Help a mama out--in East Dallas/Lakewood (Center: how much, home)

[Leopard3]

We are relocating to Dallas next month and while I've found a school for my older children, I don't quite know where to begin finding a nursery school for my "baby"--he's three. I don't really know anyone in my area of Dallas (moms I know all live in suburbs) to ask, and I also realize I've missed all the deadlines for application. Unfortunately we won't be moving into our home until...two weeks before school starts! So, I'm going to have to get this process going from afar.
If you have any experience with nice, nurturing preschools in the East Dallas/Lakewood areas, please let me hear from you.
Really appreciate any advice!
LC

[pepper131]

Greenland Hills United Methodist should have some openings. They are fairly new and not full with wait lists like so many other preschools. Just an FYI - many preschools are in churches, but they are not religious at all.

[mami2emily]

Hi,

You might try doing a search on GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community. They include all types of preschools. If you enter an address or zip code you can find preschools in that area. Once you have school names you can find their websites on the internet and gather more information. That is how I found the church-based preschool where I teach, about a mile from my house.

I would take the reviews on that site with a grain of salt, though. Better to check several review sources and not just what is on great schools.

Good luck on your search.

[Camelia38]

Also visit www.care.com. You can search by proximity to your house. Good luck!

[debtex]

If you don't need full day, you shouldn't have a problem getting a spot at Ridgewood Methodist Mother's Day out, which is a little gem few know about. We didn't do it, but my very reliable neighbor used it for all her kids and loved it.

I'm sure most everything else is full. Preschool is a nail biter around here, almost as bad as kinder and high school.

Good luck!

[thebears1982]

Thanks for starting this thread. My wife and I are also going to be living in East Dallas/Lakewood soon and are looking for great child care options for infants. If anyone has any great recommendations (either church schools or for-profit schools), we would welcome the recommendations.

I was also wondering how much of a wait list if there typically if you are newly pregnant? Is it smart to go ahead and get on wait lists for some of the more popular child care options? I've heard that Community School of Park Cities is a nice one.

[robmab]

Not for infants, but for the OP who has a 3-year-old, you might check out Lakewood Montessori. It's a wonderful little school on Mockingbird Ln near Abrams. Not sure if they have any openings for the upcoming school year, but it's definitely worth a phone call to check. Our daughter was there from ages 3-5 and we absolutely loved the teachers and the other families. Huge sense of community and they truly nurture the kids, which is so important at that age.

[robmab]

Originally Posted by thebears1982

I was also wondering how much of a wait list if there typically if you are newly pregnant? Is it smart to go ahead and get on wait lists for some of the more popular child care options? I've heard that Community School of Park Cities is a nice one.

Yes, start looking now and get on the list if you know you're going to need infant care. The best centers book those infant spots 3-6 months ahead of time.

We used Dealey Child Care Center at Presbyterian Hospital, which is a bit north if you're looking in the Lakewood area, but it's a great program and the infant teachers were top-notch when we were there three years ago. I realize a lot can change in three years, so take that for what it's worth.

Another infant program to check out is East Dallas Developmental Center. We could never get in there, but I've heard raves about them. Much closer to Lakewood/East Dallas.