You can tell whether a Phoenix preschool is genuinely safe in about 10 minutes, before you ever book a tour, by checking three public records: the school’s Quality First rating, its Arizona Department of Health Services license, and its Google reviews. That habit matters more every year. The average American family spent $13,128 on child care in 2024, up 13 percent from the year before, according to Child Care Aware of America. In the Phoenix metro, that money buys wildly different things. Some centers publish their rating and their staff screening. Others offer a warm lobby and a promise.
Every director will tell you the teachers are caring, and the classrooms are safe. Every brochure promises kindergarten readiness. The language is interchangeable, so it settles nothing. What separates one school from another is evidence a parent can verify, and the checklist below covers what to look for, with how Raising Arizona Preschool answers each item.
Arizona makes the first three checks public
Arizona gives parents a head start no tour can. Quality First, the state’s rating system, scores licensed early learning programs on a five-star scale, and the ratings are public. Licensing and inspection history with the Arizona Department of Health Services is public too. Add a school’s Google reviews, and three quick lookups confirm or dismiss a tour’s claims before you drive over. A school proud of its numbers puts them in front of you. Raising Arizona Preschool holds five stars at two campuses and four stars at two, and sends parents to the ratings first.
Safety you can check from the front door in
Preschool security is concrete, and worth asking about by name. At Raising Arizona Preschool, campus doors unlock through facial recognition, so the entrance itself screens who comes in. 4K cameras run in every classroom. Every employee clears a fingerprint-based Level One background check and holds CPR and first aid certification, with training hours beyond what Arizona requires. None of that is visible on a brochure, which is exactly why it belongs on your checklist: ask each school what physically controls the door and what screening every adult in the building has passed.
The six-point checklist for choosing a Phoenix preschool
Bring this to every tour and ask for evidence, one item at a time.
- State rating. Look up the Quality First stars before you visit and ask what the score was at the last review. Two of Raising Arizona Preschool’s campuses hold five stars, the top mark the state gives.
- Door security and cameras. Ask what controls entry and where cameras run. Facial recognition entry and 4K classroom cameras set the current bar.
- Staff screening, turnover, and class size. Confirm background checks on every employee, then ask how long the lead teachers have stayed. Low turnover is the quiet safety feature that matters most, because familiar adults notice what strangers miss. Ask the child-to-teacher ratio in your child’s room too; smaller groups mean closer supervision.
- Daily communication. A school sure of its classrooms shows you the day: photos, meal and nap logs, and progress updates in a parent app, plus an open-door policy for visits.
- Curriculum, in writing. A strong program names what it teaches and how. Raising Arizona Preschool publishes its kindergarten readiness curriculum: early math, reading and science built into play, plus Mindful Mornings for self-regulation.
- Real affordability. Ask for published rates and whether the school lists its tuition by age and schedule.
How Raising Arizona Preschool builds a kindergarten-ready day
The school’s founding idea is that preschool is chapter one in the life of a child, and the day is built around it. Mornings open with Mindful Mornings, a practice of breathing, gratitude, and affirmations that teaches children to settle and focus. Classrooms follow the Bee-havioral Plan, five principles that keep expectations consistent from room to room: Bee Loving, Bee Prepared, Bee Loyal, Bee Happy, and Bee Consistent. Parents follow the day through the Procare app, from first-day photos to the kindergarten portfolio. The results show up in public feedback: more than 100 five-star Google reviews across the campuses, including a 4.8-star average over 60 reviews at the Olive Avenue campus, where families name individual teachers year after year.
Starting at age 1 or 2 pays off by kindergarten
Early routines compound. A child who starts at age 1 or 2 reaches kindergarten with years of structure, social practice and early academics already behind them, and Raising Arizona Preschool enrolls from age 1 through summer camp at age 12. Touring early, checklist in hand, beats deciding under a deadline.
“Every director will tell you their teachers are caring. I tell parents to look at how long our teachers stay, because a child does their best growing with an adult they already trust,” said Jared Cook, founder and CEO of Raising Arizona Preschool.
Parents ready to see it firsthand can book a preschool tour in Phoenix, Glendale, or Mesa. Either way, a decision made on evidence holds up: ratings, cameras, screening, communication, curriculum and price are all verifiable, and any school worth a child’s first chapter will hand over the proof.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if a preschool is safe?
Check it yourself instead of relying on the tour. Look up the school’s Arizona Department of Health Services license, its Quality First rating, what controls the entrance, where cameras run and how the staff is screened. A safe school answers each with specifics, the way Raising Arizona Preschool lists facial recognition entry, 4K classroom cameras and fingerprint-based Level One background checks.
What is Quality First in Arizona?
Quality First is Arizona’s rating system for licensed early learning programs. It scores providers on a five-star scale for classroom quality, staff qualifications and program administration, and the ratings are public. Raising Arizona Preschool holds five stars at two campuses and four stars at two.
What ages does Raising Arizona Preschool serve?
The youngest children start at age 1, and programs run through summer camp at age 12, so infant care under age 1 is not offered.
What are Raising Arizona Preschool’s hours?
Campuses are open Monday through Friday for a full working day, with the earliest opening at 5:30 a.m. and pickup until 6 p.m. Hours vary slightly by campus.
What should I ask on a preschool tour?
Ask what controls the front door, where cameras run, how the staff is screened, how long the lead teachers have stayed, how the school shares the day, and what the curriculum teaches in writing. Then ask for the Quality First rating and published pricing. Specific answers separate a strong school from a good tour.