This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students. However, all thoughts are my own.

Time is flying by way too fast, y’all. I mean, I know I just had my second baby four months ago, but I feel like it was just yesterday that I had my FIRST baby. Its hard to believe that Bennett will be four years old this upcoming spring and that it will actually be time to register him for preschool!

Bennett currently attends preschool at a church near our house two days a week for just a few hours so I can work from home, but this is REAL preschool we are talking about here (aannnd cue the waterworks). When Bennett was two and half, we knew we wanted to enroll him into school for a few hours each week so he could get some socialization in. I have to admit, we didn’t really do much research when looking for a school, but we had a few friends whose kids attended a church preschool nearby that they really liked so we checked it out. The school was also a few miles from our house and the tuition was really affordable, so it worked for us. The affordable part was really important to us since I took a huge pay-cut to be able to work from home. We obviously wanted Bennett to attend a reputable school, but it couldn’t be crazy expensive. Luckily for us, I recently found out that in Georgia there is a lottery funded Pre-K program for four year olds, so we won’t have to worry about cost anymore.

Entrusting the care of your child to a stranger is one of the most daunting parenting milestones, and the process of selecting the right fit for your family is challenging, to say the least. I have been a little anxious about finding a new preschool for Bennett because I want to make sure the school is a good fit for him. I recently discovered Quality Rated‘s free search tool, which helps make finding the best child care services simple for parents like me. The free search tool helps parents access safety and inspection reports for each facility and also provides services offered, Quality Rated star-ratings, teacher credentials, operating hours, tuition prices and even gives you transportation options if you are needing them. Since I work from home, ?I don’t ?have to worry about if ?the school is on my way to work, but I loved that it even offers you a the ability to search for a child care facility that is convenient to your commute. To do this, all you have to do is click the “Search along a route” option.

The most important feature on the search tool is its ability to list schools that are Quality Rated which provides parents with a comprehensive overview of each school. When schools choose to participate in the Quality Rated program, it means they are committed to continually improving their centers and the education they offer. All Quality Rated schools are independently evaluated by credentialed early childhood experts to ensure that they follow the best practices. This was a no-brainer for us; we decided Bennett’s new school needed to be a part of this program for us to even consider it.

I am so happy to have found such an amazing resource so that I can get all the information I need when choosing a school for Bennett. Its also nice to know that a search tool like this exists so that when it comes time to pick a school for Sydney ?I will be well prepared. I wish I had known about this when we first chose a school for Bennett, but I am glad I’ll be able to use it this time around when he enters the Georgia Pre-K program.

Have you heard of Quality Rated before? What do you consider when making a child care choice??

Check out this Child Care Checklist from Quality Rated for some guidelines!