Single dad. 3.7yo. Preschool? Need help searching. What do I ask?

Preschool is a choice most people around here seem to make, but it isn't required.

If you think you qualify for low income options, you should probably contact your local county welfare office. Or you might ask any friends who have kids in preschool. Might even be worth calling a local public elementary school, I'm guessing someone there would be kind enough to help.

That's where I would start. My guess is that the whole "financing, discounts, payment plan, average cost" stuff will be answered once you do that, and it probably varies widely depending on locale.

 

They're going to probably run you about the same. Price depends on the number of hours spent in care in a given week. There's not much difference these days between preschool and daycare. Daycares, particularly center-based care, use curricula just like preschools do. I taught preschool for two years, and we used the Creative Curriculum, which is also used in some Head Start programs. Some places also offer tuition assistance or discounts. Here, there is a hotline through the local community college to connect parents with care. You might also see if you are eligible for Head Start.

Questions to ask:
1. What options are there for low-income families? Do you offer tuition assistance or subsidies?
2. Do you participate in the USDA lunch program?
3. What is your discipline policy?
4. What kind of curriculum do you use?
5. Are you accredited? NAEYC is the accrediting group you're looking for; centers may not be accredited, but have teachers on staff who are NAEYC members, as accreditation is an expensive, lengthy process, and most childcare centers run on a nonprofit model, so they try to keep overhead costs as low as possible (less overhead = more money to help families in need).
6. What kind of training do you require your teachers to have?
7. What does a typical day at the center look like? What is the routine?
8. What does my child need to bring with them when they come to school? What records do you require from me?
9. Ask for a tour of the facility, and ask to see their certifications. Certs vary from state to state, but often they have to pass a state inspection for the center, a fire inspection, and a health inspection.

They're probably going to want an income statement and vaccinations, among other paperwork, before your child can enroll. The income statement is for the USDA lunch program, if they participate, and vaccinations are required for anyone in a childcare center, unless you have a religious exemption. There should be regulations for childcare centers in your state. Look them up before you go and familiarize yourself with what the center is required by law to do. The regulations usually include some kind of background check procedure; in my state, we have a central registry for all childcare workers.