Schools

Still Time to Register for Preschool

Several local preschools in the Royal Oak area may still have openings available for 3- and 4-year-olds.

After a busy summer enjoying the outdoors, many parents of young children are thinking about how their kids will stay busy when the cold weather sets in.

For many local children, preschool is the answer.

Royal Oak mom Michele Linn said her 3-year-old daughter Sarah enjoys the wide variety of activities offered at preschool.

Find out what's happening in Royal Oakwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I think school has been tremendous for Sarah,” she said. “I love school for her because I think it really builds her confidence and independence.”

Linn said her daughter enjoys the structured environment of her class, going to the school’s gross motor room and playing on the playground outside.

Find out what's happening in Royal Oakwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“She loves meeting new friends,” she said, adding that her daughter would cry last year if there was a snow day or she couldn’t attend school because she was sick. “I know she loves it.”

But as the school year approaches, many preschools that run September through May or June are already full for the year. There is a great deal of demand for preschools in the Royal Oak area, according to Katherine Howell, director of First Congregational Church Preschool in Royal Oak.

Howell said parents should start researching and touring schools early if they want to ensure a spot. “Parents need to start very early,” she said.

Many preschools start accepting registrations in the late fall or early winter the year before school starts, and the most-popular spots – especially in morning classes – can fill up quickly, she said. Classes at the First Congregational Church co-op preschool are full.

Howell said preschool offers exactly the type of environment children thrive on and is a great preparation for kindergarten.

She said her father had a saying: “Children thrive on structure and routine.”

“I think there’s a lot of truth in that,” she said. “Life has structure. It’s good for children to learn how to work within a structure, a predictable repeatable pattern and the teachers do the same order of events every day in class. That’s comforting to a child.”

If you’re looking for a preschool for your 3- or 4-year-old for the fall, the following schools may still have openings:

 in Royal Oak

 in Royal Oak

Northwood Preschool in Royal Oak

 in Royal Oak

Addams Early Childhood Center in Royal Oak

Birmingham Community Montessori


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here