Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Stages

Is public or private preschool right for your child?

Find out what kind of preschool will best fit your child's needs

By

If your child is ready for preschool, you’ll have to decide if public school vs. private school is right for them. Which one you choose depends on a number of factors, including cost, schedule, parenting style, and location. We’ll take you through which questions to ask yourself when making this decision for your little one and yourself.

Preschool teacher talking with students at a table
Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock

Public preschool

Public preschool is a popular option for parents as a go-to choice that is in town, near where they live. Kids are able to continue there as they grow to attend kindergarten and beyond at the same school. This not only gives them a sense of routine — getting to know the building, playground, drop-off and pickup system, staff, and cafeteria, but it also helps them make and keep friends they’ll have year after year.

Recommended Videos

The local public school sometimes offers free preschool, but other times it has a price associated with it. In most cases, the public option costs (much) less than a private option, even if it does cost money.

The school hours may only be a half day or a shorter day without after-school care available with the public option, and class sizes may be larger than some private schools.

Child with abacus
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Private preschool

You may want to get one or two years of a different type of education or have unique needs for school hours before the transition to public school, or you may not be planning on public school for the elementary age at all.

There are many options for private preschool. A Montessori school emphasizes independence. A coop has parents pitch in with the learning. A day care has longer hours available and may have less of a curriculum. Some independent schools may offer outdoor learning or other unique offerings.

Your preschooler may not be ready for prep school or boarding school yet. But some private preschools may give your child a little extra attention with a lower staff-to-child ratio. You may also have the benefit of a newer facility or other perks from the school that you get to choose instead of the one districted school you’re automatically assigned.

Teacher sitting at a table with preschool students
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Public preschool vs. private preschool

Your choice simply depends on what will be the best fit with your needs, budget, and child’s personality… and which school has availability. What fits with your parenting philosophy and goals? If you think the Montessori method is right for your child, consider getting your child the foundation of one to two years of Montessori before elementary school. If you’re concerned about transitioning from a different preschool to a public elementary school, go ahead and start out at the public preschool. Budget, driving distance, and work schedule may make your choice for you.

As long as your child is safe, happy, and learning, you can’t go wrong!

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Sarah Prager
Sarah Prager
Contributor
Sarah is a writer and mom who lives in Massachusetts. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, National…
9 simple steps that’ll help teach your toddler to read
Use these tips to help your toddler on their reading journey
Happy toddler boy reading a picture book

Learning to read is a critical milestone for all children. It's a skill they will use throughout their lives, and fostering a love of reading at an early age will help them as they progress through school. As an adult, reading is an essential part of every day.

Since reading is so vital, it's easy for parents of young children to wonder when they should start teaching a toddler to read. Is it even normal for a two-year-old to read? While some children will begin reading as early as age three, most children will not. Developmentally, many children begin to make the connection between letters, sounds, and words at the end of kindergarten or in first grade.

Read more
5 great activities to teach your toddler to listen
These activities may seem like games, but they'll teach your kiddo to listen
A dad playing with his toddler.

Most parents agree that things start to get fun once their child reaches the toddler stage. This is when children are more active, more verbal, and let’s face it, they have more energy than should be humanly possible. Sometimes, getting your toddler to stop (or even slow down) long enough to listen to you can be a challenge.

If you're wondering how to teach your toddler to listen, we have some activities that can help. These may seem like games, but they're ways of how to teach a toddler to listen when it’s time to be quiet and pay attention to someone else when it's their turn to talk. Let’s check out toddler listening activities that you’ll both enjoy doing.
Games to teach a toddler to listen

Read more
These 5 signs mean your baby is probably going through a growth spurt
Growth spurts cause these newborn behaviors
Baby sleeping on his back and smiling

New parents often find themselves amazed at how quickly their newborn grows out of their clothes and diapers, often overnight. Once a newborn begins eating constantly, sleeping erratically, and seems fussy all the time, this could be a sign they're going through a growth spurt. If those newborn diapers you stocked up on for your little one are no longer big enough and those adorable newborn sleepers are getting a bit snug, your baby is definitely going through a growth spurt!
Babies experience the most growth during their first year of life, so if you were hoping to establish any sort of routine for your newborn, you might be out of luck. But it's helpful to recognize when your baby is experiencing changes. Here are five signs of newborn growth spurts.

Long periods of sleep

Read more