Junior Achievers

The Preschool Experience

1091 Centre St., Newton, 617-964-6749, thepreschoolexperience.org. This is an intimate, (relatively) inexpensive facility that gives children the old-school feeling of home education combined with a modern curriculum, overseen by a pair of directors who have been there for 19 years. Facilities: The first floor of a Victorian house with an enclosed play area. Educational approach: Emergent, developmentally based. Programs offered: Half day, with an afternoon option; early-morning option available during school year. Tuition: Three days, $4,300; four days, $4,700; five days, $5,100. Admissions: Applications accepted starting December 1, with most receiving a quick turnaround. Preference is given to students’ siblings. Waitlist: Yes.

Red Barn Nursery School

724 Boston Post Rd., Weston, 781-893-8020, redbarn.grovesite.com. Considered to be among the oldest, most affordable, and most esteemed cooperatives in the Boston area, Red Barn was created with guidance from Tufts University’s department of clinical study (the forebear of the Eliot-Pearson School). The “parent helping” program gets moms and dads lending a hand in the classroom, and is a huge hit with the children (and the teachers). Facilities: A red, barnlike structure custom-built to house the school. Educational approach: Developmentally based co-op. Student-teacher ratio: 8-1. Programs offered: Half day, with early drop-off and extended-day options. Tuition: Three days, $3,878; four days, $4,922; five days, $5,846. Admissions: Applications due by November 15. Parents are expected to tour the school and observe a class. Starting in early January, acceptances are granted on a first-come, first-serve basis at the director’s discretion. Waitlist: Yes.

Shady Hill School

178 Coolidge Hill, Cambridge, 617-868-1260, shs.org. One of the area’s most progressive and multicultural schools, Shady Hill has a student body that’s almost 30 percent African American, Asian American, Latino, or biracial. Its campus also boasts a swath of wetlands that makes outdoor lessons particularly hands-on. Facilities: 18 buildings on 11 tree-lined acres in a tranquil section of Cambridge. Educational approach: An emergent-like style, heavy on projects and a “central subject” curriculum, in which areas of study (math, science, etc.) incorporate the same person, period of history, or idea. Programs offered: Half day and full day, with an afterschool option that runs until 6 p.m. Tuition: Half day, $16,900; full day and afterschool option, $18,300–$30,740. Financial aid available. Admissions: An open house for parents and children is held October 28; applications due January 3. The child visits with a small group of fellow candidates, then meets with a teacher for individual assessment. Decisions mailed by March 10. Waitlist: Yes.

South Shore Conservatory

Ellison Center for the Arts, 64 St. George St., Duxbury, 781-934-2731 x10, southshoreconservatory.org. A great bet for parents interested in giving their kids an early start in the performing arts, South Shore Conservatory has a particularly strong program for musically inclined youngsters. Faculty with expertise in instrumental music, drama, and dance encourage a “learning by doing” vibe. Facilities: Classrooms in the Ellison Center for the Arts. Educational approach: Developmentally based, with an arts-principled, music-focused curriculum. Programs offered: Half day, with early drop-off and lunch options. Tuition: Half day, $2,795–$5,600 per semester; early drop-off option, $240–$1,200. Admissions: Rolling. First-come, first-serve for families of current students or alumni; decisions made in March and April for new applicants. Parents can tour the school and bring their children to meet with the director. Waitlist: Yes.

Spruce Street Nursery School

5 Avery Place, Boston, 617-482-5252, sprucestreetnurseryschool.com. A magnet for progeny of boldface Bostonians (both Manny Ramirez’s and Abby Johnson’s kids are said to attend), Spruce Street offers an almost unmatched child-teacher intimacy. Several weeks before classes begin, instructors meet with their charges at the children’s own homes to make introductions and ease first-day anxieties. Facilities: Four classrooms on the second floor of a high-rise next to the Ritz-Carlton. Educational approach: Emergent, developmentally based. Student-teacher ratio: 4½-1. Programs offered: Half day and full day, with an early drop-off option. Tuition: Half day, $5,800–$12,500; full day, $6,580–$16,360. Admissions: Open house on October 20; applications due January 15. The school contacts the parents to schedule a family visit. Decisions mailed by March 10. Waitlist: Yes.