The best preschool is Brookline isn't even on the list! Kehilath Israel Nursery School (KINS) has been Coolidge Corners best preschool for decades! I graduated from KINS 32 years ago and my fourth child has another year--all his siblings are graduates. The community, the Jewish values, the love, and the emphasis on early education cannot be beat. Check it out.

The Best childcare option we've found in Brookline is the Brookline School Staff Childcare Center (BSSCC). The teachers are warm, caring and extremely knowledgable. Although priority for securing a spot may be given to teachers in the Brookline school system who have children, the program is open to the public as well.

There are several excellent Brookline preschools missing from this list, such as Clinton Path, the various BEEP programs, both Temple Ohabei Shalom's and Temple Israel's preschool programs, and Rainbow Preschool (which both of my sons joyfully attended). Who came up with this list? The warning at the bottom is correct: this is NOT a scientific poll, because it is only a sampling of what's out there!

Many fine programs are NOT on this list. I agree this poll is a far cry from being scientific. How about University Pre-School, Little Feet Daycare, Les Papillons, just to mention a few. The omission of some of the larger programs is quite a big one - Dean Park Pre-School, and as already mentioned - Clinton Path Pre-school, BEEP (at least 13 classrooms and a very fine program), Temple Israel, Temple Emeth, Kehilleth Israel and Ohabai Shalom. In addition there are many fine family daycare providers in Brookline who provide professional in care in a very nurturing environment. Perhaps rating "the best pre-school" in this manner is not such a good idea after all.

Thanks Laurie and Pam- due to your helpful feedback, it sounds like Grahame is updating the poll info. Let's give him a chance to add other great options for childcare in Brookline. We're so lucky to live in a town that's filled with so many great options for our children!

Definitely don't overlook the Kehillath Israel Nursery School, mentioned at least once above -- one of the most well-established programs of its kind and a truly wonderful, special place! Maybe the list needs to be narrowed to apples and apples instead of apples and oranges -- preschools separate from day care centers? private, public, services for toddlers, pre-K programming -- there are so many ways in which all of these places aren't equally available to all families. Thanks for starting an important conversation, though!!

Thank you, everyone, for your responses. This seems to be a much larger question than I had originally set out to ask. I am going to create a second poll, incorporating some suggestions from these comments, from e-mails, and from social media feedback. In the meantime, I will leave the original poll where it sits, and welcome suggestions.

You have overlooked the Corner Coop Nursery School at the corner of Beacon St and Dean Road. They will be celebrating their 40th anniversary this year !!

@Pam: Thanks, I was feeling a little sheepish this morning, but I think we're improving with all of your help. I definitely appreciate the feedback!

Thanks for all your attention and work on this! It is certainly a topic that is near and dear to many people's hearts in Brookline! (ps: since you said comments count: GO KEHILLATH ISRAEL!! we love it there ;)

You should really just re-think this entirely and take down the poll. Smoothies is one thing. Daycare is a major and complex issue. There are tons of daycare options in Brookline - with variations based on home based vs group care, infants thru pre-K, whether or not they take government vouchers, facilities, whether or not you can provide your own food or if it is provided, whether they support using cloth diapers or a decision of whether or not to vaccinate, religious-based programs vs. secular. No daycare can be number one because no day care can be all things to all people. No matter what "wins" in your limited poll - there will be people who can't stand that center because of something that happened to someone there - a punsihment, ignoring a child, an allergy, a rash - or the occassional kid getting left behind in a park (it happens!). You should really trash this poll and instead to an insightful interview with someone like Joyce-Stavis-Zak who is the licensor for ALL the daycares in Brookline.

Libby, we believe there is real value in readers sharing which day care/pre-school they like — feel passionately about, even! — and why. That is the purpose of these polls, for people to share their insights and knowledge and, yes, opinions. An interview with a day care licensor is a fine idea, but provides a very different set of information than gathering reviews from the people whose children are at these day care/pre-schools. Thanks, everyone, for sharing your ideas; it really does help the community.

Little Feet Daycare is the best day care in Brookline. They provide excellent and loving care for my daughter in a nurturing and loving environment. My daughter has thrived since joining this program and we are very grateful for it.

I think the poll would be better phrased as simply "Where do you send your children for pre-school or day care?" We all value the appreciations that parents share for the wonderful, compassionate professionals who teach and care for their children.

I vote for Temple Ohabei Shalom, TCEE! My twins girls go there and LOVE every second of it.

I vote for Ohabei Shalom’s TCEE because its amazingly flexible in terms of hours and the teachers are great.

I have been an early childhood educator for over 16 years and believe that Ohabei Shalom's TCEE has a wonderful program. The teachers, families, and environment show the warmth and learning. The childrens faces each day are smiling and this is a great preschool!

Dear Editor,
I must second Mr Churwin's vote for TCEE at Ohabei Shalom.
My 3-yr old daughter attends this school and I cannot fault it:
1) The staff who are the most important asset to the school and kind, caring, calm and knowledgable.
2) The communication between families and school is excellent with written/e-mail/verbal feed-back on-going
3) Each child is respected as individuals and cherished regardless of back-ground
4) Fascilities are excellent with ample space both in-and out-doors
5) We feel that this school has not only taught my daughter skills-needed for life, but has also taught our whole family them too.
MANY THANKS!

I vote for TCEE at Ohabei Shalom- the teachers and staff are great and have nurtured my daughter for the last 2 years- we are truly sad to be leaving for K this fall

I also vote for TCEE at Ohabei Shalom! The teachers are both incredibly knowledgeable and incredibly great with the kids, giving individual help and attention. The thought and care put into the curriculum is outstanding. It's a wonderful community to be part of.

We have been Kehillath Israel Nursery School parents since 2006. In addition to high quality pre-school and Jewish content, my son came home with new Chinese words just last week.

I vote for Ohabei Shalom’s TCEE - my five year old son is finishing his second year there, and loves his amazing teachers, his wonderful classmates and their families, and the varied and totally spot on programming. Every morning a new activity awaits him, and his little sister, at 2 1/2, can barely tear herself away. Check it out! The great location and flexible schedule are hard to beat.

Bettina Neuefeind

I vote for TCEE at Ohabei Shalom! Our children love it, and have flourished. The teachers make such an effort to engage the families in their children's school experience, which we greatly appreciate!

I don't usually participate in polls, but I couldn"t stop myself here. My sons have attended Ohabei Shalom's TCEE for their third year now and I couldn't be happier. They nail all the "Basics" of a caring, nuturing environment and hit the ball out of the park with their amazing teachers and staff. Every activity seems to have multiple layers of learning. My sons will be well-prepared for Kindergarten next year.

I vote for Little Feet Day Care. They provide a loving, nurturing, and warm environment
in which learning is closely tied to play. A lot of arts and crafts, music, reading, and nutritious meals. They even have their own playground.You can check them out for yourself on their Facebook site. The program is run by an outstanding, well knowledgeable, and very dedicated director Her staff is very friendly and energetic.If you want your child to acquire excellent social skills Little Feet Day Care is the right place for you and your family.

I highly recommend TCEE at Temple Ohabei Shalom. My daughter has been attending the school for almost three years and she loves the school, her teachers and her friends. The teachers and staff are INCREDIBLE and go out of their way to make sure that the children are happy and comfortable. It will be very difficult to leave this wonderful school for kindergarten in September.

My wife runs Little Feet Daycare, littlefeetdaycare.com, a toddler program, out of our Brookline Village home. The are usually three teachers for ten children. She has a music program, an art program, lots of puzzles, books, building toys, and toys for imaginary play, and a private 1,800 square foot toddler playground. The children are fed home-cooked meals, prepared almost exclusively with organic ingredients. There are other fine home daycare programs in Brookline. - Jeff Lasky

Our youngest daughter attends TCEE at Temple Ohabie Shalom, she loves going to school and being a part of such a warm and loving community. We have experienced other pre-schools with our two other children therefore have the luxury of being able to compare schools. TCEE offers everything that we could hope for in a school for our daughter; experienced, warm and caring teachers, a comfortable, flexible and relaxed environment, a new, modern and clean facility, not to mention a warm and close knit community. It would be impossible for her to be happier or more comfortable at any other school.
We love TCEE.

We were quite worried when our 2.9 yr old son started TCEE at Temple Ohabei Shalom a year ago. He spoke no English, was not toilet-trained, and was very resistant to change. Now..? He giggles with his friends, participates in all the activities (he was quite outsider in the beginning), and loves to sing songs in Hebrew and English (We are Korean!) We whole heartedly agree with all the good things mentioned above on TCEE already, and we just want to add one more. One of their great philosophy is that while having broad developmental goals and frequent milestones, every child's own pace is respected with much patience and individual attention - it feels like the program was tailored for our child.

I have two sons who attend the TCEE (Trust Center for Early Education at Temple Ohabei Shalom) and have been so very pleased with their experience there. The teachers are wonderful, the facilities are great, the programs are thoughtful, but the best part is that all of those things have led to my sons loving to go to school! A wonderful, warm introduction to the joys of school.

Our daughter is completing her second year at the Trust Center for Early Education (TCEE) at Temple Ohabei Shalom. It has been without a doubt an amazing introduction to school by a group of committed and caring educators and administrators. We feel that we are already beginning to reap the benefits of their nurturing approach. Our daughter loves to learn and has really gained a lot of confidence as a result! Wonderful community as well!