St. Louis daycare / preschool (Union, Brentwood: day care, YMCA, allergy)

[mpg617]

I'm looking for recommendations for daycare or preschools in St. Louis, preferably in the South City area. We send our child to Developmental Childcare in Dogtown right now and love it, but it will be far too expensive for us when we have our second child. I would like to find something similar to DCC, with a basis in constructivism or Montessori philosphy. Other attributes of DCC that I love include the setup of the place (it doesn't feel institutional) and the high level of interaction between teachers and students (the teachers aren't afraid to love on the babies). I would love to find a place that both children can go to (infant and 2 year old), but we will separate them if we need to. I looked into City Garden Montessori preschool, but they only accept children from the 63110 zip code. We also live close to Union preschool and Christy Park Montessori, if anyone has experiences with them to share. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[arch_genesis]

Well I don't know anything off the top of my head but if no one can help you here you can try MomsLikeMe.com | Where local moms meet they have about 17,000 St. Louis moms and a pretty active discussion board. Hope that helps = )

[cmtullock123]

Well if you want to stay in the Dogtown area still, I know of a lady who runs her own childcare business. I heard that she has flexible hours and has a pretty good price. If you are interested let me know.

[SouthCityGal]

The original poster has probably selected a place by now, but I'll add my two cents for other interested parties who stumble across this thread. I think most preschools in South City are half day programs, though extended hours may be available. Be sure to know ahead of time if you need half day or full day care, because that alone will narrow your search.

The only South City place I know of that takes infants is Step Ahead Child Care on South Hampton, and I heard they are very expensive. In terms of preschools, I know families who go to Union (Union Preschool), Hopemark (HopeMark Preschool) and St. Stephen's (http://www.allergyfreepreschool.org/). They're each happy with their choice, but I can't tell you want kind of program or philosophy each school has.

I personally used Southwest Baptist CDC at the corner of Tamm and Scanlan, by the Machacek branch of the public library (Southwest Baptist Church, St. Louis, MO (http://www.southwestbaptistchurch.org/2999.html - broken link)). They are a simple, no frills facility that provides all-day care, starting at the age of 2. At the time that I did my research, they were the most affordable, especially since I needed an all day program due to my work schedule. You can enroll your child part-time (minimum of 2 days) or full-time, and if you have two or more children at the center, there is a reduced fee. Again, it's not fancy, but the staff is kind and dedicated. Most of the staff has worked there for years.

Overall, be sure to visit the places you're interested in, and take your child with you. You can learn a lot just by watching your child interact with the teachers and children during the visit.

[jackie0307]

We use Step Ahead. They are pretty expensive but we also looked around and didn't find anything cheaper that I felt comfortable sending my children for the whole day! I'm actually looking for a summer program though because my children will both be too old for Step Ahead by next summer.

[rdohrman]

The Minier Center at the Mid-County YMCA in Brentwood is another possible option. My two kids are there and we really like it.