Category: Preschool / Daycare for Ages 2 & Up

The Louise Hizer Early Childhood Center at All Saints Academy includes three sections: PreSchool for 2- and 3-year-olds; and PreKindergarten for 4-year-olds. Classroom work extends to other parts of the campus and the community, including the Great Room, where imaginations flourish; the state-of-the-art playground, where lifelong friendships evolve; and the Outdoor Classroom, where nature speaks and young minds listen.

Click here to learn more about All Saints Academy for grades K – 12.

Alta Schoolhouse is a Montessori-inspired preschool serving students 2-5 years old and offering year-round schooling. Our mission is to ignite a love of learning, empowering your child to be the innately-inquisitive and creative human they were born to be.

Bright Imaginations Learning Centers offers 2 convenient locations in South Lakeland, secure locations, background screened employees, highly credentialed staff, 4.5 Star Rated Preschool as defined by Polk County’s Early Learning Coalition, Performing Arts safe, stimulating environments.

At Brilliant Minds Early Learning Academy, LLC, our philosophy of Early Childhood Education is to provide children with an environment that will promote their optimum development, at a time when they are in a critical period of their development, socially, physically, emotionally, and intellectually. After school care, and a full day elementary school also available.

Country Lane Child Enrichment Center is an innovative year-round preschool with a performing arts program that has served the North Lakeland community since it first opened its doors in 1980. Year round. Offering half-day, full-day, and 2, 3, or 5 day programs for ages 2 – 5, as well as after school care for elementary ages.

The Child Development Center (CDC) is a community service and outreach of Covenant Presbyterian Church. It is a nurturing pre-school with a purposed Christian worldview. Offering classes for ages 2 & 3 as well as half-day and full-day VPK. Children must be potty trained before attending the school.

Cypress Junction Montessori is a quality preschool and K-8 charter school in Winter Haven. Cypress Junction serves students in K-8th grade under the charter as a free public charter school that offers an authentic Montessori education. Preschool offers full & half day options, and accepts VPK vouchers, the ELC’s School Readiness Funding, & offers scholarships through our Early Learning Scholarship Fund.

The Early Learning Coalition of Polk County is a not-for-profit agency focused on early education and care. The goal of the Coalition is to prepare all children to enter kindergarten ready to succeed. The ELC administers the VPK program for Polk County, visit their website to apply for your VPK certificate and learn more about how to select a VPK provider.
The School Readiness Program is also available through various participating child care providers. Eligibility is based on total family income and parents must be working or going to school. The program serves children from 6 weeks to 12 years of age. Fees are assessed based on a sliding fee scale. Hours of child care are determined by each child care provider.

Excel Christian Academy’s Early Childhood Center accepts infants and children from 6 weeks through 4 years old. It is part of Excel Christian Academy private school that serves ages infant through 12th Grade. Our play-based, child centered program reflects the integration of physical, cognitive, social, emotional, language, and spiritual areas for the total development of the child. Meaningful play encourages curiosity, risk taking, discovery and problem solving which allows individual growth and development of a positive self worth.

At First Methodist School we feel that an essential key to higher learning is school enjoyment and that a child’s school years should be a positive experience. Children are learning about their world and developing socially, emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Our program offers activities and experiences to foster growth in each area. Serving age 2 through 8th grade.

The First Steps Preschool at First United Methodist Church offers a loving, caring environment for children age six weeks though pre-kindergarten. Also a Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) provider, First Steps provides lower child-teacher ratios and room capacities than required by Florida Statutes. Recognized as a Gold Seal Quality Care Center by the Florida Department of Children and Families.

The Florida Southern Early Learning Lab is open to children ages 3-5. Curriculum is child-centered, supporting the learning of each child’s individual needs in the areas of cognitive, social/emotional, linguistic, and physical development. Each classroom is designed to be an interactive learning lab with open-ended materials to explore and investigate. Now open year round.

Introducing FWC Preschool, where faith and education flourish! Enroll today for our nurturing Christian environment in Lakeland, opening August 2024 and discover a blend of spiritual growth and academic excellence for your child at FWC Preschool.

Grace Lutheran School is a private school for children in kindergarten through middle school. Students recognize God’s spirit at work in their lives, creating a climate of trust and respect, cooperation and love among teachers, parents, and students. Grace Lutheran also has a preschool for ages 2 – 5, full and part-time programs are offered.

We are a 5 STAR, nationally accredited, faith based center in Lakeland, Florida. We accept children ages 6 weeks through 5 years, and are open year round. We are conveniently located close to the Polk Parkway, Bartow Highway, and Winter Lake Road. Our staff are credentialed and continuously trained in the Early Childcare field to bring the best educational experience possible for your child.

Welcome to Head of the Class Learning Center! We have served families in Lakeland for over 15 years and go above and beyond other preschools to ensure every child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported and challenged. Our private school (K-5) offers differentiated learning to effectively challenge each student, ensures a close relationship with students and families and prepares students for their future.

Head Start is a federally funded preschool program centered on education, comprehensive health services, and parent leadership. Head Services are available from ages 3 – 5 when the child enters kindergarten. Polk County Public Schools (PCPS) operates Head Start centers for low-income eligible families at schools throughout the county. Student spaces per site are limited, apply through the PCPS website.

Here We Grow is your child’s First Step to Success! Our responsibility is to provide childcare by updating and complying with the state requirements. ​Setting these high standards of excellence ensures that your child receives the best quality care possible by creating an environment that is sensitive to each child’s social, emotional, intellectual and physical needs.

At the Kathleen Baptist Church Child Enrichment Center and Day Camp we provide quality Christian education to children ages 2 through 5 years of age, as well as after-school care for elementary-aged children. Please contact us today!

The hallmarks of LCS are strong academics, championship athletics, award-winning fine arts, and a close-knit school-family partnership. Classes are taught from a Biblical perspective, emphasizing God’s truth as it applies to every aspect of a student’s life. The Discovery Program is offered to students age 5-14 with a specific diagnosis of autism and/or related disabilities.

Lakeland Montessori Schoolhouse and Lakeland Montessori Middle are Polk County Charter Schools serving children age 3 through 8th Grade. It is our mission to facilitate the well-rounded, advanced and challenging authentic Montessori curriculum that instills a sense of wonder and awareness about the universe and the child’s place within that universe. We wish to provide an educational environment that sparks curiosity and nurtures a love of learning along with teaching the skills to succeed academically.

Lakes Academy is a ministry of Lakes Church and will be launching as new school for the 2022-2023 school year.  The mission of Lakes Academy is to provide students with a Christ-centered environment, where they can receive a quality education with a biblical worldview. Our goal is to equip students to be “more than conquerors” for the Kingdom of God.

Legacy Prep Christian Academy is a STEM Exploration Academy and Christian Microschool serving children ages PreK3 through 3rd grade.

Little Einstein Preschool has campuses in Lakeland & Winter Haven. We have served Central Polk County for more than 5 years, and the supportive & caring staff and our focus on learning has only gotten better! We understand the faith that parents place in their caregivers while they are at work, and we want to exceed your expectations.

For more than 20 years, Little Shepherds Preschool has provided quality, safe child care for the Lakeland community. We are a licensed preschool for children 3 months to 5 years old, dedicated to providing professional and loving care in a Christian environment. Hours range from 8:30am – 2:00pm, with partial week options available (MWF / TuTh). Open during the school year.

Little Sprouts Preschool exists to teach young children about God’s love, emphasize community, and create a safe and healthy environment for the whole child. Within an academically aligned teaching environment, children ages 8 weeks – age 5 (pre-kindergarten) learn that they can have a deep relationship with Jesus Christ.

Mi Escuela Montessori is a tuition-free, K-8 public charter school in Polk County, Florida, and also has The Children’s House (Casa) preschool for children ages 3–6 (sliding scale tuition). Mi Escuela Montessori fuses two well-researched and innovative approaches to education:  the educational program developed by Dr. Maria Montessori and the two-way, dual-language immersion program advocated by most language learning experts.

The basic premise of the Montessori philosophy of education is that all children carry within them the adults they will become. In order to develop their physical, intellectual and spiritual powers to the fullest, they must have freedom – a freedom achieved through order and self-discipline.

Our goal is to provide a balanced program for your child, using the Montessori philosophy and Early Childhood Development principles to develop independence, academics, physical (fine and large motor skills), social and emotional growth, so as to cultivate harmony and integration in your child early learning experiences. Pre-K and Kindergarten Year.