At what age should you think about sending your child to preschool?

you could start her around 2. i personally homes school my daughter, who is 21 months old. i checked out preschools in my area, and the only thing they want to teach a 2 year old class is numbers and letters, and  they turn the tv on for  2 hours a day! i teach numbers, letters, colors, shapes, animals, days of the week, month of the year, weather, seasons, art, music, etc.  i pick a weekly theme such as bugs, etc. we also read atleast 10 books a day. my daughter would love nothing more than to sit in my lap and read all day. seems like my efforts have really paid off, she arranged her alphabet flashcards from a-z by herself last month, and is writing more than half her alphabet. she spoke in sentences at 13 months, and her doctor tells me that she is the most brilliant kid he has seen in over 15 years of practice.

I believe for most public preschools the enrollment age is 3 years old, and they usually hold two classes, one for 3 year olds and one for 4 year olds.  Most have requirements of being fully potty trained.  Private schools have different enrollment guidelines but I believe the average  is 3 years old and they ask the children to be fully potty trained. 

if social interaction is what your after, you could take her to sunday school, the park, etc. or enroll in a part time program.

kimmieapples,thank you! i have no idea why they would put a tv in a preschool to begin with. they told me it's only educational, and it goes along with the curiculum. i'm sorry, but why am i going to pay $400-$900 a month for my child to sit in front of a tv all day? she can watch tv at home! i know that there are educational tv programs out there, like leap frog, preschool prep, my baby can read, etc. however, the best way for your kid to learn is not by putting them in front of the tube. it's human interaction that helps those little brains develop. i was appaled when one preschool told me that they turned on the tv for nap time and mealtime! i called the montessori school thinking, "this has to be the one! they will be able to cater to my little genius!" oh, no. i was far from the truth. they have no set curriculum,no structure, and they just let the kids do whatever they want all day. the class size for a 2 year old is  around 25  kids with 2 adults. their idea of a healthy meal includes fried chicken, mashed potatoes,creamed corn, mac&cheese, and the worst - fruit cocktail packed in high fructose corn syrup.  "you've got to be kidding me!", i told these people. there is nothing healthy about that. my kid eats 4 veggies, and 4 fruits a day. and that certainly doesn't include "creamed corn". the montessori school is the one that told me they would watch up to 2 hours of tv a day. however, every school i called told me they have a tv in the room, that is used every single day. i called over 30 schools, and after that, i just gave up. i knew that my child would get a much better education here at the house, for free!