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  1. #21
    Join Date
    May 2005
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    971

    Default RE: How the heck do you decide about preschool???

    I wanted to add that if a preschool is based out of a church it might not be affiliated to that, or any church. There are many churches in my area who rent their space out to independent schools so they can make money on their space when it normally would not be used during the week. I would look into your local library for storytimes and your local parks and rec for other mom & me groups and when you meet other moms you can get info from them about local schools.

  2. #22
    amp Guest

    Default RE: How the heck do you decide about preschool???

    Thank you to everyone who responded here and was so honest with their reasoning for sending or not sending their kids to preschool and at what age. Reading these replies has solidified for me that I am not ready to enroll him in preschool just yet, but that I need to be aware of getting enrolled early even if I want him to go at age 3. So I need to do some further research and asking questions of the moms in my MOMS Club. My google searches really turn up only a few "real" preschools and lots of daycares, so I need to check into the details of those programs and try to find out more about "mothers day/morning out" and "pre primary" programs too. And I didn't realize that some operate solely on word of mouth, so that makes me more inclined to start asking around early, even though we're not there yet. I feel better knowing that it's ok to start researching now, without having to commit to something just yet.

    Jacob is a very talkative, curious, friendly little guy, but it is very dependent on the situation, and it has evolved over time. He is very tentative in new situations and would be overwhelmed and intimidated by preschool at this age. I am exposing him to more and more group stuff at the libraries and w/ MOMS Club, so hopefully this will continue to evolve. I keep thinking that how he reacts to a group right now, or how he reacts to separating from me right now could be completely and utterly different in 6 mths or a year from now and so I shouldn't feel inclined to push him. I can help foster some sense of confidence by continuing to expose him to group activities and new adventures w/ the 2 of us and perhaps that will help him feel more comfortable when the time comes.

    Again, thank you for being so honest about your own thought process, as it really helped me to sort out what I felt at heart.

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Posts
    2,022

    Default RE: How the heck do you decide about preschool???

    I had not planned it this way but DD is going to preschool at 2. Hers is at a nearby church, a few days a week, 9-noon. I pictured nursery school the year before kindergarten like when I was a child. After we moved and I met a lot of the moms who've lived here a while, I was told that it would be difficult to get DD into a program at age 4 because people here tend to start their kids at 2. The class sizes are only slightly bigger at age 4 so after all the kids who are already enrolled move up, even the biggest programs often have only a handful of spaces. In addition, my DD has the sort of personality that is very slow to warm up to new things but at the same time she is intensely curious. I think interacting with other kids and adult caretakers will be good for her. I don't view it as anything academic, only social.

    I did not look into any programs that did full days for toddlers except one Montessori program at a private school. Other than that, I looked at church programs. We are not Christian so I just looked for a program that did not have too much religion mixed in. I ended up picking a preschool at a nearby Methodist church. When you peek at their classes, it just looks like kids playing with a couple of teachers helping to keep everything nice and happy. The preschool director does do a sort of presentation based on Christian principles once a month but from how she explained it, it is something in the vein of everyone is special and be good to each other. I looked in a local phonebook for a listing of preschools and called the ones based in churches and also got suggestions from moms I met doing Gymboree classes.

    The other big difference I found between the daycare type of preschool and the church programs is cost. The daycare type had fees similar to FT daycare. The church preschools ranged from about $120-200 a month depending on how many days of the week your child attends.

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Collegeville, PA, USA.
    Posts
    937

    Default RE: How the heck do you decide about preschool???

    I decided to send my DD to preschool at 3 years old. At first I thought 'maybe she is too young', but her class was only 2x a week for 2 1/2 hours. She absolutley loved it, and I loved the school. It is a preschool through a local church. (you don't have to belong to the church to go to the school). It is amazingly organized (they have a library, gym, nice playground, etc.) and most importantly... they learn through playing. They are not pressured by any means. The teacher would send home a letter each month, specifying all the skills they learned through playing. A lot of kindergarten programs these days expect a lot from these little ones, so I know this program will be beneficial to her. I teach her a lot, but this helps her learn more, make friends, and learn how school runs and how to act in school.

    I think that they don't really need to go at 3 if you don't want them too, but should definitely to go at 4. This helps with learning to make new friends, and separation from mom. My daughter is amazingly outgoing and enthusiastic, but had a horrible time separating from me. She cried pretty bad the first few times. I had decided that after a few more times, I would pull her out if she didn't get better. All of a sudden it clicked, and she couldn't wait to go to school each tues/thurs!

    I would stay away from daycare preschools, they are expensive. Check out your local churches. With Sophie's school, I called way in advance and that helped her get in the school. (some have big waiting lists!). I've already put my son's name in for the 3 year program, and he just turned 2! Also, the school cost $138 a month.

    Like a lot said here, it also depends on the child and your lifestyle/schedule... what works for the child and you.

    Good luck!

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Location
    The Triangle, North Carolina
    Posts
    6,498

    Default RE: How the heck do you decide about preschool???

    Around here, you need to get into a program ASAP otherwise you will never get in. It is crazy.

    I started Matthew in a toddler program at 16 months. I needed a break and he needed to become more social. I have seen such a huge change in him since going to that program. He used to get so easily overwhelmed in social situations. He was shy, not interactive with people or children he didn't know, and was super clingy to me. Since being in preschool, he has become a social butterfly. He is sure of himself and feels comfortable in new surroundings. I love how he has gained interest in topics I never thought he would. For example, he is seriously into bugs after they talked about them at school. His teacher had set up pretend magnifying glasses with different colored lenses and lots of plastic insects. He would sit and look at them forever if you let him. That interest has spilled out into home, the park, even asking to watch insect documentaries on the Animal Planet channel. He likes me to read him books about bugs, both fiction and non-fiction. We now have a bug t-shirt in our clothes rotation. It is amazing how into them he is!

    Anyway, I would look into as many programs as you can and find the right "fit". It is amazing how kids thrive in a good program. And as a point of reference, the two's program cost us $200 a month, for two days (T, Th) from 9-1. The three's program is going to be $230 for three days a week (M, W, F) 9-1. He packs a lunch. They provide snack (drink and food) and milk with lunch.
    -Melissa
    Mom to M (2002) & M (2014)

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    PA, USA.
    Posts
    511

    Default RE: How the heck do you decide about preschool???

    We plan to send James to preschool next September because it is hard to get into the preschool program of your choice around here unless you start at 3. I found out about different preschools around here from moms with slighly older kids in my MOMS Club. IMO, there's no other way to find out about preschools around here since most are church-based ones that don't advertise. Also many have such strict enrollment deadlines and entrance requirements (e.g., you have to be an active church member, etc.) that you almost have to start looking a year ahead if you want to send your DC to the preschool of your choice. I highly recommend a Moms Morning Out Program though. James has been enrolled in one for 6 months, and it's worked out great. It's helped him feel more comfortable in a crowd of kids with other adults, and I'm sure it'll help him to adjust to preschool.

  7. #27
    Mommy_Again is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Posts
    1,563

    Default RE: How the heck do you decide about preschool???

    Will is starting preschool this September, a few months short of his second birthday. Because of that, he'll be in the 1 year old class, but several of his friends will be in it too so I know it won't be just him and a bunch of youngins'.

    The school is run through a Methodist church here and it is *the* place to go. When I first heard about it, someone told me that people slept out overnight to get their kids in because it was so competitive. I immediately said that I will NOT, on principal, sleep out overnight to get my child into preschool!

    Fast forward to a lovely Thursday night this past February, and I got to the preschool at 6pm to await the next morning's registration. I was third in line. It was actually a fun experience, I had all my friends with me, and it was kind of like sleeping out for concert tickets in high school.

    The 1 year old classes were both FULL before open registration (from siblings and church members who could register early). I was #1 on the waiting list and got a call in May that Will got in.

    So...he's going MWF from 9-12. I decided to put him in for a few reasons, some pertaining to him, some to me. For him, he is a very social guy and very independent around other kids (although the mommy mommy mommy stage is starting up big time so it will be interesting to see what happens). I just felt like he was ready. The program does art and music sessions, which are things I'd be taking him to anyways if he weren't in school.

    I also did it for selfish reasons. I just need a break for a few hours a week. Errands are virtually impossible with him, as you all know. I can't even drop off or pick up dry cleaning. I was also thinking ahead to being pregnant with #2 (which we still havent started trying for yet). I knew there was no way I'd be able to take him to doctors appts, etc- so I can schedule all that kind of stuff while he's in school. Plus, I thought if I just needed to sleep, spend time hunched over a toilet- whatever- I could get it done.

    Regardless of your choice, no one is weird. You know your child better than anyone. I would suggest, however, to those who have more dependent kids that preschool could be a great way for them to learn how to branch out. It would likely be emotionally hard on you in the beginning, but I'd be willing to bet your child would start having fun in no time.

    As for how to find a school - start asking around to everyone you know. Call some of the private elementary schools and ask if they know of any good preschools. Call the bigger churches and ask them- even if they dont have a program, they'll likely know who does.

    Yikes, such a long post. HTH.
    DS 2003
    DD1 2009
    DD2 2011

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