Preschools

Teaching Philosophies and Organizations

  • American Montessori Society
  • Friends Council on Education
  • Reggio Emilia
  • Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America
  • Association of Waldorf Schools of North America
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
  • Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS)

Resources at the Local Level

  • Carolina Parent Magazine
  • Online site for local magazine that provides a variety of information for local parents. Check the “directories” link for Triangle area preschools and child care centers.
  • Child Care Services Association (CCSA) – Private, nonprofit, United Way agency providing lists of local child care centers; advice on choosing a center; and free consultation on the State of North Carolina’s rating system and other licensing issues. CCSA also houses the compliance records of providers, and facilitates communication with the N.C. Division of Child Development if parents have a child care complaint. It also administers applications for child care scholarships and needs-based subsidies. Use the FREE Online Child Care Search — or find us on Facebook.
  • FPG Child Development Institute – A multidisciplinary institute at UNC-Chapel Hill that conducts research and provides outreach services, primarily focusing on children from birth to age 8.
  • Lucy Daniels Center for Early Childhood – Preschool and kindergarten classrooms; training for parents, teachers, and mental health professionals; evaluations, counseling, and therapies for children from birth through age 11 and their families.

Resources at the State Level

  • North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services Division of Child Development – Follow the “Parents” link to learn about state laws, rules, licensing, and the state’s star rating system (see below); to conduct a search of regulated child care facilities; and to access checklists of what to look for when visiting a facility.
  • North Carolina Child Care Health and Safety Resource Center – Promotes safe and healthy child care through training and information to consumers, child care providers, and child care health consultants. Consumers call 1-800-367-2229 to learn more about finding high quality child care in their community. Child care providers call with questions about health policies in child care, regulatory changes, and health training materials.

Resources at the National Level

  • Healthy Child Care America (HCCA) – HCCA is a collaborative effort of health professionals, child care providers, and families working to improve the health and safety of children in child care. Its web site includes various resource materials.
  • National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) – The nation’s largest organization of early childhood educators, administering the largest and most widely recognized accreditation system for all types of early childhood schools and child care centers.

Additional Information

  • State of North Carolina Star Rating System – Beginning in September 2001, the North Carolina Division of Child Development began issuing star rated licenses to child care centers and family child care homes. Ratings range from one to five stars (5 = best), and are based on scores of 3 – 15 points (maximum of five points each for three categories). The points are earned for three programmatic categories: program standards, staff education levels, and compliance history with child care regulations. Once a facility is licensed, it does not have to renew that license. Only five percent of family child care homes are chosen randomly for annual compliance visits. Each child care center is visited annually.
Last updated August 2010