Preschool?

MommyToAshley wrote: Will/Did you put your toddler in preschool? If so, what age will/did you start?

Gatalita replied: I am planning on putting Zuriel into pre-school. I plan to put him in at 4 yrs old. Which reminds me I need to start looking around and put him on a waiting list. Some of them can be 3 yrs!!! Thanks for the reminder.

ediep replied: my church has a preschool, they start at 2 1/2. Since, that falls in March for us, I'm going to start Jason in September....just as he is turning 3. My dad works there and is there some days, and my neighbor who also has a 2 year old, will be sending him too. Hopefully, that will make it alittle easier on Jason.

coasterqueen replied: Well if Kylie got to start school at 5 years instead of 6 years old we'd send her to preschool at 3 years old. BUT since she can't start til 6 years old (that darn cut-off rule) then she won't start preschool til 4 years old.

I personally think 3 years in preschool is too much time.

MomToMany replied: I've tried getting both Hannah & Ethan into Headstart this year, but our income is too high. We're on the waiting list if spots open up (yeah right ). Ethan's birthday is Dec. 2nd, so he will get to go to Kindergarten next year. I was hoping he could have 1 year of preschool, but I guess not.

Hannah will go to Kindergarten in the fall of '07. I hope she can get some preschool in before she goes.

There's no way we could afford to pay for preschool, so that's out of the question.

FroggyJK replied: We started my son in preschool at 3 1/2 and he will start kindergarten at 5 1/2.

Right now he goes 2 days a week for three hours each day. I think next year we will bump it up to 3 days a week.

He loves going. He really likes his teacher and I think it makes him feel like a big kid! LOL

jdkjd replied: Bailey will start next fall at almost 3 years old.

3_call_me_mama replied: Funny that this topic should come up..... DH and i were just discussing it. We are enrolling Cameron in a montessori school next fall, he's on the waiting list to join next fall's class. He either has to be 3 or go through a screening to show he is ready cause he has a november birthday, otherwise he just starts in november. The place he is going to go to has a licensed program and is recognized by the state as a preschool, kindergarten adn first grade so he would be all set until 2nd grade...

Kaitlin'smom replied: for us probably not until she is 3 going on 4, I dont knwo if she will be ready at 2 1/2 going on 3 I will just have to waite and see, plus we have to move before she starts and I dont think that will happen next years so probably in 06'

Maddie&EthansMom replied: Maddie started preschool when she was 2. This is her 3rd year at the same school. Her first year she went twice a week 5 hours a day. The past 2 years she has gone 3 days a week 5 hours a day. It is a nice break for me and her. She has learned so much. She is in her 3rd year of Spanish and they have chapel once a week. She is doing really well in Spanish I might add.

I'm going to have to agree with Karen, though. 3 years is a lot of preschool. The first year it was more to learn structure and to put her with other kids since we just moved here and there are no kids in our neighborhood. Last year and this year there is more 'teaching' involved. But, even 2 years is a lot of preschool considering they will be in school the rest of their lives! BUT, I'm selfish in a way b/c I did it more for me. I am a SAHM and I need that time. DH works 6 days a week and really long hours. I don't have family here to give me a break, either. Maddie needs that time away from me as much as I do her. She loves school and begs to go otherwise I would have thought twice about sending her all these years. Now, while she may not be sick of it....I am SO tired of the whole preschool arena! Fundraisers everytime you turn around...looking at the same parents and the same kids for 3 years. In the same sense it is really good practice for us parents. They have show and tell and little 'homework' assignments. It has really prepared me for organizing her studies and making sure she is on track. Parental involvement is very important and they are trying to teach us parents that this year.

With that being said, Ethan will also start when he is 2!

Sorry for so much information. I hope I answered your question!

Maddie&EthansMom replied:

Mollie you could always check into a scholarship program. Most preschools offer this. We had to put Maddie on it this year. I should have done it last year, too as I struggled to pay the school $200/month, but I didn't know about it until the end of the year. I decided it wasn't worth the struggle this year....we simply cannot fork over $200/month. We have too many medical bills.

Anyway, it would be worth it for you to check into it.

mama3x replied: DS went to preschool when he was 3 I believe...he had about 2 yrs of preschool and loved his 2nd year more than his first.

I am hoping we can send DD to a toddler program part-time for a year then to Head Start when she's 3. We'll have to wait and see.

As for DS...that's too far ahead at the moment

booey2 replied: Neither of the boys went to pre-school. The babysitter I have is great, she starts them with pre-school activities all the time. Here we have Jr. Kindergarten and Sr. Kindergarten. That means they usually start school here at 4 unless the child has a birthday like Thomas at the end of November then he starts at 3 and 3/4 years old. So next September Thomas starts school. Where did my baby go. They are only there for half a day til grade one that a whole day.

MommyToAshley replied: Thanks for your thoughts... I am conflicted. I don't want Ashley to become bored with preschool/kindergarten and I am not really sending her there to learn .... she already knows colors, shapes, can identify all letters and numbers, can count, can say her ABC's, can sort, can spell a few words (Ashley, Mommy, Daddy), she can even write the letter A and pretends to write the rest of her name. My main reason for sending her to preschool would be to get interaction with other children. I haven't been able to find a playgroup around here and I think Ashley craves social play. She gets so excited when she gets to play with other kids, it's just not on a consistent basis. There's a program at the church that is a couple of days a week, but she has to be 2-1/2. I think I will start with that and see how it goes.

maestra replied:
As a Kindergarten teacher, I hate that head start is only for the poorest of the poor. And even then, there are so few clases that most of those children don't even get in. This year, I have like 8 children who went to head start, and believe me- it makes a BIG difference! Especially with the new standards that the federal government has put into place for schools.

I just wish that we could fully fund head start for every child- we could still have it be optional, just free. We are thinking about preschool for Jaci, at least a couple of days a week for socialization, etc, but I don't think we could afford it. If dh gets a new job he applied for (which will triple his salary) he will start working days and both the girls will have to begin daycare.

Josie83 replied: Kids over here get free nursery places from being three. Cassie's three in March and her name's done for a nursery next year, but they've said that they not sure when she'll be able to start - either after Easter or September. She'll probably end up starting in September, over here they go for a half day every week and then start Reception (same as your kindergarten) at four. xx

kimberley replied: Jacob was almost 3yo and James was 18mos. they both did really well and it helped MY separation anxiety that i volunteered and worked there . i doubt we will put Jade in unless our financial situation stabilizes.

maestra replied:
I have head of that! For my masters I had to read about some of Great Brittan's programs, and they are really great about getting children in pre-school (nursery) and providing developmentally appropriate programs for young children. From what I read, they also have a big emphasis on parent involvement and education. I wish we had more of that here!

maestra replied:
You should check out any Montessori programs they might have in your area- they typically deal with each child at their own level, guiding them to the next. It wouldn't just be socialization, but academics too (for a smarty pants like Ashley!)

MommyToAshley replied:
I wish we had something like that here too.


Thanks Maetra for your suggestions, it's nice having some teachers on board!

coasterqueen replied:
We are looking into this as well. Especially since that means Kylie can start kindergarten there when she is 6 days shy of 5 and then we'd transfer her to our public school district for first grade. Then that way she wouldn't have to wait til 6 years old to go to kindergarten.

DansMom replied: I like the idea of a Montessori school, but I don't think we can afford it. Around here there are a lot of cooperative preschools, and they are less expensive, but more time-limited (I think it's just 3 hours a day) and parents have to work in the preschool a certain percentage of the time (that part sounds good). I like the idea for socialization as well. Daniel's in a couple of playgroups, but they don't have structured activities and crafts the way a real preschool would.

kimberley replied:
you guys start kindergarten at 6yo???? things must be really different up here. the boys go to catholic school and started junior kindergarten when they were 4yo and grade 1 when they are 6yo. weird.. i didn't know that.

coasterqueen replied:
See that was my problem as a kid....especially being put into the public school system after preschool versus say something like a montessouri school. I was soooooooo utterly bored with school after being in preschool 3 years that school was just boring. My mom was constantly speaking with the teachers and such about it, ugh!

So with my sister she didn't even send her to preschool just relied on our (might I add very good) babysitter to "teach" her things. Amanda did much better at not being bored than me.

Kylie basically needs that social interaction too. While she gets to play 1/2 day with 2 4yr old twins at the sitter the mornings she has no one but the sitter. Our sitter is very good at teaching them and she uses a "preschool curriculum" when teaching them things. Since Kylie craves that social interaction we do the gym and swim one night a week. I would do more if it wasn't exhausting to be at work for an 8 hour day then turn around and be at class with her from 6 to 7 and then not get home til almost 8 pm. But it's worth it for her because she loves it. On the weekends when it's nice outside we go to the playground where there are other kids there so she can interact with them.

But for Kylie I think even though she needs that social interaction that sending her for 3 years just for that would not be in her best interest. Our sitter is good though with taking Kylie places during the day where she gets interaction with other kids.

I would suggest looking at the local Y for classes etc. We pay $85 (I think) every 8 weeks for the gym/swim classes and it's well worth the money to Kylie.

mommy_0f_two replied: hi everyone. Sorry to barge in on ur discussion. Just found this site and it seems like a great place. Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth

My daughter is 3 and my son is 2. They were home with me all of the time until recently. I got a job at a daycare/preschool and they get to go with me. I hated the idea of them going to school so young, but had no choice but to put them both in daycare. However, I've seen the results of what it does and its amazig. They were both very shy and always kept to themselves, but since starting daycare, they have blossomed into very outgoing, confident children. They love the interaction of the other kids, not to mention all that they learn and the crafts and projects they get to do, whereas, they wouldnt have gotten that at home. Preschool has its pros and cons, but every situation is different. For us, it has been a very positive experience for everyone.

MommyToAshley replied: Hello and Welcome!

You are not barging in... I appreciate your comments. And, it seems that your kids have gotten many of the things out of daycare/preschool that are the same reasons that I am considering sending Ashley to preschool!

Welcome again, I'm looking forward to getting to know you better.

coasterqueen replied:
Actually kindergarten starts at 5 years old and the birthdate cut off is September 1st. Unfortunately Kylie was born 6 days too late and has to wait til she is almost 6 years old to start kindergarten unless we go to private schools. It's a very sore subject for me and beyond stupid in my and Dh's mind.

My DH and I both started school early. I was 2weeks shy of 5 years old when I started and he was 2 months shy of 5 when he started. We like to think we turned out fine.

coasterqueen replied:
I don't think you are barging in at all. Welcome!

My parents, too, saw it as a very good experience for me and it really was. I still remember a lot of my life when I was in preschool. They were very happy times for me. The problem my parents saw and I've seen with like for instant my boss' kid who they sent early is it's not the experience we experience THEN it's the experience later created when kindergarten, first grade etc......that is when we became bored. I learned all the stuff in preschool way before going to kindergarten...then by the time I got there I was bored because they were just then teaching that stuff.

So I guess that's my warning..it's not the experience they are getting now...it's what the consequences are later. Now every child is different, though..so this *may* not hold true for all. I've only seen it be true for the handful I know who were in preschool too long.

Maddie&EthansMom replied:

That sounds like the perfect program for her, then. She is so smart!

jcc64 replied: We started my oldest at 3 b/c he was very shy and uncomfortable in structured group situations, and we felt he needed that extra year. It turned out to be a good call.
Noah was clearly more socially adept, and we felt 1 yr of preschool would be sufficient for him.
For Corey, I think I'll find a program for a few days a week when she turns 3.
FWIW, Montessori is GREAT!

kit_kats_mom replied: Kathereine is another who will not be "allowed" to start kindergarden until she's 6.

Her sitter is awesome and homeschools her 9 y/o and plans to homeschool her other two (3 yo and 18 mos) when the time comes. She follows the A Beka preschool cirriculum and Katheriene has learned a great deal while she's been there. She spends about an hour total each day doing "studies" with the little ones (this is usually coloring for the ones who don't know letters, sizes, shapes etc yet) then they do a lot of reading, circle time, learning songs etc. Katherine LOVES it!

I have really noticed that K is very shy though. For example, we went to story time at the library last week and at one point, they played a wiggles song that usually gets K into the mood to BOOGIE! She just sat there and watched the other kids dance. She looked happy and was clapping and singing but she was not participating. She does the same thing a lot of the time at daycare too. I think that Jeanne's point about their social skills may play a part in our decision. I do need to start looking into it.

I suppose our ideal situation would be to start her at 4 in a Montisorri school. My cousin went to one until she started Kindergarden and she is very artistic (music) and intelligent and I suspect that the school had something to do with that.

Boys r us replied: yes, Tanner went only for 9 months before he started kindergarten and Braedon will go probably about the same time frame!

I think it is IMPERATIVE for kids to go to preschool bf they go to school..for no other reason than to learn the struture of a classroom and to develop the social skills needed to be productive in a setting away from mom!

Yet at the sametime, I also feel a kid should be a kid as long as they can!! Which is why I wait so late to send them! I can teach them all of the samethings a preschool can, in fact, Brae already knows all of the things that are required before starting kindergarten, his ABC's and counting and so forth...we're even working on tying his shoes now(not going so great..ha)..and he's only 2 and a half!
so I guess I don't send them for the learning of numbers and letters, but to prepare them for a world away from me! I think it's sort of gentle weaning!