Preschool???

Genevieve - posted on 04/02/2009

Hi Shara. There is absolutely no need to send your 3 year old to preschool. You should not feel pressured by anyone. I do advise thought to send her for VPK (Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten) at age 4.

Emily - posted on 04/02/2009

I think they are mostly for SAHMs who want a break or don't want their little ones to be bored during the day as they age . Our kids get preschool at daycare basically. Most preschools only last 3-4 hours so why pay for it if you still have to pay for daycare on top of it and the child is doing the same fun/learning activities at daycare.

Jennifer - posted on 04/02/2009

I wouldn't worry about it. I have 2 sons, aged 8 & 5. My 8 year old was born in April and didn't go to preschool, he had been in a home daycare since he was 11 mo old. He started school the fall after he turned 5. That was soon enough for him. He is doing wonderful in school mainly because the teachers are doing a wonderful job. With my 5 year old whose birthday is in September, he wasn't old enough at Sept 1st to start kindergarten but I felt he needed more to do then he has to do at daycare. He is in preschool now & is doing great. He rides a bus to & from preschool, that picks him up at daycare. He has to carry a bus pass. I would not have put him in preschool when he was 3. As a mother you have to do what feels right for each child because each one is different. Good luck.

Melissa - posted on 03/26/2009

Hi Shara!

My daughter will be 3 in June. I am planning on sending her to preschool, however the preschool is only 2 days a week for a half day, and we are able to get her to and from preschool since family is local (I to work out of town). Keira is also in home daycare with about 6 other kids (all boys) and is counting, singing, recognizing shapes, colors, etc. I think preschool is just one more way to help her become accustomed to the routine of school. However, with that being said I don't think it is necessary to attend preschool at 3 if you don't want to send her. If she is not showing any interest in it and you are working with her than why change something that is working? In our case our daughter loves school stuff - she even carries a book bag around everywhere and reads all the time! As a school teacher I would recommend definitely enrolling her in preschool when she is four though, to help her get accustomed to the school day structure etc. Good Luck :)

Heather - posted on 03/18/2009

I think this day in age our children are expected to be the best in everything. When do they get to be the little kids that they deserve to be. To start your children out in preschool at the age of three is going a little overboard. My daughter is four and in preschool and yes she loves it. Her brother is in kindergarden full days and so when he started going to school she wanted to go to school as well. We knew she was ready but she was four. We also have the same problem when it comes to transportation. We share schools with our neighboring town which is eight miles away from us. The two schools though don't have a problem with the bus routes. I don't know how big your town is or anything but where I live we have a "mini bus" that takes the preschoolers to school or drops them off and is reasonable in prices. Maybe that is an option to think about. Always trust your instincts when it comes to your children if feel that's to young of an age to send your child. You are probably right.

Jen - posted on 03/17/2009

I'm not in this situation yet as my daughter is only 15 months, but I've always wondered why there are VPK (voluntary pre-kindergarten) for 3 year olds. I can understand putting your child in at 4 so that they can get used to a school routine, but I think it's unnecessary for a 3 year old to be in the program. My daughter goes to a day school so she's supposidly "learning" and there's a curriculum, but at such a young age it's mostly play time for them. Anyway I plan on keeping my daughter where she is until she starts school when she's 5. I know that here in Florida VPK is free for all 4 year olds so I wouldn't even worry about it until she turns 4.

Lauren - posted on 03/17/2009

You know what?... I am glad to hear that you have not fallen victim to "keeping up with the jonses". I own a child care center, and I tell you I miss the old days where parents just let thier children be CHILDREN! It is always now about what "they" the parent want or percieve their child to be, in a sense living through them, or trying to right the wrongs of their childhood?! Does that make sense? In my opinion as a child care provider and a mommy, if your daughter is happy and if you are happy then that should be all that matters. And as long as both of you feel that she is getting the basics required by kindergarten; Can write the first letter of her first name, can recite her ABC's can count out loud or can count on her fingers, and knows basic colors and shapes. Then in summary, she is already ahead of the curve, and you should love and congratulate your home provider for doing her job. THANK YOU!! For being a old school mom, and wondering where all this pressure to grow up so fast is comming from, for I ask myself the same quesiton daily!

Karina - posted on 03/17/2009

hello, just from my experience recently....my son who is 3yrs and 5 months just started pre-school. he has been going to home daycare since he was 13 months old.

i also work in a different town to where his pre-school is.

i foung that he fitted in very well at pre-school so that wasnt the problem....the problem was he then became unsettled and a bit naughty at daycare. i think the problem was at pre-school they are a bit more rough and tumble and at daycare the kids were a little younger and he had to be careful, quite and gentle and maybe he was now bored.

he seems to adjusted ok in the last couple of weeks but i really had to think had i done the best thing by sending him to pre-school?

luckily i dont work on the day he goes to pre-school so i can pick him up.



dont feel pressure to send her...ultimatley is she is happy with what she is doing, why change it?



(i probably should have taken my own advice, but this is with hind-sight and he really love going to pre-school now, and daycare is settling down too...it all takes time)



good luck.

karina (australia)

Nicole - posted on 03/16/2009

Hi Shara,



First off let me tell you that some pre-schools are extremely overrated. My children also attended a home daycare for a while and they loved it. I think that home daycares provide more of a one-on-one relationship due to the child:adult ratio.



We just moved to Cleveland, TN and as soon as we got here they wanted us to put our 5-yr old into Pre-K. First of all, we did not qualify for the program as mostthings here are based on income. They tend to cater to low-income families but sue to low numbers in the classroom they decided to open up the program to higher-income children (whic by the way I think is ridicualous to base a childs education on their parents income but that is a whole nother thread,lol). We did what they asked and found that our little girl HATED it!!! We were so upset. She was extremely bored as the other children were further behind than she was and most couldnt even spell their names yet.



I guess I could go on and on all day but the jest of it is this: if she is excelling in the environment she is in, why change it? I quickly placed my girly girl back where she was and have seen tremendous imporvement and joy back again.