The Early Years

It’s been almost eight years since my family and I made the move from Southern California to the Midwest. In those early months of our move, along with finding a house, one of my priorities was to find a great preschool for my then 4-year-old son. We were lucky that we had so many different options to choose from: everything from parent-led one-day-a-week programs to full-time kindergarten prep. Ultimately, what made the most sense for our family — and our 4 year old — was a cooperative (co-op) preschool.

My child thrived in this preschool setting. He gained confidence, independence and school readiness, and I was able to help out in his class frequently and get to know the other parents in the school, who were also working alongside their children. We loved co-op preschool so much that I enrolled my youngest child in it, too. Altogether, we were a part of our co-op school community for five wonderful years. I’m still friends with many of the parents and teachers, and I still think of the school as one of my best parenting decisions I’ve ever made.

A high-quality preschool program is essential — it sets a child up for academic, emotional and social success. We think that preschool is so important that we’ve dedicated a good portion of this issue to it! Starting on page 14, you’ll find lots of info about preschool topics to help you make an informed decision. The preschool years are short, but this fundamental time is just the start down a path of lifelong learning.

PUBLISHER

Mary Wynne Cox mary@ohparent.com

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER + ADVERTISING

Katie Clark katie@ohparent.com

EDITOR

Nicole Sipe nicolesipe@ohparent.com

PRODUCTION MANAGER Becca Reynolds becca@ohparent.com

DIGITAL PUBLISHER

Wendy Hasser wendy@ohparent.com

DIGITAL EDITOR + DISTRIBUTION

Rebecca Matteson rebecca@ohparent.com

ADMINISTRATION

Emily Kirchmann emily@ohparent.com

BILLING billing@ohparent.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Steffy McCourt, Jennifer Thompson

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