This guide is sponsored by the businesses listed below.
Preschool, Nursery School, Childcare Center, In-Home Daycare? What’s best for your family?
We’re pleased to offer the Rochester MN Guide to Early Education to help you in making your decision. Picking a preschool, nursery school or childcare center that fits your child’s and your family’s needs can be an overwhelming task. As parents, we are clearly aware of the importance of our decision. The businesses below are eager to chat with you about how their program just might be the best fit for your child. This comprehensive guide will provide you with all the options for early childhood care in Rochester MN.
So what is the difference between the four options? It is important to note that all options are focused on the educational and social development of your children, just in subtly different ways.
- Preschool will most often provide care for shorter hours and are closed for holidays, breaks, and summer, though some may offer full-time programs, extended care, and summer options. Additionally, preschools tend to be for children age 3 – 5.
- Childcare Centers may be a more convenient choice for working parents because they usually provide full-time care, even during school breaks. And they generally accept a wider age range: infants through pre-kindergarteners and even school-aged children.
- Nursery School can offer both shorter hours and extended care options for children 2 -5 years old (in some cases younger!) Nursery schools also tend to place emphasis and focus on experiential and social learning.
- In-Home Daycare are private homes licensed by the state of Minnesota to care for a certain amount of children. Often in smaller setting, this option provides care in a smaller setting.
Additionally, we’ve listed out helpful resources to you as you begin your search. Please be sure to visit the drop down menus below our featured listing for information on in-home daycare, sitters, county resources and more!
YMCA - Early Childhood Learning Center
Rochester YMCA Early Childhood Learning Center offers full-day care and education for infants, toddlers, preschool, and pre-kindergarten with full and part-week options for toddlers and preschool. On-site amenities include bright, colorful classrooms, interactive whiteboards, a library, an outdoor garden, separate playgrounds for toddlers and preschoolers, and more. To learn more, get pricing information or to request a tour please visit our website
Casa de Corazón
Casa de Corazón provides quality Spanish immersion child care that families turn to for their children’s first educational experiences. Through Spanish immersion curriculum, sustainable practices, and an emphasis on social responsibility, we prepare children for their future endeavors both inside and outside scholastic settings. We are opening in the fall of 2022 at the intersection of W Circle Drive & US-14. Stay updated on our opening at casaearlylearning.com!
Rochester Central Lutheran School (RCLS)
In Stepping Stones, RCLS’s early childhood program, children will experience a safe, stimulating, and affirming environment where they can develop a set of skills needed to successfully enter kindergarten, eager and ready to learn. Early learning skills are taught within the context of a Christian environment that prioritizes an academic and spiritual foundation, ensuring that the whole child is educated. Distinctively, RCLS’s Preschool and Prekindergarten programs are taught by licensed educators in a larger school environment, which gives students access to the resources of the K-8 program. A secure, nurturing environment and flexible scheduling with before- and after-school care offer families the convenience they seek, while students receive the care and early education they deserve.
Kingdom Kids
IT begins here. We seek to enrich our community by providing a quality education that Initiates a lifelong love for Jesus Christ and Teaches the foundational skills essential for academic success. Located in Rochester, MN, Kingdom Kids Christian Preschool is licensed by the Minnesota Department of Human Services, accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), and has a 4/4 Star Parent Aware rating. We partner with your family to educate, nurture, and encourage the development of the whole child. Every child is made in God’s image and has incredible intrinsic value. Our goal is to build a strong foundation in God’s word from which your child will benefit for life. Students are prepared for Kindergarten through our academic, developmentally appropriate curriculum.
New Horizon Academy
New Horizon Academy provides exceptional early childhood education and cares for children ages 6 weeks through 4th grade. We pride ourselves on having high-quality teachers who have an appreciation for children, a positive attitude, and a love of teaching. New Horizon Academy supports the development of important social and emotional skills while encouraging a healthy sense of self in every child. When your child graduates from the preschool program at New Horizon Academy they will have the skills they need for success in school and life! Schedule a tour at one of our two Rochester locations today.
EPIC Endeavors Preschool Academy
EPIC Endeavors Preschool Academy is a STEM learning environment located downtown Rochester geared for our youngest scholars beginning at age 2 3/4 year to age 5. EPIC preschool is where art, music, and a lot of movement and sports are woven into all our “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math” learning. Our niche in town is building early readers! At EPIC children become researchers as they learn to read and write daily and get a whole lot of indoor and outdoor purposeful play! Our goal is for EPIC kids to become readers, writers, and thinkers about our world. We invite you to come visit and see our little learning lab for kids. Text for a tour today 507-319-5709 to see our preschool options.
The Nest - Rochester Catholic Schools
Preschool Now Offered at All Five Rochester Catholic Schools Locations!
New for the 2022-2023 school year: The Award-Winning Nest Preschool at Rochester Catholic Schools is growing! We are excited to announce expanded offerings at all five of our convenient RCS locations for the fall of 2022, including options for ages 2-5!
Locations and offerings include:
Holy Spirit Catholic School (Ages 2-5)
St. Francis of Assisi School (Ages 3-5)
St. Pius X School (Ages 3-5)
Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Middle School (Ages 3-5)
Lourdes High School (Ages 4-5) Nature-Based Program
At The Nest Preschool, students engage in creative play, grow through age-appropriate educational opportunities, and develop social and friendship skills.
RASA - Rochester Arts & Sciences Academy
Rochester Arts and Sciences Academy is an International Baccalaureate school focused on individualized rigorous academics and a diverse supportive community. We offer preschool – middle school programs that strive to develop students who will build a better world through intercultural understanding and respect — encouraging their critical thinking skills, while nurturing their curiosity and their ability to solve complex problems.
RASA is focused on our culturally diverse International Baccalaureate (IB) Education, which strives to develop students who will build a better world through intercultural understanding and respect — encouraging their critical thinking skills, while nurturing their curiosity and their ability to solve complex problems. RASA seeks to provide a healthy and stable community focused on exceptional academics for the preschool through middle school years.
RASA offers: small class sizes, licensed teachers, enhanced and tailored academics, extended school day and school year, globally minded curriculum, after-school care and clubs, secular education, and daily French and Spanish instruction for all students.
Aldrich School
Aldrich School is a local, non-profit, nationally accredited nursery school that holds a special place in the hearts of countless children and families. The Aldrich program provides a play-based learning environment with developmentally appropriate experiences in all areas of growth including cognitive, physical, social/emotional, and language development.
Aldrich has a rich history and quality reputation in the Rochester community. Pediatricians and child psychiatrists, including Dr. Benjamin Spock, were involved in a Mayo Clinic study of child development in the 1940s which eventually led to the inception of Aldrich.
Having served the children of Rochester for more than 75 years, Aldrich has touched tens of thousands of lives in Minnesota and beyond. Even two of our faculty members are Aldrich alumni! We love seeing former Aldrich students succeed, and really love when they bring their own children back to enroll.
Rochester Public Schools - Preschool
Preschool is all about wonderful new learning experiences that build skills for a lifetime. It is about turning everyday experiences and interactions into powerful opportunities for learning. At Rochester Public Schools Preschool we understand that each child has unique educational needs and we emphasize learning through age-appropriate practice in a play-based environment. We use purposeful play because we know that our young students learn best in a playful, hands-on setting. We also believe that effective learning takes place when we build and sustain strong partnerships and relationships with our students and their families. To best meet the varied needs of the children and families we serve, we offer a variety of locations, times, and programming options.
Eureka Kids
Eureka Kids is a locally owned early childhood learning center that focuses on developing the whole child to prepare your child for a lifetime of learning. We use our S.M.A.R.T.E.R. learning philosophy to help children develop in Science, Math, Art, Reading, Technology, Engineering, and their every day Relationships. We provide a safe, nurturing learning environment for children 6 weeks to kindergarten. Eureka celebrates the uniqueness of each of the children and families in our care, creating a place of love, and acceptance in our nurturing and diverse environment. We are opening a new location in September 2022 and accepting enrollments for all age groups.
Tierra Encantada
With a curriculum that caters to the growth of the whole child, an emphasis on diversity and a warm, welcoming environment, Tierra Encantada is the leader in Spanish Immersion Early Education- and our Rochester location is open and enrolling! Our center serves fresh organic meals, offers cloth diapers for our infants and toddlers and teaches STEM-based curriculum through Spanish immersion in every classroom. Join the Tierra Encantada community and give your child a lifetime advantage. Secure your spot today by visiting our website or sending our admissions team an email!
Daniel Christian Academy
The mission of The Daniel Christian Academy is to raise up leaders that are rooted in Christ, cultivate their potential, and impact the world through service. Our preschool is a place of joy and peace where children feel at home while away from home. We believe that children are gifts from God, each packaged with unique abilities, talents, and callings that can be expressed in a variety of ways. As educators, we come alongside parents to cultivate these gifts while attending to children physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Our education philosophy is influenced by Dr. Maria Montessori and inquiry-based methods. Students are free to choose within the prepared environment and lessons are developed based on the interests of the child. We welcome children ages 2-5 years old into our mixed aged classroom.
Other Area Child Care Centers, Nursery Schools, Preschools, & Resources
Licensed In-Home Day Care
Rochester is fortunate to have many wonderful, loving in-home day care providers to meet your family’s needs. This sort of care is in very high demand in Rochester, so if you’d like to take this route for your child’s care, we suggest you start your search early. There are a few resources that can help you:
Olmsted County Child Care Association
Minnesota Licensing Information Look-Up
Other Resources
Au Pairs
School Readiness
Dolly Parton Imagination Library
Provides one book per month for children ages birth through five in Olmsted County.
Early Childhood Screening is a free, comprehensive developmental screening for any child 3 years to 5 years living in the Rochester School District.
Sitters
College Nannies, Sitters + Tutors
Special Needs
Olmsted County Child Personal Care Attendants (PCA)
The PCA program provides assistance to families with disabled children and children with special healthcare needs requiring assistance and currently enrolled in Medical Assistance. The program provides help and assistance with activities of daily living.
Olmsted County Child and Youth Services
Support to help ensure the safety and well-being of children and youth in Olmsted County.
Rochester Public Schools Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)
ECSE is early intervention services for children with developmental delays in a variety of areas such as cognition, motor, social, or speech development. ECSE provides children who are diagnosed under the ECSE criteria with appropriate educational programs that are designed to meet their particular needs, enabling them to more fully participate in their home, school, and community.
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