I hear you! I felt crazy pressure, and I didn't even realize DS7 was more than MG back in pre-K.
The good news is that you're on top of things. Your DD is really lucky! She's going to get what she needs because you're taking care of it.
My best advice: doing your best is all you have to do. Honest. If your DD sees that you're trying to find a good fit for her, then she'll know that she's loved and supported. That's all she needs.
As for schools...When you say "preschools" vs. "playschools," what are you looking for? Most schools for 2-4yos are not highly academic, at least not around here (also in the Midwest). The usual pre-K schedule is something like this:
*circle time (sharing, weather, reading friends names, etc.)
*free choice play in the room (dress up, blocks, games, manipulatives, painting, etc.)
*circle time (read a book, sing a song, etc.)
*snack
*play outside (gross motor, trikes, swings, etc.)
You can see that there's not a lot of academic content there, and virtually no drill. It's mostly play time. I looked at a LOT of pre-K programs, and pretty much all of the standard church-based or independent programs looked just like this. The academic ones were unusual/downright rare.
Did you consider this to be an academic program? Maybe we're just using different words for the same thing?
