whats a preschool open house like?

[eagle]

okay, we just started preschool a month ago. there will be an open house on tuesday.

i am wondering what open houses are like. i am sure they are different from place to place but perhaps theyre not, which is why im asking. the website for our preschool says "Current students can come show their families what we've been doing at school."

my toddler can barely speak a sentence other than "i want [x]".

shall we bother with not going? normally i would go, but im thinking about starting potty training that day. if we start on tuesday, ill do it tue-wed-thu and have ds go to preschool back on friday (wed is a day off regardless). if we go, then we will potty train wed-thu-fri, with no preschool on fri.

is it a big deal? do they even notice if a student doesnt come (its a class of 6)? would the teacher be offended? do they work really hard for these things or is it routine?

oh and he currently attends mon wed fri mornings only. thanks for looking!

i guess i am leaning on not going... but just wanted to know what some of you think. ds is 2, turning 3 in nov. so a couple more years of preschool left!

[hillview]

you go in and visit the classroom with your DC. At that age it might not be that interesting but you could go read a book etc. You might get a sense of what your child does at preschool -- the teacher might say DC loves this kitchen set and plays breakfast every morning etc.

[wellyes]

I think Open Houses, this time of year, are usually more for prospective students than current ones. If that's the case here, don't worry about not going at all.

It is really illuminating and fun to see your child's classroom, but, maybe just volunteer to be a room mom for a day (a day that works better for you).

[WatchingThemGrow]

Absolutely go!!! As a teacher, I would be insulted if parents declined to attend a "get to know your child's classroom/teachers" event. Those opportunities are important in building community, letting them know more about the family the student comes from, how the family interacts, how YOUR child makes his way around the classroom, etc. It gives you opportunity to see what your child does when he's at school. Very important.

An open house for prospective students might be in the early spring, but at this time of year, they are for the parents of the current students to become more familiar with their child's environment.

[1mom2dylan]

I just attended ours last week. It was mostly just to answer any questions the parents may have and distribute all the required papers on safety plans, evaluation plans, etc.
The teacher had said she could give me the packet of info at the next drop off, if I couldn't make it.
I think it would be fine to skip it.

Good luck with the potty training. I did the 3 day program last month and it worked great.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I'd absolutely go. I never skip stuff like that. I want yo see the kids he plays with every day, chat with their parents, and explore the space. My ds2 had poor verbal skills so going allowed me to see what he'd been doing since he couldn't tell me.

I guess some preschools do it better than others. We don't tend to stay long but I really like going. Eta- we have a parents only meeting before school starts that covers the boring stuff. Open house is in the evening and truly just an open house. They give us a list of things to look for with our kid, we do that independently, they give us a snack, we play on the playground and go.

[KrisM]

I'd absolutely go. I never skip stuff like that. I want yo see the kids he plays with every day, chat with their parents, and explore the space. My ds2 had poor verbal skills so going allowed me to see what he'd been doing since he couldn't tell me.

I guess some preschools do it better than others. We don't tend to stay long but I really like going.

I agree. Our school does it right at the beginning, but then there are a few daytime events for parents that are fun to see what they're doing.

[egoldber]

Ours are called "Back to School Night", are in the evening and are without kids. You visit the classroom, view work/project samples, and the teacher gives an overview of the curriculum for the year. They also may give info about supplies needed, issues with food/snacks, volunteer opportunities, etc.

Around here preschools and elementary schools have them. And I do think that teachers work hard on these events. Also, there is often something that is a shared parent/child activity and your child may feel left out.

[Green_Tea]

I say go. Around here the teachers and the students do a lot of work to get ready for open houses, and the teachers talk about it with the kids all week ("Let's make pretty artwork to show your parents at open house!" "Do your best work, because we'll hang these up to show your families at open house!"). It's a chance for your child to show off their classroom to you, and for you to get to meet his friends and their parents. IME, most families do attend those kind of events.

[ett]

I say go. Around here the teachers and the students do a lot of work to get ready for open houses, and the teachers talk about it with the kids all week ("Let's make pretty artwork to show your parents at open house!" "Do your best work, because we'll hang these up to show your families at open house!"). It's a chance for your child to show off their classroom to you, and for you to get to meet his friends and their parents. IME, most families do attend those kind of events.

:yeahthat: I would go unless I had a true conflict.

[eagle]

thank you all!

ill go! we will just start training a day later.

thank you all so much for telling me what i might expect!

[maestramommy]

At our preschool, there is a very short assembly where we meet the teachers, specialists, and get some PSAs from the director and school nurse. Then we disperse to the classrooms where we can see what the kids have been doing. It's the first thing on the docket as part of the all-school Open House. Elementary grades don't have the the assembly.