The variety and number of preschools in Utah County is impressive.

There are small in-home preschools, those that mix learning and play and the large preschools geared strictly to teaching kids to read.

Some encourage physical exercise. Others take a good number of field trips. Some are big on social interaction.

Whatever the place, there's a common theme: Those running the preschools love children and want them to succeed.

The educational playing field has changed for today's child with the No Child Left Behind push, for one thing, said Jennifer Jones, the owner of the Little Scholars Academy in Saratoga Springs and Cedar Hills. "The fact of the matter is, when they go into kindergarten with an advantage, they do better all around. They learn quicker. They stay ahead because they're not worrying. I say, let's give them a basis so they can focus freely on everything else."

Jones has watched children struggle when they try to compete with children who've been to a good preschool.

"I actually have a master's degree in special education," Jones said. "We serve all personalities, but we are known for our scholarship program. We start them at age 3 with letters and sounds, but we focus on phonics and whole language skills when they're 4."

Jones said preschool "is a huge facet" of the academy, but children can also take dance and karate classes or sign up with a variety of education camp opportunities.

"I think like a mom because I am a mom," she said. "That's why we have a portico so parents don't have to park. They can drop kids off right at the door and go. Their kids can come to preschool and stay for dance class so they don't have to make two trips."

Cheryl Lant started with a preschool in her home in Orem 24 years ago. Today she and her husband are opening a third Learning Dynamics Center. Each with a capacity of 384, the centers in Orem, Saratoga Springs and Highland focus on a curriculum designed to teach children to read and read well.

"Every single child leaves our program reading. That sounds ambitious, but it's true," said her son John.

The Lants use a program they developed called Frontline Phonics, where children begin reading as soon as they've learned a few letters of the alphabet.

In addition, the curriculum includes music, art, math, writing, literature and hands-on motor skill experiences, all designed to reinforce the reading skills.

"My desire is to bless the lives of children," Cheryl Lant said. "Children are smart, eager to learn and there's a window of opportunity that we take advantage of. A critical element is to make it fun."