanks - and keep the great preschool suggestions coming please!
 
BTW: Out decision just wasn't based on type of education/play, we also took into account how the director was, the facility (space/layout/items), the features (some of the Montessoris have observations rooms so you can watch your kid without them knowing) and the "smell" test. A couple of the places we visited had the odor of dirty diapers which didn't speak well to their cleanliness.
 
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