We all know parenthood doesn't come with an instruction manual. So like everyone else I have been winging it. But I'm lucky enough to have the MotherTalkers community for advice. So here goes...

My daughter is 2.5 years old. I'm under the vague impression that she can enroll in preschool when she is 3. So far, so good. Thing is, I never went to preschool, and we're pretty new to this area. I have no idea where to start when it comes to picking one, and articles I have read only seem to confuse me even more.

For example, here's an  MSNBC column debating the merits of play-based preschools versus academic preschools. I didn't even realize the divide existed (am I the only one who is this clueless?).

On one side are the more practical proponents of the academic approach:

While once the statement would’ve sounded absurd, being "academically prepared" for kindergarten is now a new and real parental concern, says Larry Schweinhart, president of High/Scope, a nonprofit educational research foundation in Ypsilanti, Mich.

"Parents have reason to be concerned about this because of the ‘push down’ we’ve experienced," he says. "Kindergartners are now expected to learn what first-graders once learned. It’s something we’ve been talking about for years, but it’s just gotten worse."

Many school administrators and educators have decided kids need to learn more, and earlier, to meet achievement targets set up by programs such as No Child Left Behind.

On the other hand, you have those who argue academic drills aren't beneficial to early childhood education:

David Elkind, a professor of child development at Tufts University, notes that while a few children might be extraordinary, the vast majority of human brains aren’t developed enough to truly learn reading or math concepts until they’ve reached the age of reason (typically at age 5 or 6), when they can understand "interval units," a series of relationships in numbers and letters.

"When we try to teach children skills that require interval units before this age of reason, we run the risk of killing the child’s motivation for learning, for schooling and for respecting teachers," says Elkind.

Oy.

What do you ladies think? How did you go about picking a preschool? What should I look for? How much should I reasonably expect to pay? Is preschool even necessary? Please discuss...