Preschools in Tennessee, by city

Tennessee Preschools covers every preschool in the state with Google reviews, from the big metros of Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga to small towns along the Cumberland Plateau and in West Tennessee. Every city with three or more schools has its own page, and towns farther out have a short page of their own, so a parent in a small town is not sent to a list an hour away.

Each school's page shows what it tells parents about itself: the ages it takes, whether it runs a Pre-K class, whether it accepts child care subsidies, meals, early drop-off and late pickup, summer camp and any accreditation it names. Where a school has said nothing, the page says so, and a quick call will answer it.

Two state programs shape how many Tennessee families pay for preschool. The Child Care Certificate Program, run through the Department of Human Services, helps qualifying families with child care costs at providers that take part in it. Voluntary Pre-K is a state-funded class for four-year-olds offered through public school districts. Head Start and Early Head Start add free federal options for eligible families with children up to age five.

Licensing in Tennessee sits with the Department of Human Services, whose staff visit licensed centers at least four times a year and issue a yearly report card that must be posted with the license. Before you enroll, look the school up in the state's child care search to see its license, star rating and compliance history, then use the city pages below to build a short list and call.