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When is the right time to start preschool?
tjlove December 9, 2008
Most of the preschools I've looked at have a minimum starting age of 2 years and 9 months. That's how old my daughter will be next fall when preschool will start for her (if there's a spot).
Part of me feels that she'll be too young. She's in a wonderful, small daycare now so why would I move her? But I also know how much she'll change in a year and think she'll be ready for a change of pace.
My ideal situation would be to have her in preschool part time and at the daycare the other days.
I guess my question is this: How did other parents determine the right time to start preschool? How do you know if/when your child is ready? What did you factor in to your decision?
Thanks in advance for sharing!
debrasuefitzge December 9, 2008
i didn't put my 2 oldest children in preschool till they were 4.i felt at 2 or 3 they wouldn't be ready to be able to enter act with the kids are teachers because of them being so young.and allot of preschools wanted them to be able to count to 10 and say their full name and be fully potty trained so i opted to wait till they were 4 so i could teach them more before putting them in preschool so they would be able to do the same things the other kids did and not be behind,and feel left out cause the others could do all the things the preschool required of them.i hope this was helpful.44425
tjlove December 18, 2008
Thanks for your answer debrasuefitzge. That is helpful.
We just found out last week that there is a spot for her in the preschool of our choice. I'm still on the fence as to what to do and we have to give an answer by mid-January.
It's really hard to plan so far ahead when you're talking about such young children because they change so much over such short periods of time.
What to do, what to do...44426
vacekd1001 January 3, 2009
You probable already had to make your decision. However I would ask the pre-school what concepts they are teaching at three? Does the child half to be potty trained? How structured is the school? What are their discipline procedures? What will the child's daily routine look like? Is there an outside play area? etc.
Then i would decide if your daughter is ready for the program that is being provided.44427
lockmama January 15, 2009
We were lucky. Our daughter's daycare transitioned into a preschool so we didn't have to make a formal separation. I would suggest you speak to the school that you are interested in to see what a typical day would be for your child. Our preschool is fairly academic, but the teachers use games to teach the kids. When I ask my daughter what she learned in school that day, she generally tells me nothing. When I ask her what she did at school that day, she usually tells me all about the activities that taught her something.44428
tjlove February 9, 2009
We did make our decision. I was still on the fence but I received the parent's handbook from the school the other day and became very excited. The school allows you to bring your child during the summer to get them acquainted with their new surroundings and the teachers, etc. During the first week of school, the new kids only go for half days as another way to make the transition easier. Parents are allowed to stay in the classroom and visit any time. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities as well. Now I just have to make sure my daughter is potty trained!!44429
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