Accra - Post Report Question and Answers
Are preschools available? Day care? Are these expensive? What has been your experience with them, if any? Do the schools provide before- and/or after-school care?
There are a few Western style preschools, just do a thorough inspection upon arrival instead of signing up in advance. We regretted our decision to choose Little Explorers, for example. Most expats assume that because they're the most expensive and have the best marketing, they are the best, but we did not have a good experience. Their style of Montessori seems very rigid and does not make for a warm, inclusive environment. In our opinion, the headmaster is severe and we witnessed blatant lying to parents from teachers (e.g. child spends day crying, parents are told they had a great day), perhaps in an effort to uphold this perfect vision. LCS has a very good pre-primary program (ECC), if you're willing to do the drive. Beanstalk, Owls Nest and Safari are other options. Safari is the only facility with full daycare hours. All the other preschools let out sometime in the early afternoon so if you work, you have to organize aftercare. - Aug 2024
Yes, plenty of preschools to choose from and families are happy. I believe most are half days. - Sep 2023
Yep, preschools, nannies, etc. The nannies organize playdates and alternate between houses/compounds or AEA on school breaks. - Sep 2022
There are lots of daycares available. Little Explorers (LEMP) is the most common and it's located down the street from the Embassy. Other schools are Safari and Beanstalk. The average cost is about $700/month (you pay 3 installments throughout the year) and most close for the summer (similar to a school, not daycare). - Mar 2022
Quite a few, haven't used. - Nov 2019
There are a few Montessori preschools near the Embassy (Little Explorers and Owls' Nest) that are popular with Embassy families. Little Explorers is very close (walkable from the Embassy, though that's not always advisable due to traffic), and I've heard very good things about it. I think compared to equivalent schools in the D.C. area they're inexpensive, but it's not an insignificant cost. - May 2019
There are a few really great Montessori schools here for children that are world-class. Those run about $8,000 a year, which is much much cheaper than DC. Most people send their children to Little Explorers or Owls Nest. Nannies are common for needed after care and they are affordable. We have experience with one of these schools and can't say enough good things about it. These schools go through 1st grade too and are close to the embassy. - Apr 2018
We highly recommend the Little Explorers preschool. Others in the community use Beanstalk or Owl's Nest but for many reasons we liked Little Explorers better. It is not cheap but this preschool is worth it. It has an after-school program as well. - Aug 2016
Yes. Most mission member use the Owls Nest. From what I'm told, they just raised their prices and no longer give an option for 2 days a week. - May 2014
Most people have a live-in nanny. - Apr 2012
Yes, and surprisingly good. A number of preschools are available but they are quite expensive. Most cater to the expat community. - Aug 2011
There are several preschools in the area that have a good reputation. - Jun 2011
One of our children is in the German Swiss International School Nursery. He likes it a lot. Many other schools locally offer preschool:Little Explorers, Brilliant Stars, Gingerbread House, Twinkle Tots and Buzy Beez are just a few. - Feb 2010
Available - Feb 2010
Some families use the local day care and preschools. - May 2009
