Preschool says children 4 and up cannot nap. Asking for a friend

[IansMom]

My BFF just moved from NY to NJ with her DS (age 4). She received an email from his new preschool (he starts after Labor Day) that according to state law, children ages 4 and up are not allowed to nap. If the preschool allows it, they will be fined. She must provide a doctor's note/excuse if she wants DS to nap (which she does because she works full-time). This doesn't make any sense to me (nor to her) but I thought I would ask to see if any other moms (especially if you are in New Jersey) can elaborate.

[JBaxter]

I'll take a while stab but if its a preschool and not a day care that may be the issue. Some states license daycares differently than preschools and have different regulations. I've never had a 4 yr old nap well... if they did they were up until 11pm.

[Charlie]

I found this:

http://www.nj.gov/dcf/policy_manuals/NJAC-10-122-6.4_issuance.shtml

But I don't know what qualifies an early childhood center - it it's daycare or preschool etc. Anyway, it's a start.

[ett]

I'll take a while stab but if its a preschool and not a day care that may be the issue. Some states license daycares differently than preschools and have different regulations. I've never had a 4 yr old nap well... if they did they were up until 11pm.

This would be my guess too.

[robinsmommy]

I am guessing it may have to do with rules on supervision - they can't have kids napping unsupervised, probably, and preschools may therefore be held to a lower staff requirement - they may not have enough staff to safely watch kids nap, as compared with a daycare.

[IansMom]

Thank you all for your responses. It's very helpful to get other opinions. I will share these with her.

[mom2binsd]

If it's certified through something like AYP or some acronym, they may not allow napping. Normal for preschool for age 4 not to nap.

[Kindra178]

So many 4 year olds nap?


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[mom2binsd]

My 4 year old napped on days she didn't have preschool, sometimes. My boyfriends 4 year old will still nap if she's tired, but it's not a regular thing.

Kindergarten here does a 20 min quiet time, DD used to fall asleep sometimes in K!

[JBaxter]

None of mine did at 4 They were all dropping naps between 2 & 3.

[BananaMama]

My youngest was still napping at daycare right up til he turned 5 just before kindergarten began.


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[Pear]

We wOuld have lived this. Dd stopped napping at 2. I tried until 2.5 to get her back to naps, but then just gave up. We always found it ridiculous that they expected 4yo to be able To nap.

[DualvansMommy]

I'm in NJ and when DS1 went to his preschool (it was a private PreK-12th school) I was taken back to find out the preschool years had a mandatory rest/nap period for 30 mins. It was a full day though from 8:15 till 2:45pm though, so I kinda understood but DS1 stopped napping since 3 then. The teachers did allow non nappers to read quietly though, which is what ds1 ended up doing, and rest of kiddos napped (wasn't many though)

it sounds like it's more of licensing ratio issue to cause this enforcement, a lot of daycares running as preschools around here do have that rule. More so, if your friends child is enrolled for full day vs half day.

[georgiegirl]

I wish DDs daycare/preschool didn't allow naps at age 4. That really ruined by life since DD would be awake until 11 if she napped.




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[ett]

I wish my kids napped until 4! They both dropped their morning naps early and afternoon naps before 3.

[KpbS]

My kids had to lie down for a nap in our state through pre-K 4 (even after they turned 5). It is state mandated according to our preschool. We are in a different part of the country though.

And yes, many preschoolers still nap at age 4 and 5. Many of DC's classmates slept in Kindergarten for their "rest" time. Some had to be woken up everyday. All of my DC stopped by age 2-3 though and just had to lie down quietly for years, lol.

[IansMom]

DS1 dropped his nap right after he turned 3. That's why I decided to only have him do half day preschool--he could sleep for free at home with me. I thought he was in the minority and that most 3-4 year olds still napped. Thank you all for responding. I think my BFF is going to give the school a couple of weeks to see how her DS adapts. If he doesn't, she will find an alternative.

[lalasmama]

I wish my kids napped until 4! They both dropped their morning naps early and afternoon naps before 3.


DS1 dropped his nap right after he turned 3. That's why I decided to only have him do half day preschool--he could sleep for free at home with me. I thought he was in the minority and that most 3-4 year olds still napped.

My mom ran an in-home daycare for around 25 years, and a daycare facility for a few years in the middle of that time.... All kids had to have quiet time, but didn't have to nap. They needed to stay on the nap mat/cot, but could have 3-4 books. Most of the kids ended up sleeping--even many of the 5-year-olds facing kindergarten! I was shocked to end up with a kid that dropped her nap around 3 years old. Now, with the grandkids at our house, the newly-3yo naps consistently, the 5yo naps maybe half the time, and the 6yo doesn't nap (but is still expected to participate in quiet time). How I wish work allowed a nap time every afternoon! :)

[carolinacool]

Most of the kids ended up sleeping--even many of the 5-year-olds facing kindergarten! I was shocked to end up with a kid that dropped her nap around 3 years old.

Yes, my friend's son was still taking full two-hour naps his pre-K year at his day care. He has a late fall birthday, so he was mostly 5 that entire year.

My DS stopped napping regularly around 3, but he definitely appreciated the quiet time. Our elementary school seems to go back and forth on rest time for kindergartners. The year before DS started, they didn't do any rest time. When he started, they did daily rest time for five or six weeks, then cut it back to two or three times a week in October. When the kids came back from Christmas break, it was cut completely. It took DS two or three weeks to adjust even though he rarely actually napped. He just started second grade, and I don't know what K has done the past two years.

[teresah00]

DD just turned 5 and still naps for two hours most days. She can go without it, and I'm kind of phasing it out w school and activities starting back up. My 7yo DS naps every weekend if DH lays down with him (he fights me).

[klwa]

So many 4 year olds nap?


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My almost 5 year old still naps at daycare, and naps hard. At home she does not. My other two dropped their naps by 4. (When I was in kindergarten, we still had a nap time. I rarely slept through it, but a lot of kids did at the beginning of the year. Very few still were by the end of the year.)

[123LuckyMom]

My kids' preschool (which is a daycare) had naps all the way through the 5 year olds. One of mine often napped, and the other never did. I'm sure others who have pointed out different regulations for preschools and daycares are right that that's the reason for an enforced no napping policy at your friend's school.


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[hwin708]

Well this thread is an eye-opener.

My kids all napped through most of age 5. Solid 2 hour naps. And they went to bed at 7pm.
Their preschool gives them the option to nap in the quiet room or play after lunch. Our current 4-year old teacher says it's a pretty even split, with half the class napping.

I would HATE to lose the nap. My gosh, I have only had one kid that wasn't a complete bear if they missed their nap. So this policy would have definitely thrown me for a panicked loop. And what does the doctor's note say???? "Billy must nap, or his mother's already frayed nerves will snap."?

[AnnieW625]

So many 4 year olds nap?


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My dd1 was napping at 4 until a preschool classmate told her that 4 yr. olds don't nap. That ended naps for her, but when she was in kindergarten and I was still picking her up at her old in home daycare at 5 pm there were still some nights where she would be asleep on the couch. After she started going to school daycare she would come home and fall asleep early and I think in first grade I could still easily get her in bed most nights by 7:30.

DD2 took a regular nap until she was at least 5.

My girls went to in home daycare though so there was always nap or quiet time.

Fwiw: I took an afternoon nap for a good hour until sometime right before first grade as my mom had to have me moved from afternoon kindergarten to morning kindergarten.

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[ahisma]

DD just turned 5 and still naps for two hours most days. She can go without it, and I'm kind of phasing it out w school and activities starting back up. My 7yo DS naps every weekend if DH lays down with him (he fights me).

My DS2 napped through age 5 as well. Two hours / day, both at home and at school. He still went to bed at 8 pm every night. He just needed the sleep.