Boyd is the founder of Savvy Source for Parents, an online resource providing information on more than 100,000 preschools across the country. Boyd informally started the program about three years ago while she was searching for a preschool in San Francisco to send her daughter. Information can be found online at www.savvysource.com.

How did living in San Francisco affect your decision to start Savvy Source for Parents? When my daughter was about 6 months old, I realized I had little to no information about any preschools in San Francisco. I talked to a couple of friends, and we started networking and it expanded from there.

When should parents in San Francisco start thinking about preschools? In San Francisco parents need to start thinking about preschools literally right after the baby is born. It’s a very competitive city, with a limited number of schools. Parents are actually eligible to apply for preschools when the mom is still in utero.

What are some of the questions parents should ask when looking for the right preschool? There are a number of really important things for parents to consider. First, making sure the preschool has some coverage of the ABCs and 123s. Second, parents should ask how play is incorporated, whether it is imaginative or physical. Parents should also make sure there are positive and nurturing relationships evident, and that the preschool has a close alignment with personal values found at home.

How valuable is it for a child to have a positive preschool experience? It’s very important that a child has a good early learning environment. This can be achieved both by rich learning experiences at home and at preschool.