AIKEN - Georgia and South Carolina preschools are among the best in the nation in providing access, according to a recent study.

Georgia's kindergarten program for 4-year-olds ranks second in the nation in that category, based on the 2006 State of Preschools results from the National Institutes for Early Education Research. South Carolina is eighth.

Pre-K is not just "glorified baby-sitting," Garrett Elementary School Principal Paula Baker said.

She points to a meticulous evaluation her school recently underwent as proof of the program's quality.

The eight-page report reflects all aspects of her classroom, down to the percentage of pupil-produced work hanging on the walls.

The classrooms also have various learning stations for math, science, reading and art. The science station includes live animals to engage children.

When evaluating preschools, the research institute examined program access to 3- and 4-year-olds; quality standards, such as class size; and funding resources.

"Some states offer only a program that's targeted at low-income, some states limit it to some kind of risk factors, and some states have decided to provide it for all its children," said Carol Shipp, the research institute's pubic affairs director. "Georgia was the first state to provide it for universal preschool."

Georgia established its state pre-K program in 1993 to develop a "high quality" experience for children, said Valda Mills, the head of the Augusta Technical College Department of Early Childhood Care and Education.

"Children learn through play," she said.

Parents should pick a pre-K program that is "developmentally appropriate," one that includes "learning centers" suited for 4-year-olds, Mrs. Mills said.

Quality pre-K classroom are ones in which teachers interact with children, keep a schedule, provide a teacher's assistant and make parents feel welcome, she said. Parents also should ask whether the school's pre-K curriculum is state-approved.

In Richmond County, parents can choose from any of the pre-K programs. In Columbia County, parents must register at the school their child is zoned to attend.

If one pre-K fills up, then parents should try another one, Mrs. Mills said. There are several resources available to parents to help them choose the best school, including online report cards.

In Aiken and Edgefield counties, children are chosen for pre-K programs after a series of screening tests.

"We determine if a child has certain risk factors based on a three-part test that looks at concepts, language and motor skills," said Paula Simmons, the Aiken County child development director.

The tests determines which children are "at risk" of not being prepared for kindergarten by age 5.

Though the program catches children that might fall through the cracks, Ms. Shipp said, middle-income families might lose out on opportunities.

"We find that the middle group are the ones whose children are least likely to go to preschool," she said.

Factors include not being able to afford an alternative, such as private school or day care.

But educators say children have numerous learning opportunities before kindergarten, even if pre-K enrollment doesn't happen.

"If you have a child who isn't admitted into the 4K program, you can continue to work at home," said Michele Conner, the Aiken County elementary education director. "Just becoming familiar with books, the basic concepts of a story and that words go together to make a sentence will help children."