Anyone go from at home to 5 day/wk preschool?

[KBecks]

I'm going to look at a Montessori school for Alek, but my biggest concern is that it's 8-11:30 5 days a week. Has anyone gone from having their child at home to 5 day a week preschool?

He will be almost 4 when school starts. I know 5 year olds do it, but I wonder and worry if it's too much school too soon.

[HIU8]

DS went from 5 day a week FT daycare to 3 day/week 9:15 - noon preschool. The adjustment didn't even phase him. For a few of the kids in his class, this was their first experience away from home and after about 2-3 weeks everyone was fine.

HTH

[CiderLogan]

DD1 went from mostly at home (with a couple Mother's Morning Out-type things through our city park) to 5-morning preschool at age 3 and adjusted wonderfully. Like the PP, I saw that a few kids had a rough time but adjusted quickly. In some ways, going to 5 days is easier than 2 or 3 days because the schedule is more constant/predictable, and thus easier for everyone to fall into.

[citymama]

I'm going to look at a Montessori school for Alek, but my biggest concern is that it's 8-11:30 5 days a week. Has anyone gone from having their child at home to 5 day a week preschool?

He will be almost 4 when school starts. I know 5 year olds do it, but I wonder and worry if it's too much school too soon.

Sigh, I feel guilty when I read these posts. At 18 months, my DD went from 5 day week at home with mom or dad, to 5 days a week at daycare from 9.30-3.00. For the first 2 weeks, one of us was with her for part of the day every day, but then she transitioned to being without us. I miss my mornings with her but I know she is happy and thriving at her "school!"

Every kid is different, and it's hard to let go at any age, but I think at age 4, he will enjoy 3 hours with other friends each day! I also agree with the PP that a 5 day routine is easier than 2 or 3 days - the kids who are there 2 or 3 days a week have a much harder adjustment.

[mamicka]

I think he'll probably be fine, but I understand your concern. If anything, there might be a couple rough weeks, but then it'll be fine. Will he start all-day kindie at 5? If so, this is a good in-between.
Lawrence went from at home all day to 3 half-day/week preschool at age 4. That adjustment was fine. I'm worried about 5-day all-day kindie next year, though.

[sidmand]

Not yet, but DS will be going from home to maybe 5 days/week, six hours/day next fall!

DH doesn't think DS is ready for preschool at all. We'll find out in January for sure how much/how long, but it will definitely be 5 days/week and DS will only be three in June. It's not my ideal situation, but for DS to continue receiving services once he turns three he has to go to a public school. And he's currently getting 17 hours/week of services, so in order to come close to that, he may have to go all that time!

Not the same situation at all. But I'm sure there are many people who have made the transition. In fact, there are some in our playgroup looking at the same kind of thing (5 days/week at home and probably going to a Montessori school five mornings/week).

[Tondi G]

My DS1 went from being at home with me to a 5 day a week Montessori program a month before he turn 4! He could go from 8am to 5:30pm. Most days he didn't go in that early but he often stayed late. So many times Dh or I would show up a little early to pick him up and he would say "why are you here so early?" and then proceed to play outside with his friend while we talked with the teachers etc for a while!

I'll bet your DS will LOVE it! I think the consistency was good for my DS. He knew Daddy went to work, He went to school, Mommy and baby bro were at home.... everyone was together on the weekends!

Good luck

~Tondi

[MarisaSF]

DD's in a Montessori preschool as well. They really stress the 5 days/week thing for "structure" and consistency. DD started at 3 half days and went to 5 half days after about a month. This was after she'd been home with me only.

I thought it would be horrible, but it worked well for her. For one, we had to be up and out at the same time every day. It was much easier than waking up at one time T, Th and another time M,W,F.

We occasionally play "hooky" -- I like to do it on Thursdays and did it today, in fact -- and do special activities together.

[TahliasMom]

Montessori is a great environment. i think at this age kids enjoy structure based on play. They dont realize they're learning per say but each day, each week my DD amazes me. She spelled MOM outloud yesterday!

I put DD in Montessor at 3 full days and after 4 weeks she adjusted. She has made great friends, loves doing jobs, and looks forward to going to school. I would say the last two months she's become interested in learning as her attention span has lengthen.

Good luck. I think it's a harder transition for the parent than the child.

[writermama]

DD#1's Montessori has a summer camp session which is more relaxed. We were able to start her there 3 mornings a week and transition to 3 full days a week before the start of the regular montessori session. Maybe some of the schools you're looking at have a similar program that might help ease the adjustment.

That said, I think DD adjusted to school faster than I did. We probably could have put her in a 5 morning/week program at the start with no issues.

[JMarie]

DS, at 18 months, went from at home with us all day to 7A-4P daycare, 5 days a week. He was beyond excited to be able to go to 'school.' We definitely had our days, and we did go through a short period of "don't leave me mommy!" that just about tore my heart out, but he absolutely thrived. I would have loved to wait until he was 3, but it really worked out well and the social interaction that early was probably best for him. Good luck!

[nupe]

DS went from nanny at home to full day (8am to 5pm) 5 days a week preschool/daycare shortly after he turned 2. He loved it! The first few days he didn't even want to come home. The transition was worrisome for us, but not for him. We had been asking him before hand if he wanted to stay home w/nanny or go to school w/kids, and he had always said to go to school. After I saw how well he did, I wondered why I worried so much and had not made the transition earlier.

[dr mom]

I'm struggling with this decision right now, too. DS is currently in preschool 2 mornings a week, and I am trying to decide whether to send him for 3 or 5 days next year. It's hard to anticipate what will work best for him, 9 months in advance! He'll be 4 1/2 by then, so probably will be ok in a 5-day program...but will I regret giving up that time with him?

Also, is it completely disruptive to the child's routine to let them play hooky occasionally? Because I could definitely see keeping him home every couple of weeks for playdates or other fun outings, but is that going to make DS or the preschool teacher completely nuts?

[KBecks]

Also, is it completely disruptive to the child's routine to let them play hooky occasionally? Because I could definitely see keeping him home every couple of weeks for playdates or other fun outings, but is that going to make DS or the preschool teacher completely nuts?

I also like the idea of skipping out on maybe a gorgeous fall day but don't know if that would be appropriate, probably as long as it isn't every week! I think the school would want to know that the child isn't coming. I think school will be great for Alek in winter but it's the beautiful days for going outside that I know I will miss spending time with him (not like we won't have the afternoons though.)

[Melanie]

Why not make it four days? Keep it regular like every monday or friday is your 'home day,' that way they still get the "structure" your school recommends. Of course you'll likely still have to pay for that 5th but if you like the school enough, it's easier to swallow. That is what I do. On occasion he will go all 5 days if something is going on on his home day that I don't want him to miss; but it definitely takes it's toll on him. It's a long exhausting week (his school is full day, though).

[ThreeofUs]

You'll know whether it's working or not, and if it's the right kind of Montessori, they'll support you two as you separate a little. But trust yourself; if you see anything that makes you uncomfortable, talk to the teachers.

We put DS1 into Montessori preschool early because he wanted to be with other children so badly that he would tail school groups around museums. Since he was pretty sensitive and highly attached, I became an unofficial classroom aide to two fantastic Montessori teachers. He had a wonderful time, and they were very understanding and accepting of his need to keep me there.

This year, the senior teacher left and they brought in someone without experience teaching the under-4s. It was a disaster: fights (kids hitting and kicking each other - not just a hit and an intervention) and inappropriate activities were rampant. I took DS1 out after a month of being there and intervening because the teachers were not.

The transfer of trust was broken, and I couldn't see that leaving my child in that environment would be beneficial. But my case is rare, I think.

[mytwosons]

When my DS1 was 3, we went from at home to 3 mornings a week. He loved it and asked to go to school on the alternate days.

As for "skipping school", I think it's fine. You'll be surprised how many weeks he ends up missing a day due to illness or something else. I don't hesitate to keep DS1 home if I think one of us will benifit from a "chill" day. No offense to preschool teachers, but it is "just" preschool.

However, I should note that having DS1 in school on a daily basis has made my schedule better. I get so much more accomplished, just from following a routine. Because I get stuff done everyday, I find our afternons are free to just hangout and enjoy whatever might be available that day.