Preschools in Memphis, TN

The 63 preschools in Tennessee that serve Memphis are a mixed field: national chains, church programs, Head Start centers, a Jewish community center and small neighborhood academies. Shelby County holds 62 of them. A family choosing here is usually choosing between very different kinds of place, so it helps to know what each type offers before picking up the phone.

Care for the youngest children is part of most programs. Memphis Childcare Academy sits in a strip mall in the Raleigh area, ZIP code 38128, and takes children from 3 months to 5 years, open weekdays from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Bright Ideas Enrichment Center on Hillshire Circle runs a ladder of classrooms from infant care through Pre-K and then school-age care up to age 12. La Petite Academy on Coleman Road has been open since March 1980, near John F. Kennedy Park, and carries classrooms from infants through Pre-K plus a private kindergarten.

Porter-Leath is the name that shows up most often by neighborhood. Its Early Childhood Academy in South Memphis opened in 2017 as a preschool and teacher training institute, and the organization also runs an academy with the University of Memphis in Orange Mound, one in Frayser, and centers on American Way and Range Line. Head Start and Pre-K classes at those campuses are for income eligible families or specific ZIP codes in Shelby County, while the tuition-based classes accept DHS child care certificates. Head Start is free to families with a low income, at or below federal poverty guidelines. Covington Pike Head Start and Douglass Head Start are two more Head Start centers in the city.

Language and curriculum choices are wider than the chains alone suggest. Foreign Language Immersion Childcare Center on Harbor Edge Drive runs its classrooms entirely in Spanish for children from birth to five. Su Casa Preschool also offers Spanish immersion, and Spice Scholars on Riverdale Rd adds weekly Spanish classes, soccer and yoga for children 3 and up to a Frog Street curriculum. Olivia's Montessori Pre-School is the Montessori option. Divine Angels Enrichment Center is a Christian-based family childcare center in a home-like setting, and Central Baptist School teaches preschool through twelfth grade with the Abeka curriculum.

Featured preschools in Memphis

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Best preschools in Memphis

Memphis Childcare Academy

4.8(112 reviews on Google)

4970 Raleigh Lagrange Rd Ste 10 & 11, Memphis

  • Preschool program
  • Infants and toddlers
  • Accepts child care subsidies
(901) 871-1245

Spice Scholars

5.0(20 reviews on Google)

5270 Mendenhall Park Pl, Memphis

  • Preschool program
  • Infants and toddlers
  • Accepts child care subsidies
(901) 417-7948

Klassy Kids Academy

4.0(11 reviews on Google)

2979 Elmore Park Rd, Memphis

  • Preschool program
  • Infants and toddlers
  • Early drop-off or late pickup
(901) 417-6137

Imagine academy

5.0(3 reviews on Google)

7130 E Shelby Dr, Memphis

  • Preschool program
  • Pre-K class
  • Infants and toddlers
(901) 207-7188

3 more preschools in Memphis

Listings with the fewest reviews.

Long hours matter in a city where many parents work shifts. Spice Scholars is open from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and Global Children Services opens at 6:30am at its Walnut Grove campus, on Martin Edwards Pl for Whitehaven families and at an Uptown campus. Memphis Jewish Community Center pairs its Early Childhood Center with a fitness center, athletic fields and a gym, and holds NAEYC accreditation for its infant, toddler and preschool programs. Roulhac's Preschool has operated at its Memphis location since the 1973 to 1974 school year.

Review histories vary a great deal. La Petite Academy on Coleman Road is rated 4.9 from 89 reviews, Memphis Childcare Academy 4.8 from 112 and The Learning Experience - Germantown 4.7 from 130. Little Harvard Childcare Inc. has 4.5 from 100. Several small programs show 5.0 from one or two reviews. At the other end, Kingdom Hearts Enrichment Center is 2.3 from 3 reviews and All My Children Preschool is 3.0 from 1.

Memphis shares ground with its neighbors. Germantown, Bartlett, Cordova and Collierville each have their own page, and Primrose School of Memphis at Germantown sits on Winchester Rd. Jackson has a page as well, and a few Memphis programs name Winchester, Germantown and Cordova among the places they serve.

Common questions about preschools in Memphis

Who offers Spanish immersion preschool in Memphis?

Foreign Language Immersion Childcare Center on Harbor Edge Drive teaches in full Spanish for children from birth to five. Su Casa Preschool also offers Spanish immersion. Spice Scholars on Riverdale Rd is not full immersion but adds weekly Spanish classes and early STEM to its Frog Street curriculum.

Which Memphis preschools take child care subsidies?

Memphis Childcare Academy accepts Family First and Smart Steps and asks families to mark whether they hold a DHS certificate. La Petite Academy on Coleman Road also accepts child care subsidies. At Porter-Leath, the private classes accept DHS child care certificates toward tuition.

Where can I find Head Start in Memphis?

Porter-Leath houses Early Head Start and Head Start classes at its academies, including South Memphis and Orange Mound. Covington Pike Head Start and Douglass Head Start are separate centers. At Porter-Leath, Head Start and Pre-K are for income eligible families or specific ZIP codes in Shelby County.

Which Memphis centers care for school-age children too?

Bright Ideas Enrichment Center cares for children from 6 weeks through age 12. Spice Scholars on Riverdale Rd takes children from 6 weeks to 12 years and runs a camp. Global Children Services Walnut Grove Campus serves birth to 12 years with daily after-school care.

Which towns near Memphis have their own preschool pages?

Germantown, Bartlett, Cordova and Collierville each have a page, and so does Jackson. Programs like Primrose School of Memphis at Germantown and The Learning Experience - Germantown are named for the Germantown side of the area but serve Memphis families as well.

Preschools near Memphis