Junior Achievers

Nashoba Brooks School

200 Strawberry Hill Rd., Concord, 978-369-4591, nbsc.org. This is another prekindergarten program with a sterling pedigree. Ninety-eight percent of the school’s faculty boast at least one advanced degree, and according to parents of alumni and current students, Nashoba Brooks’s reputation as an academically rigorous yet tightly knit community is spot-on. Facilities: A 20-acre campus with playgrounds, woods, and a pond. Educational approach: Developmentally based, student-centered. Tuition: $15,680. Admissions: Applications due January 25; decisions made by March 10. Parental visits are scheduled October 1 through mid-February; in January the school holds play-group sessions to evaluate the children. Preference is given to students’ siblings and children of alumni.

Natick Montessori

Goin Bailey House, 49 Eliot St., South Natick, 508-647-0888, natickmontessori.org.
This Natick school augments the traditional Montessori curriculum with unique music classes and Spanish instruction. Parents are also invited to play a large role in utilizing their own expertise for the school’s benefit, another twist on the usually insular Montessori approach. Facilities: Two high-ceilinged buildings and two floors of a neighboring office complex, with 2,500 square feet of indoor play space and a pair of enclosed playgrounds. Educational approach: Montessori, with lots of parent participation. Student-teacher ratio: 8-1. Programs offered: Half day and full day, with an extended-day option. Tuition: Half day, $9,100; full day, $12,400; full day plus extended, $15,800. Admissions: The simple blind admissions process has no interviews: Visit an open house, file an application in October, and receive a decision by March. Waitlist: Yes.

North Shore Nursery School

204 Greenwood Ave., Beverly Farms, 978-922-8450, northshorenurseryschool.org. Heralded by local school directors for its caring staff, North Shore gives kids a bonus: the largest indoor sandbox of any of the schools on our list (it takes up a whole room). It also has a “Wednesday Explorers” program in which everyone from firefighters to actors come to explain their jobs. Facilities: That sprawling sandbox, plus an outdoor play area with a garden where kids can plant and dig. Educational approach: Emergent, developmentally based. Student-teacher ratio: 5-1. Programs offered: Half day, with optional lunch and afternoon sessions (children may enroll for any combination). Tuition: $6,184–$8,464, depending on number of days and child’s age. Admissions: Open house in November; applications due December 31. Children are considered in the order in which they apply, with two-year-olds chosen by lottery. Preference is given to students’ siblings and children of alumni. Waitlist: Yes.

The Park School

171 Goddard Ave., Brookline, 617-277-2456, parkschool.org. Established in 1888, this Brookline stalwart offers instruction from pre-K through ninth grade. What we like most about the place, though, besides the plush digs and commitment to diversity, is its focus on cooperative play—something that often gets lost in the more academic approaches pursued by many other pre-Ks that are part of elementary and middle schools. Facilities: A 26-acre campus near Jamaica Pond with a 35,000-volume library, computer labs, art studios, a theater, and three playgrounds. Educational approach: Developmentally based. Programs offered: Full day. Tuition: $15,870. Admissions: An application, a tour, and a meeting with an admissions official must be completed by January 4; a detailed family history is due January 25. Children are observed in small-group play sessions in January or February; decisions made by mid-March. Waitlist: Yes.

Plowshares Childcare

Newton North High School, 360 Lowell Ave., Newton, 617-527-3755, plowshareschildcare.org. Plowshares operates three quality schools in Newton, but the one run out of Newton North High is the most impressive. Making the difference is the attention it lavishes on students, thanks to the high schoolers who work with the kids. Facilities: Newton North High School classrooms. Educational approach: Emergent, developmentally based. Student-teacher ratio: 7-1. Programs offered: Three-quarters day, full day, and extended day. Tuition: Monthly fees are $850 for three-quarters day; $1,045 for full day; $1,215 for extended day. Admissions: Applications due by February. Beginning in January, parents meet with the director, and their prospective students visit the school. Preference is given to children of City of Newton employees and to students’ siblings. Waitlist: Yes.