Attendance for children in kindergarden or preschool

[PaulinVA]

My wife is a preschool teacher, so this is my 2 cents from that perspective.

She is very well read in terms of research about what kids need at 4 and 5, and it’s play. Lots of play. Not academics. Just play.

So, that can happen at home. BUT, I’ll tell you what, preschool age is where you find the children with problems. Parents are in denial, but the teachers notice. Early intervention is really important when learning problems or emotional problems are an issue. That is the number one reason to send your child to a preschool where the teachers hold the Child Development Associate credential or some other training. They evaluate your child and notice things. Along with the aforementioned play. Obviously, that doesn’t benefit everyone, but it could help.

My youngest child had language and reading problems that were identified at 2 years old. Couldn’t express himself/herself, later couldn’t read, just a mess. This child has been in the county special ed system with an IEP for 14 years. The hardest working child I know. Today (literally, today!), he/she has what may be the final IEP meeting as the teachers are ready to move my now A/B student out of the program.

Early intervention.

 

[Serap]

My wife is a preschool teacher, so this is my 2 cents from that perspective.

She is very well read in terms of research about what kids need at 4 and 5, and it’s play. Lots of play. Not academics. Just play.

So, that can happen at home. BUT, I’ll tell you what, preschool age is where you find the children with problems. Parents are in denial, but the teachers notice. Early intervention is really important when learning problems or emotional problems are an issue. That is the number one reason to send your child to a preschool where the teachers hold the Child Development Associate credential or some other training. They evaluate your child and notice things. Along with the aforementioned play. Obviously, that doesn’t benefit everyone, but it could help.

My youngest child had language and reading problems that were identified at 2 years old. Couldn’t express himself/herself, later couldn’t read, just a mess. This child has been in the county special ed system with an IEP for 14 years. The hardest working child I know. Today (literally, today!), he/she has what may be the final IEP meeting as the teachers are ready to move my now A/B student out of the program.

Early intervention.

My son is turning 3 in 2 weeks and he had severe problems with aggression when he was 2.5 years old. I went and visited his ped. doctor and she told me how to address it. I practiced what she taught and now he’s turning 3 and he’s a different child. He’s a sweet little boy and his aggression is almost gone. We have moments, but thank God they are only moments.

As parents, if we see that something is wrong, we have to get our head out of the sand and ask professionals for help also.

My son’s doctor told me that if we didn’t see improvements by age 3, to contact her again and she’d have him admitted to a program at Sick Kids Hospital. Since we have noticed drastic improvement, we don’t feel the need for that program anymore.

 

[robwar]

First of all, I want to thank everyone for posting and sharing their views. I don’t think there is actually a right or wrong but what is best for your child. If your child is benefiting from preschool and loves it as some of the posters have shared, then there is nothing wrong with sending them to preschool. If you are truly homeschooling your children and they are not in front of the TV watching Sesame Street etc then that is great too. I think though from what I’ve seen in others that more people use the TV or videos for their younger children than they will admit to and the interaction from preschool is far better than a TV program that is geared to them.
Now about Kindergarden. When I went to K, (over 40+years ago), K was run much like our current preschools are and for many years after that. K was 1/2 day, fun, show and tell etc.
The times have changed. Even quoting an old study from the 80’s which implied no K is necessary is really out of date and 30 years old. K now is really the new 1st grade. I have 3 children. Both my boys went to Catholic K, 1/2 day and truly found the experience too rushed. In 2.5 hours, these kids were expected to learn to read and write, do beginning math as well as have “specials” like gym, library music crammed all in 2.5 hours. There simply is not enough time to do the important stuff such as reading, writing and math and they were bounced from one thing to another as well as have snack, show and tell and the usual k stuff. My daughter went to an all day K in a charter school. this was run like a mini 1st grade where they had their own desks, class size was 16 max and the emphasis was truly on reading, writing and math and not nonsense from the past. She was far better prepared for 1st than her brothers. I’ve seen kids repeat K because they were not ready to read or reading yet. I’ve also seen kids skip K and go right into 1st because they were already reading in preschool, something like some have suggested but because they were 1 year younger than the average age in the class, they struggled socially. Likewise, if one is looking at Catholic schools, I can most likely say that a school will want you to start out in their entry level (K or preschool) grade and will not be so open to those who “did it at home” coming into 1st grade. If the preschool is full as well as the K, you most likely will not get in if you follow some of the advice given here to skip it all.
I guess my two cents is that K should be now all day (most schools already are doing this), it should have an academic emphasis on beginning reading, math and writing because school curriculum has changed greatly and the 3 basics of school are expected to be done at younger ages than before. Preschool whether done at home or not should be preparing your child for this. We can’t do what has been done in the past but move forward to what is being done now in schools.

 

[Serap]

First of all, I want to thank everyone for posting and sharing their views. I don’t think there is actually a right or wrong but what is best for your child. If your child is benefiting from preschool and loves it as some of the posters have shared, then there is nothing wrong with sending them to preschool. If you are truly homeschooling your children and they are not in front of the TV watching Sesame Street etc then that is great too. I think though from what I’ve seen in others that more people use the TV or videos for their younger children than they will admit to and the interaction from preschool is far better than a TV program that is geared to them.
Now about Kindergarden. When I went to K, (over 40+years ago), K was run much like our current preschools are and for many years after that. K was 1/2 day, fun, show and tell etc.
The times have changed. Even quoting an old study from the 80’s which implied no K is necessary is really out of date and 30 years old. K now is really the new 1st grade. I have 3 children. Both my boys went to Catholic K, 1/2 day and truly found the experience too rushed. In 2.5 hours, these kids were expected to learn to read and write, do beginning math as well as have “specials” like gym, library music crammed all in 2.5 hours. There simply is not enough time to do the important stuff such as reading, writing and math and they were bounced from one thing to another as well as have snack, show and tell and the usual k stuff. My daughter went to an all day K in a charter school. this was run like a mini 1st grade where they had their own desks, class size was 16 max and the emphasis was truly on reading, writing and math and not nonsense from the past. She was far better prepared for 1st than her brothers. I’ve seen kids repeat K because they were not ready to read or reading yet. I’ve also seen kids skip K and go right into 1st because they were already reading in preschool, something like some have suggested but because they were 1 year younger than the average age in the class, they struggled socially. Likewise, if one is looking at Catholic schools, I can most likely say that a school will want you to start out in their entry level (K or preschool) grade and will not be so open to those who “did it at home” coming into 1st grade. If the preschool is full as well as the K, you most likely will not get in if you follow some of the advice given here to skip it all.
I guess my two cents is that K should be now all day (most schools already are doing this), it should have an academic emphasis on beginning reading, math and writing because school curriculum has changed greatly and the 3 basics of school are expected to be done at younger ages than before. Preschool whether done at home or not should be preparing your child for this. We can’t do what has been done in the past but move forward to what is being done now in schools.