When my daughter was about a year old, I decided to start looking for a preschool. This was back when I was a new and clueless mom, so I had absolutely no inkling that by the tender age of 12-months she was already supposed to be on at least half a dozen wait lists.
Being a journalist, I decided to approach the matter as the competent reporter I thought I was. In other words, I did research. Mounds of it. When I'd compiled a hefty catalogue of every preschool in Austin -including their educational philosophies, violations histories, and janitors' names and shoe sizes-I visited the "best" of the bunch. When all was said and done, I toured no fewer than 23 preschools and daycare centers.
Excessive? You bet. Not to mention downright ridiculous and completely unnecessary. But the experience was eye-opening and, in some cases, jaw-dropping.
At one of the toniest preschools -a school that was proud of its 200-kid-long wait list and stop-your-heart tuition- the director lied to me twice about something that was common knowledge (perhaps assuming I was too stupid to know better). At another highly respected school, the director chillingly told me that my year-old daughter "deserved" an injury she received on the school's playground. At still another, I was haughtily told that my child would never get in since I'd waited too long to put her on the wait list-only to be offered a spot ahead of the scads of other kids on the list when the school discovered I was the editor of a parenting magazine. (They hoped I could "increase the visibility of the school"; disgusted, I declined.)
Visiting so many schools was, frankly, depressing. The reporter in me wanted to do an expose; the mother in me wanted to lock my child in her room until she was in kindergarten. Sheesh! Weren't these places regulated?
Turns out....not really.
Here in Texas, anyone who takes care of children-be it a woman in her home or a five-star preschool-must have a permit. But that doesn't mean much of anything. For instance, did you know that we have three different kinds of home-based childcare? "Listed Family Homes" are allowed to care for up to three children but are not inspected by the state at all. "Registered Child Care Homes" allow one person to care for up to a dozen kids at the same time. And only "Licensed Child Care Homes" are inspected at least once a year.
As far as the state is concerned, preschools and daycare centers are one and the same. They must be licensed, adhere to certain safety rules, and submit to inspections once a year. Other than that, they're free to do pretty much whatever they want as long as they don't break any laws. So quality runs the gamut.
A little more than two decades ago, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) developed a voluntary accreditation program for daycares and preschools. Being accredited by the NAEYC is supposedly a "mark of quality" that assures parents a program adheres to "the most robust and rigorous national standards on education, health and safety," according to the organization. In Austin, where there are 374 licensed childcare centers and preschools, just 37 are NAEYC-accredited (nearly all of which are full-time daycare centers). There are many reasons why preschools and child care centers don't seek NAEYC accreditation, but one of the most common reasons cited by the programs I have visited over the years is expense. Obtaining NAEYC accreditation takes a lot of time and a lot of money so cash-strapped programs often forego it.
This is frightening, when you think about it.
We know that high quality early childhood education programs are imperative to children's later success-not only in school, but in life. Numerous studies have shown that high quality early childhood education prepares kids academically and enriches them socially; not only that, it returns up to $10 on every dollar we invest in it. And no wonder: the preschool years are among the most formative in a person's life, wherein we learn everything from walking to talking to how to get along with others.
Given that, it seems almost criminal that we allow so many low quality childcare centers and preschools to exist.
So what's a parent to do? I wish I had the answer. The best I've come up with is this:
Do your homework and trust your gut.
Don't be so swayed by stellar reputation or philosophy or architectural beauty that you ignore safety and security: always check out a program to ensure it's legal and in compliance with the state (you can do this at www.txchildcaresearch.org). Visit several times, at different times of the day-and be sure to drop-in unannounced one or twice to get a feel for what the place is like when it's not on its best behavior. I don't care how NAEYC honors a program has, if it doesn't feel right, walk away.
Even if you have to do so 23-times.
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