Over the past year, I have been asked the question, “So, what are you doing for Joshua for preschool?” many, many times. I have had two standard answers to this question: The very intelligent “uhh…..” and the very nervously delivered, “I don’t really want to think about that yet.”
Joshua will be five in February, so he definitely won’t be going to kindergarten until a year from now (I am having cold sweats, breaking out in hives, and trying not to puke as I type that! Ugh!) But since he has known all his letters since before he was 2, can write his name, and now read quite well, I really wasn’t going to send him to preschool. To be brutally honest, this is basically because I didn’t want to deal with it and/or pay for it. He gets plenty of social interaction at Sunday school and Awana, and as I said, “academically” he is fine.
But I felt a bit guilty about that, since that is what moms do.
Then my BFF Luanne came up with a brilliant idea. She suggested I put Joshua in her homeschool co-op. (She homeschools her 14-year-old daughter.) The co-op has class the first three Thursdays of the month from 10-2 and a field trip the last Friday of every month. There is a class for just hte pre-K kids. I would be with him, there is a nursery for Sophie, and the cost is less than $100 per year for one child.
It has the added benefit of getting my lazy butt out of the house!
I haven’t decided whether or not I will homeschool. I am leaning towards not, but who knows, the other co-op moms may fore me to drink the homeschool kool-aid!
So, I mailed the application and check today. Soon my little guy will be a bona fide preschooler! I’m hoping we will both make some new friends, have fun, and learn a lot.
But I am curious, how did those of you who have gone before make your preschool decisions?
I actually did a ton of research and kept coming up with the same thing – kids actually learn more when they stay home with mom or dad for the preschool years. I was fascinated by all the research out there showing that, if the kids’ best interests were really taken into consideration, schooling wouldn’t start until 8 or 9 or sometimes even 10 years old. My son is 3 1/2, reads at a 2nd grade level (that was self-taught, I take no credit for the reading)l, can count to 100 and beyond, knows his shapes and colors… and I’ve saved a ton of money in the process! http://www.universalpreschool.com has a ton of ideas for things to do at home with your preschooler.
Ever since my daughter turned TWO people have been asking if she’s in preschool yet (she’s nearly three now). I was shocked at first because I didn’t think it even existed for kids under 4! She’s really bright and I think she would love the new opportunities, but I just can’t see putting her in preschool yet (nevermind that I can’t figure out where I’d get the money). Apparently the waiting lists here are quite long, so I really need to get my butt in gear and decide what I want to do. I’m interested to see what else people have to say… maybe there are some options I haven’t considered yet.
Jenny already knows my opinion- for others- look for a preschool that has a focus on hands-on learning and lots of sensory experiences. Look for a consistent schedule that includes art, language experiences such as children being read to and their thoughts being elicited about what has been read, manipulatives and blocks, and opportunities for playing with water, rice, beans, etc. There should be opportunities to write, draw, and make books with materials such as varying types of paper , markers, crayons, pencils, hole punches, yarn , and staplers. Children can use all of these materials safely and independently. Outdoor time is very important. If these types of activities are provided, most likely the staff are trained in preschool work. It is a different ballgame than elementary education.
I have a Master’s in child development and lots of experience so that is why I have such solid opinions. I also think that preschool is most beneficial for children in the year before kindergarten. I wouldn’t generally recommend it for most 3 year olds, just because many are not as ready for group experiences as are 4 year olds. Big warning: lots of worksheets and coloring pages is a bad sign of lack of staff training. Preschoolers need to be having the chance to develop their small motor skills with open art materials as previously described. Save the worksheets for much later.
Hope this helps – from Jenny’s mom.
Dear readers, I failed to mention my mom’s expertise before, because I didn’t want you to roll your eyes and say, “well she’s his GRANDMA she’s hopelessly biased!” But see? she’s a PROFESSIONAL! 🙂
Also, I forgot to say that preschool is not necessary, and that the above-mentioned activities can all take place at home.It would be vital that the child at home has a good routine and is taught respect for adult authority. I don’t mean an authoritarian environment, but a loving and consistent discipline where the rules for happy living are clear and enforced. In my years of exoerience, I have had more than one child who told me “no” on the first day of class- not a good first impression!
I have a daughter that will be 5 in Jan and also break into hives when I think about sending her to Kindergarten! It can’t be happening so soon is all I keep thinking!
Anyway, I too get asked the preschool question ALL THE TIME! I am a working mother and my daughter goes to an in home daycare so she gets plenty of social interaction. She seems to know her letter and numbers and name and all that jazz but why do I too feel the pressure of pre-school. For me too, I get frustrated by the lack of good preschool options for working parents! I have finally just conceeded to the fact that my daughter will not go to preschool! Only time will tell if that was the right decision for us! Don’t you wish we had that magic ball to see into the future!
I am excited that you found a good option for you too!!!
I found a great co-op preschool when I was looking for Faith five years ago. All of the classrooms was staffed with PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS (4 year early child education degrees), and the parents of the children rotated in assisting in the classroom and being the extra eyes, ears, and hands of the teacher. The price was right – since I and the other parents were volunteering there wasn’t need to hire classroom aides. It was great to get to know the other parents and classmates, and to get to work hand in hand with my child’s teacher was AWESOME!
So great that I got a job there as the school aide!
By the way, isn’t Jenny’s mom awesome? I hope you realize how blessed you are to get her advice… I know I am! She is a wealth of preschool knowledge who I got to benefit from – both as a preschool and a parent of a preschooler!
My position on preschool (I have two that have gone now…oh, they’re getting big!): I don’t send my children to preschool until they’re four. I wanted them to be emotionally ready for learning the most important lesson that (IMHO) preschool offers: how to go to school, listen to your teachers, and be accountable for your behavior in following the rules made by the teachers.
And, I may make some eyebrows raise in anger when I say this, but I personally think that preschool for ages 2-3 is more about mommy (specifically, sahms — and I am one myself) getting a break than the child getting, “enrichment”. If you’re home with your kids, reading to them, taking them to the park, the store, the library, etc, they’re getting so much social interaction and, “enrichment,” from that time with you.
Just a side note, there have been two or three children in my daughter’s class (she’s entering second grade) who never went to preschool — simply started Kindergarten at age 5-6. They’re all wonderful, bright, and socially fine.
Joshua will thrive whereever he lands — he sounds (and looks in all his handsome pix) like a smart and caring child. Do what works best for your family and for him — time does fly by so quickly. Once the school years start, it just flies by even faster.
🙂
None of our children have gone to preschool yet and our youngest probably won’t either. For me, my only reason to send them would have been to have a couple hours to myself each week and that wasn’t enough motivation for me to pass them off to someone else. I currently homeschool our oldest (almost 6 and entering 1st grade) and will be adding our middle child (she is almost 4) with some very basic preschooling this year. With my education background, who better to teach my kids and cater to their learning styles than myself? Plus, I love knowing exactly what my kids are learning and we get to take tons of field trips as a family! =)
Umm I’m not a great person to ask but I’ll put in my 2 cents anyway. Let me start by saying that we lived in a rural area so our choices were limited to begin with. We have 4 kids (3 at the time each went to preschool) so COST was definitely a factor. If a school was rated as THE BEST but cost twice as much, it was already crossed off our list. Also we are Christians, so the school had to teach Jesus in an authentic way (i.e. The bible is true, not just stories). Lastly, it had to be a good time of day for us. There was a preschool nearby that did pre-k mon-fri, 8:30am to 11:15am. That was too much, we knew. Plus they rode the bus to and from. I’m like, 3 years old on a bus? NO WAY!! If they need a carseat in my van, they’re not going on a school bus that has no carseats. SO, truth be told, we didn’t really investigate which schools had learning centers, fine-motor skills, music time, etc, etc. We just looked for a school that seemed like the teacher enjoyed her job and the kids seemed to enjoy being there. If bumps occurred along the way, we discussed it with the teacher and she sometimes made adjustments, sometimes not. Also, we never expected the teacher to teach everything. We supplemented at home. I think this is true whether your kid is 4 or 18. Learning doesn’t start and stop at the schoolhouse door. So, basically, we realized that there is no perfect school, just one that works for our family. AFter all, that’s real life, isn’t it?
My daughter went to Green-Oak preschool last year and we loved it. They have m/w/f a.m. or p.m. classes and t/th a.m. classes. The m/w/f p.m. class worked out great for us because my youngest would nap while big sis was at school. The price is pretty reasonable compared to some others in the area. They have music, art, a muscle room, a play room, and a play ground. Let me know if you want anymore info!!
I loved preschool because my daughter was extremely social and school oriented. I don’t think it did much for her educationally, but it was a few hours a week where she really thrived. I looked for a school with a solid Christian foundation that was close by because it was only for a few hours and I didn’t want to drive all over town. I just really felt like my daughter needed a place to channel all her “brainy” energy. I know that sounds weird, but she thrives on a lot of educational stimulation.
That being said, I probably will only do 1 year of preschool for my youngest where I did 2 for my oldest. They are just different kids with different needs.
BTW- my mom is also a former teacher. CRAZY!!
I’m so glad you are going to be in co-op with us. We are going to have as much fun as the kids do. All three of you will make new friends…but…not better ones than us…right? I am the jealous type. You should know that by now.
Kisses
My 2 cents? Take your child to every story time at the library that you can. Most central libraries host more detailed ones (in my personal and professional experience, the neighborhood branches usually just do a story and a song…) the ‘downtown’ or ‘main’ locales will usually do a very intricate one, with stories, feltboard shows, songs, musical instruments, and a craft. They are tailored to fit certain age groups, too. It gets lots of social interaction and lots of book-art-music time too. Plus, totally free!
Of course, I may be biased. It’s what I do for a living! 😉
My oldest never went to preschool just b/c I had 2 younger ones here and it was going to be a pain in the butt. My middle child did a home based preschool where the teacher came to the house 1x/wk and she did “socialization” days 2x/month to hang with other kids. She only did this b/c it was easy for me and FREE! My youngest will not do any preschool b/c now we are so involved w/other families he gets all the socialization in the world. We used to do public school and then switched and now home school the older two. My theory on the whole thing now is: they get to go to school and then work forever, let them be little kids as long as possible. 🙂 It also depends on the kids personality. From my experience, (oh yeah, I used to TEACH preschool too!) girls seem to be “ready” way before boys.
Thanks Jenny for the emailed tip and for starting this discussion. I didn’t really think I had options and I’d never heard of the co-op idea before. I thought that if everyone else around here is putting their kids in school at 2-3, then I’d be holding her back if I didn’t follow along. And I really didn’t think 2-3 was old enough, for me OR her.
I’m really glad to hear encouragement from teachers and more experienced moms that kids don’t NEED preschool. I’ve started looking around at some socialization options (library, church etc) and I think I’ll keep my kids home as long as I can. Like my mom says, once they start school, you enter into a whole different arena of parenting because you aren’t the only main influence in their lives anymore. They grow up too fast anyways!
We did preschool for both of our older girls. Not for social reasons necessarily – they were both already in full-time daycare. But more so they could learn how to learn in a school setting. And Abby definitely needed it – the child not only thrives on structure – she needs it. The more structured the better. For Hannah, we started her in preschool right when Becca was born – since I was home on maternity leave, and we figured that she needed something of her own to get excited about (since Abby was already in preschool anyway). Becca will start preschool next fall when she’s 3-1/2.
Even though preschool has meant added costs and transportation nighmares – I truly believe that my girls have greatly benefited from it. But – I think that every family has to make the choice that’s right for them and their children. This has worked for us, but I have friends who’ve made other choices that have worked best for them. 🙂