Preschools??? AHHHHH!!!

After this year, our current babysitter will not be taking care of Isabella. Bonnie only takes kids from 0-3 and then feels they need 'more' than she can give them. We are looking at 3 places and have to decide quickly as they fill up way before September. Our choices are:

1. Montessori - Elisabeth went to this preschool. A little too structured but beautiful rooms with nice teachers and a good reputation. It is also in between my 2 schools so I could see her at lunch time, kids 3-5 years old work together most of the time.

2. Preschool - Also close to my schools, kids 3-5 years old work together most of the time, run by the same 4 women for 20 years, much more creative than educational, smaller number of children, very loving teachers who went to school in the 60's-they work on conflict resolution way too much for my taste. Isabella needs to be told what is right and wrong-I think she would feed into this idea way too much. Large house that needs a good scrubbing, as far as I am concerned.

3. Daycare - Near our house, very new/very large, Christian-based, cameras in every room so I can watch what she is doing daily, huge gym, lunch included, classes are separated by age, teachers look bored to death. We walked in and Bella wanted to leave immediately. Not a good sign.

According to my mother, there really is no decision to make-she thinks (and I agree) that Bella should go to the Montessori school. I do know that but I want to make sure it is the best decision for Isabella and she is a VERY different child than Elisabeth was. She is extremely social with adults but 'doesn't play well' with other children, especially younger ones, to save her life. She walks into Bonnie's every morning, complains all the way down the stairs that she doesn't want to play, and then shoves the 20 month old on to her butt when she tries to hug her. She rips toys out of their hands. She scratches. She SCREAMS bloody murder if they even think of touching her things. Maybe this is all normal but come on! It gets exhausting. Yesterday when we were visiting option #2, she was playing well-running with the other kids and looking like she was having fun. We came in and WHAM..she kicks a kid. No reason. Probably just to see what I would do. I need a place that will work on that socialization without too much discussion as to WHY things happened and HOW she is feeling about it. Maybe I am reading into this way too much. I'll let you know.