Finding the best school for your child doesn't begin with college. Rather, for many parents it starts with preschool, and navigating the maze of available facilities can be confusing to say the least.
The Mother Connection, a Merrimack Valley-based mothers' group, hopes to make the process easier with its annual Preschool Fair on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The event will include about 30 preschools from across the Merrimack Valley.
Laura Levesque of Methuen was so impressed with last year's preschool fair that she wanted to help organize the next one. The 41-year-old stay-at-home mom is this year's fair coordinator.
"You have the opportunity to meet with some of the school representatives face-to-face," Levesque said.
Those who attend can gather literature about each school.
"It helps you narrow down your search," Levesque said.
She used the fair herself to narrow down her list of preschools to five or six that she'll tour when her 22-month-old daughter, Ella, is ready to attend.
The free event allows parents to not only meet with preschool representatives, but to learn about the different preschool environments and philosophies that are available.
The New England Montessori School has been attending the fair for several years, said director Kim Hegarty.
"There are so many different schools there, and every parent is looking for a different type of setting," Hegarty said.
She said her school gets a lot of parents who come to the school after the fair for tours; last year about 25 parents came for a closer look.
The fair will allow parents to see what's out there and find out who they do and don't click with. It also gives them a chance to ask questions ahead of touring the schools.
For example, Hegarty said parents should ask about the ratio of children to teachers, the turnover rate of teachers at the school, whether the school's hours are flexible, and whether there is an outdoor play area.
The Mother Connection also sells an accompanying booklet featuring information about not only the schools attending the fair, but others in the area. They cost $3 each to cover the production costs. Last year's booklet included information about dozens of schools, including their contact information, age ranges, tuition and fees, philosophy and curriculum, open house dates, and other information.
"When I was starting to look at preschools, I found this to be awesome because I could just sit and look through the book," Levesque said, rather than having to contact each school herself to learn about their philosophies or curriculum.
Levesque said it's important for the event to be free and open to the public so The Mother Connection and the schools can get their information out to as many people as possible.
If you go:
What: 12th Annual Preschool Fair.
When: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 7 to 9 p.m.
Where: Wyndham Boston Andover, 123 Old River Road, Andover.
How: Free. Visit: themotherconnection.org
