On the first day of preschool, a little girl misses her mother, but on the second day she is excited to go back.

"The most useful tool out there for families about to embark on the search for a preschool!" —Helen Cohen, director, Frances Jacobson Early Childhood Center, Boston A must-have for parents of future preschoolers Starting preschool is one of the biggest milestones in a child's life. With this comprehensive, step-by-step guide, you won't have to navigate the preschool process alone. Whether the nursery schools nearby enroll every child, or they're so competitive that they only accept a few applicants, this book has everything you need to know to choose and get into the right preschool for your child. You'll learn: How to find high-quality preschools in your area Insight into popular preschool programs (Montessori, Waldorf, play based, cooperative) Key criteria to consider when choosing a preschool Strategies for paying for preschool (financial aid, tax benefits) How to help prepare your child for the first day of preschool Advice for gaining admission into competitive programs, including getting off the waiting list, submitting a strong application, and preparing for a child assessment "This well-organized, comprehensive book will help parents navigate the world of preschool." —Nancy Schulman and Ellen Birnbaum, authors of Practical Wisdom for Parents: Raising Self-Confident Children in the Preschool Years and directors of the 92nd Street Y Nursery School, New York "A gift to every parent starting the preschool search." —Irene Byrne, MA, author of Preschools by the Bay and executive director of the Phoebe Hearst Preschool, San Francisco

In this lively board book, a young boy starts his first day of school not knowing what to expect. Follow along as he explores his classroom, makes new friends, and enjoys all the creative and interesting activities school can offer. My First Day of School helps first-time students, from preschoolers to kindergartners, understand what happens at school, while providing parents the opportunity to answer questions their child may have. An enthusiastic narrator and bright, cheerful illustrations will have first-time students eagerly anticipating their first day of school.

From the author of Expecting Better and The Family Firm, an economist's guide to the early years of parenting. “Both refreshing and useful. With so many parenting theories driving us all a bit batty, this is the type of book that we need to help calm things down.” —LA Times “The book is jampacked with information, but it’s also a delightful read because Oster is such a good writer.” —NPR With Expecting Better, award-winning economist Emily Oster spotted a need in the pregnancy market for advice that gave women the information they needed to make the best decision for their own pregnancies. By digging into the data, Oster found that much of the conventional pregnancy wisdom was wrong. In Cribsheet, she now tackles an even greater challenge: decision-making in the early years of parenting. As any new parent knows, there is an abundance of often-conflicting advice hurled at you from doctors, family, friends, and strangers on the internet. From the earliest days, parents get the message that they must make certain choices around feeding, sleep, and schedule or all will be lost. There's a rule—or three—for everything. But the benefits of these choices can be overstated, and the trade-offs can be profound. How do you make your own best decision? Armed with the data, Oster finds that the conventional wisdom doesn't always hold up. She debunks myths around breastfeeding (not a panacea), sleep training (not so bad!), potty training (wait until they're ready or possibly bribe with M&Ms), language acquisition (early talkers aren't necessarily geniuses), and many other topics. She also shows parents how to think through freighted questions like if and how to go back to work, how to think about toddler discipline, and how to have a relationship and parent at the same time. Economics is the science of decision-making, and Cribsheet is a thinking parent's guide to the chaos and frequent misinformation of the early years. Emily Oster is a trained expert—and mom of two—who can empower us to make better, less fraught decisions—and stay sane in the years before preschool.