Ah,
The joyous confusion of parenting decisions. There are many good and great pre-schools nearby. Most folks around here talk about liking schools like ER Montessori, CCC at Cal-tech, PCC pre-school, Walden, Calvary, Waldorf, Westiminster, Pacific Oaks, or Child Educational Center (where my daughter goes and which is a perfect fit for her). There are also the co-op schools like Garden or Cottage.
What I can tell you is that most of the best ones have waiting lists. So do begin your search right away. The most important thing is to begin to visit schools, and get a feel for their teaching styles. Only then will you know what is right for your family. Every family you talk with will tell you what they love and don't love about their child's pre-school, so for example I can tell you that the Child Educational Center (known as the CEC) is child-driven, emergent curriculum focused on curiosity and creativity, but until you see the various ways schools are structured you won't know what feels right for your family.
The CEC is accredited through NAEYC. Here is a good article about pre-school accreditation that you may find useful in your evaluation of pre-schools:
http://www.drspock.com/article/0,1510,5887,00.html NYAEC has a search field where you can enter your zip code and get a list of accredited schools.
http://www.naeyc.org/families/searchGood hunting!
