# Preschool philosophy

**Should we choose Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio or a play-based preschool?**

Preschools follow different teaching philosophies. Montessori is child-led with hands-on materials; Waldorf stresses imagination, arts and play; Reggio Emilia builds on children's own projects; play-based programs learn through play; forest schools are mostly outdoors.

In short: Parents choose between 7 main approaches: Montessori; Waldorf; Reggio Emilia; Play-based; Forest school; HighScope; Academic, teacher-led. Evidence: your call. No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide. Best settled: toddler.

- Area: Childcare and early learning
- Evidence: Your call
- Best settled: Toddler
- First published: 2026-10-03
- Last updated: 2026-10-05
- Page: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/topics/childcare-and-early-learning--preschool-philosophy

## Preschool philosophy: what are the options?

1. **Montessori**: Children choose from hands-on materials and work at their own pace in mixed-age rooms.
2. **Waldorf**: Days are built around imaginative play, crafts and rhythm, with no early academics.
3. **Reggio Emilia**: Children explore long projects that grow from their own interests.
4. **Play-based**: Most of the day is free play, with learning woven in.
5. **Forest school**: Most of the day is spent outdoors in nature, in all weather.
6. **HighScope**: Children plan an activity, do it, then talk about it with a teacher.
7. **Academic, teacher-led**: The teacher leads lessons in letters, numbers and school skills.

## Preschool philosophy: what does the evidence say?

**Your call.** No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide. (Values, with some evidence)

Montessori has the strongest evidence, about a quarter of a standard deviation ahead across 32 studies; Reggio showed no clear edge over other programs

Sources:

- [Campbell Collaboration](https://www.campbellcollaboration.org/2023/08/does-montessori-work/)
- [NBER](https://www.nber.org/papers/w23390)

## What else is worth knowing?

Preschools follow different ideas about how young children learn. Some are led by the child, some by play, some by the teacher. A label does not guarantee quality, so visiting matters more than the name.

## Questions to ask each other

- What do we want our child's early learning to feel like?
- Which approaches sound appealing and which do not?
- How important are the teachers compared with the philosophy?

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General information, not medical advice. Two parents can each answer this and compare: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/explore?cat=childcare-and-early-learning&topic=childcare-and-early-learning--preschool-philosophy