trust every feeling / instinct you have, go with it and do not ignore that feeling / instinct.
I second this. I never felt comfortable while touring preschools. I had this knot in my stomach and felt that I couldn't leave DD there by herself. People thought that has everything to do with my own anxiety issues and had nothing to do with DD's best interest but when I actually found the right school for DD, I knew it instantly and so did DD. I count my lucky stars every time I drop her off. We LOVE everything about this little school. Of course, she just started and she only goes 2 times a week so things could change rapidly next year when she'd be going 5 mornings a week but she's already looking forward to it. I was a little paranoid at first that other parents might complaint that having a child like DD upsets the balance of the group but everyone has been very welcoming and supportive.
I'm learning to trust my own instinct as well as my DD's and I'm done 1) hiding DD's abilities and 2) making excuses for schools and teachers who do not get her.
She attended a Waldorf preschool and kindergarten which worked really well for her. Despite the "wait until you're 7 to read" attitude, the teachers let my DD read as much as she liked. She loved the stories, woodwork, cooking, outside play and all the arts: knitting, sewing, etc...With hindsight I would have pulled her out of the Waldorf charter school in 1st grade.
DD's current school is eclectic but it leans heavily towards Walforf approach; it's nature-based, encourages open-ended play, and spends a lot of time dancing and singing but her teacher also has DD reading and doing research with children almost twice her age. I explain to people that its cover looks like Walforf but inside, it's more Montessori than Waldorf. It's a great fit right now but we'd definitely need to find something else after next school year. I just don't know what that'd be.
