Preschool - Yea or Nay?

[pensmama87]

My oldest son turns four this spring. My husband and I had not planned on sending him to preschool, but since Catholic Schools Week is coming up our parish school has been sending us information on enrolling him in their 4 year old program (they have several options - the one we would go for is three mornings per week). I have no objection to preschool in theory, and I know our parish program is excellent. Our son would really enjoy it (he seems like my husband and me in that we loved school).

But I’m curious about other parents’ perceptions of preschool and if it was worth it or not. The only hurdle is tuition, but that’s not an insignificant hurdle even at the parishioner rate. (It’s not that we are low income and would qualify for scholarships if any were offered at the preschool level, but rather that we have debt to pay off). It seems like every child goes to preschool these days. None of my siblings went to preschool (except one sister, when we lived in a school district that had public pre-kindergarten). Our mother stayed at home and didn’t see the point, and all of us were school-ready when we first went to kindergarten.

I am wondering if the trend is primarily that preschool is an alternative to conventional childcare, and since many children come from multiple income families where childcare is required, preschool is an attractive option (our parish preschool actually has a 4 year old option that is essentially daycare - all day school five days a week plus aftercare). But it also seems like even families where a parent stays at home send their child to preschool, or in cases where preschool would cost more than daycare (for example, a friend of mine who babysits children during the week, as I do, has children who attend preschool half the week and spend the other half with her, rather than be with her full-time.)

I can understand wanting a break for the parent who stays at home, too - though in my case I’m not sure I’ll get one because I don’t know if the parents of the kids I babysit will send their 4 year old to preschool, so I’d still potentially have him and my younger son, too. It would seem weird to separate them since they are the same age.

There’s also a Catholic preschool co-op starting up in my area, though it would meet much less often and parents would always be there to split up childcare and teaching duties.

TL; DR: Did you send your child(ren) to preschool? Was it worth what you paid? Would you have needed to arrange childcare if your child hadn’t attended preschool?

 

[Xantippe]

I have one little warning about the Catholic preschool you’re thinking about before getting on to personal anecdotes. Private school can often seem much more doable when you’re just starting out, but then the years go by, more kids go, and the tuition goes up. And doing this preschool program may put you on the on-ramp toward doing the parochial school. When we started our first child at our kids’ excellent private school, we had one kindergartner in it and it was costing about $500 a month. We were also paying off debt at the time and it was fine. Just a couple of years later, the next kid went, and it was $1,000 a month. We now have a 7th grader and a 4th grader (plus a 2-year-old). We just did the re-enrollment for 2015-2016 and it’s going to be roughly $1300 a month. And the senior trip is going to be to Europe…And little sister will be joining the big kids at school in about 3 years. High ho, high ho, it’s off to work I go!

youtube.com/watch?v=5lYe-0CLXrs

So, beware the financial side.

Here’s what we did with preschool

1. First kid did a preschool five day co-op where I needed to work one day a week. Because it was a city co-op, it worked out to only about $4 per morning, which was a bargain in Washington DC. I had a new baby (about 6 months old when 3-year-old big sister started preschool) and I was thrilled with the break from big sister. Unfortunately, the preschool was a petri dish for various bacterial and viral crud and big sister got the whole family sick so many times. The final straw was when big sister brought home rotavirus and she had to do several hours in ER being rehydrated and then baby brother (age about 10 months) had to do an overnight at the hospital to be rehydrated. My husband said we had to pull her out and I did. The next year (at 4), big sister did full day public pre-K in DC. I was concerned about the long days and the long week, but it was fine.

Before first kid went to preschool, I was having a terrible time meeting other mothers. Both preschool and pre-k were fabulous for my social life, because we’d hang out and chat before pickup and after pickup.

1. Second kid went to parents’ day out for 5.5 hours a day two days a week when he was about 3.5. That schedule, by the way, is more convenient than the traditional preschool half days, where so much time is eaten up with commuting. The next year, he went to pre-K at big sister’s school for 3 full days a week (with the afternoons largely taken up with the dreaded nap). That was perfect for all of us.
2. Third kid started parents’ day out just before turning 2. She goes one day a week for 5.5 hours. I was holding my breath with regard to infectious illnesses, but it’s been 3+ months and nothing really bad so far, so yay! And I have been able to manage my home clerical work better now–I had been feeling like Indiana Jones being pursued by the huge rolling ball. Next fall (when she’s turning 3), I will probably put her in parents’ day out 2 days a week and try to start doing some work from home so we can hope to afford her school and college for all of the kids (the oldest will be in college in 6 years if all goes well). Each day of PDO costs $15 (plus the supply fee at the beginning of the semester).

My personal preference for preschool and parents’ day out is fewer but longer days, because you get more usable time that way, but it might not be right for particular children.

 

[Xantippe]

About the finances–I should add that we have no revolving debt now (no car debt, no student loans, credit cards paid off in full at the end of every month).

So, even with no revolving debt, we have big (to us) housing expenses, plus monthly school expenses that are on track to exceed our housing costs, and those two things pretty much wipe us out.

 

[pensmama87]

I’m reasonably certain that the parish school would just be the one-year deal. We live within walking distance of the public schools, which are excellent (and our school taxes are very high from a national standpoint, although pretty normal for this area). I’m sure our parish would like us to continue to be in their school from K-8, and they are a very good school, but I highly doubt we go there unless something drastic happens in the public school and we have to pull our kids out.

Good idea on checking commutes and price per day. My husband could take him on his way to work, and it is a short trip in the middle of the day for pickup. I do hear you on it taking a lot out of your day, though - I pickup a babysitting kid from kindergarten four days a week and it means that I can’t do any playgroups, appointments, or other activities that start later than 10. Next year he will be in first grade so that will be easier - do I want to voluntarily sign myself up for that three days a week next year, too?

Our options are 3 mornings a week, 5 mornings a week, or 5 full days. I think 5 full days is too much for us.

 

[RyanBlack]

My wife and I both work,my mother-in-law is deceased, and my mother, who would have eagerly kept son, lives almost 1000 miles away, so my son started daycare when he was 8 weeks old. He turned 5 in early December, and he is in the preschool program at his daycare.

In your case, my own suggestion is that you save your family the money and keep him at home. I doubt that there’s anything he would be taught in a preschool curriculum that you cannot teach him yourself.

 

[KendraDZ1902]

I’m a very big advocate for preschools and learning centers. I’m not pro day cares. Day cares basically babysit children, whereas learning centers/private academies have curriculums for even toddlers. I think education is extremely important and I wouldn’t want my children to be behind the learning curve when they enter kindergarten.
Kindergarten isn’t learning to tie shoes and teach the alphabet, anymore. In the school districts around here, if junior can’t read simple sentences and can do simple math, they are already behind.

 

[EasterJoy]

It depends very much on your child. Our children were sent to preschool because they were speech-delayed and hard of hearing, and there was a program available that had speech therapy and audiology on site for them.

I find that small children get very tired of going to school five days a week, even when it is half-day. Preschool is better than daycare with someone else, because daycare is not geared towards language development, math readiness, and so on, but your younger child is also going to miss having that sibling around. Your child has social interaction at your house that you can supervise. You are there to change the intensity of educational opportunities to suit the energy level of the kids. Honestly, I’d be more inclined to make your in-home daycare into a preschool with regards to activities than to rush into the years when you need to get to school every day.

The other problem in your case is that you’d be sending your child to a school where most of his classmates will be staying on and he’s going somewhere else. It will be hard for him to lose all those school friends, especially since he’ll see on Sundays that they’re all still together and he’s now the odd man out. I’d be more inclined to get him into parish religious education with peers who will be with him at the public school.

 

[EasterJoy]

Kindergarten isn’t learning to tie shoes and teach the alphabet, anymore. In the school districts around here, if junior can’t read simple sentences and can do simple math, they are already behind.

It is a good idea to find out what the benchmarks are for the public school kindergarten. If you have your child at home with you, though, meeting that is not beyond the teaching capacity of a typical parent. It is a matter of taking the trouble to incorporate the readiness skills in daily activities. The OP has a one-to-three adult-to-student ratio at her house. That’s a pretty good ratio.

 

[KendraDZ1902]

It is a good idea to find out what the benchmarks are for the public school kindergarten. If you have your child at home with you, though, meeting that is not beyond the teaching capacity of a typical parent. It is a matter of taking the trouble to incorporate the readiness skills in daily activities. The OP has a one-to-three adult-to-student ratio at her house. That’s a pretty good ratio.

That’s an awesome ratio! I’m sure teachers of 4 year olds wish to have that kind of ratio. Lol. I do agree that a typical parent should be able to have their children ready for kindergarten, it’s just that so many don’t. (Not that the OP isn’t doing their best to have children prepared for school )

 

[3DOCTORS]

I think that if the child is going to go to school starting with kindergarten (as opposed to being home schooled), they should probably have a little dose of preschool these days just for the experience of it - the socialization and the structure. Most of their kindergarten peers will have had it. But it doesn’t have to be a whole lot, just enough to be able to fit in. How academic or not is to your personal taste and your kid’s personality and development.

 

[pensmama87]

That’s an awesome ratio! I’m sure teachers of 4 year olds wish to have that kind of ratio. Lol. I do agree that a typical parent should be able to have their children ready for kindergarten, it’s just that so many don’t. (Not that the OP isn’t doing their best to have children prepared for school )

I have no doubt that he’ll be academically ready for school, and I think most of that is his initiative and not necessarily anything I am doing. I’m pretty sure he is reading, which I did not teach him to do, and he has a set of math puzzles he enjoys doing with counting, addition, and subtraction. He is naturally curious and enjoys learning - he’s the kind of kid that I think will do fine no matter what.

For him, I think the primary benefit of a formal preschool would be learning to do things like raise his hand, sit in a circle, listen to another adult on a regular basis who isn’t a parent or grandparent, etc. Since I started babysitting I have adopted more of a structure to our day, and I think I could implement a kind of curriculum if I wanted to (though maybe I do already and don’t call it that - we spend time on reading, arts and crafts, music, puzzles, and free play plus whatever I need to get done that day - e.g. they had a blast “helping” in my garden last summer. )

I may see what we can figure out with the co-op starting up. That might be the kind of solution, where he can learn to interact with other kids in a more structured environment, but doesn’t meet as often or cost an arm and a leg.

 

[pianistclare]

I’m pro Pre School if you can find a good one. My 2 daughters attended a Methodist Pre School ( 3 mornings a week at age 3, and 5 mornings a week at age 4 ) that was wonderful. There was no religious instruction, just good solid life skills.
Having worked in a Catholic School I can tell you for certain, the difference between kids who went to Pre-School and those who did not is staggering.
The kids at preschool (at least the one my daughters attended) learned such great social skills and manners.
Things like:
You don’t need to cry. The teacher is nice and will take care of you and YES mama will return. She will. It’s not the end of the world.
Behave on the field trip bus, no standing, no yelling
Share. It’s fine. Don’t grab other’s kid’s crayons, crackers, toy, or snack. That’s rude.
Don’t paste your eyeballs shut (srsly)
Miss Yolanda’s rule on glue was “just a dot and not a lot!”
They learned to read and spell the name of every kid in the class, which made Valentine’s day fun!
They learned about various countries/cultures of the world by having visits by adults from those places who brought in native snacks
They did crafts every day and developed great eye-hand coordination
They earned to respect the other kids and not to make someone cry
They learned to stand in line without shoving
They learned that taking turns is a worthy endeavor.
They learned how to partake in events like Nativity plays, Mother’s Day tea parties, and Father’s Night In without acting like wild children
The learned MUSIC. Lots of it. They sang happily ever day.
They even learned how to behave in church: One day they were to bring their teddy bears, and while they went on the playground, the bears “snuck off”. After searching for them with magnifying glasses for clues ( & Sherlock Holmes paper hats) they discovered the bears in the Sanctuary with the Minister reading from the Bible to them. After which he officiated at a small “teddy bear wedding”. *“Do you take this bear”…*was very cute. Of course it was a traditional bear marriage, boy bear, girl bear. And the reception was punch and white cake. I played “Here comes the Bear” on the piano.
So they learned how to behave at social functions, and that people go to these things, and it’s normal. Not an occasion to act out.

In short…it alleviates the behavioral and attention issues that Kindergarten teachers struggle mightily with.
We had kids come to kindergarten that appeared to have been raised up to that point by wolves. I kid you not. And their defensive parents were a problem too, since they had to give a zillion excuses for their children’s behavior.

Pre School? It’s GREAT thing.
I don’t know if it makes them smarter, but it makes them RECEPTIVE to teachers, new concepts, and respectful. I never had a teacher roll her eyes at either one of my kids. Or yell. Or get a demerit, or anything else. They absolutely knew how to act around others, and still be happy little kids, with kid curiosity, and kid wonder and awe.

 

[Xantippe]

I’m reasonably certain that the parish school would just be the one-year deal. We live within walking distance of the public schools, which are excellent (and our school taxes are very high from a national standpoint, although pretty normal for this area).

**Fantastic! You’ll save a bundle.
**

Good idea on checking commutes and price per day. My husband could take him on his way to work, and it is a short trip in the middle of the day for pickup. I do hear you on it taking a lot out of your day, though - I pickup a babysitting kid from kindergarten four days a week and it means that I can’t do any playgroups, appointments, or other activities that start later than 10. Next year he will be in first grade so that will be easier - do I want to voluntarily sign myself up for that three days a week next year, too?

Our options are 3 mornings a week, 5 mornings a week, or 5 full days. I think 5 full days is too much for us.

Oh, and don’t forget nap schedules!

You really can’t go wrong with three mornings, unless it’s financially a problem.

Good luck!

 

[Xantippe]

I’m pro Pre School if you can find a good one. My 2 daughters attended a Methodist Pre School ( 3 mornings a week at age 3, and 5 mornings a week at age 4 ) that was wonderful. There was no religious instruction, just good solid life skills.
Having worked in a Catholic School I can tell you for certain, the difference between kids who went to Pre-School and those who did not is staggering.
The kids at preschool (at least the one my daughters attended) learned such great social skills and manners.
Things like:
You don’t need to cry. The teacher is nice and will take care of you and YES mama will return. She will. It’s not the end of the world.
Behave on the field trip bus, no standing, no yelling
Share. It’s fine. Don’t grab other’s kid’s crayons, crackers, toy, or snack. That’s rude.
Don’t paste your eyeballs shut (srsly)
Miss Yolanda’s rule on glue was “just a dot and not a lot!”
They learned to read and spell the name of every kid in the class, which made Valentine’s day fun!
They learned about various countries/cultures of the world by having visits by adults from those places who brought in native snacks
They did crafts every day and developed great eye-hand coordination
They earned to respect the other kids and not to make someone cry
They learned to stand in line without shoving
They learned that taking turns is a worthy endeavor.
They learned how to partake in events like Nativity plays, Mother’s Day tea parties, and Father’s Night In without acting like wild children
The learned MUSIC. Lots of it. They sang happily ever day.
They even learned how to behave in church: One day they were to bring their teddy bears, and while they went on the playground, the bears “snuck off”. After searching for them with magnifying glasses for clues ( & Sherlock Holmes paper hats) they discovered the bears in the Sanctuary with the Minister reading from the Bible to them. After which he officiated at a small “teddy bear wedding”. *“Do you take this bear”…*was very cute. Of course it was a traditional bear marriage, boy bear, girl bear. And the reception was punch and white cake. I played “Here comes the Bear” on the piano.
So they learned how to behave at social functions, and that people go to these things, and it’s normal. Not an occasion to act out.

In short…it alleviates the behavioral and attention issues that Kindergarten teachers struggle mightily with.
We had kids come to kindergarten that appeared to have been raised up to that point by wolves. I kid you not. And their defensive parents were a problem too, since they had to give a zillion excuses for their children’s behavior.

Pre School? It’s GREAT thing.
I don’t know if it makes them smarter, but it makes them RECEPTIVE to teachers, new concepts, and respectful. I never had a teacher roll her eyes at either one of my kids. Or yell. Or get a demerit, or anything else. They absolutely knew how to act around others, and still be happy little kids, with kid curiosity, and kid wonder and awe.

Yes.

These days kindergarten (and often pre-K) is usually very academic, so if you want your kid to have the laid-back kindergarten experience that the older CAFers remember, you often have to get it at preschool.

By the way, Vicki Iovine has a very nice chapter on preschool in her “Girlfriend’s Guide to Toddlers.”

 

[pensmama87]

I’m pro Pre School if you can find a good one. My 2 daughters attended a Methodist Pre School ( 3 mornings a week at age 3, and 5 mornings a week at age 4 ) that was wonderful. There was no religious instruction, just good solid life skills.
Having worked in a Catholic School I can tell you for certain, the difference between kids who went to Pre-School and those who did not is staggering.
The kids at preschool (at least the one my daughters attended) learned such great social skills and manners.
Things like:
You don’t need to cry. The teacher is nice and will take care of you and YES mama will return. She will. It’s not the end of the world.
Behave on the field trip bus, no standing, no yelling
Share. It’s fine. Don’t grab other’s kid’s crayons, crackers, toy, or snack. That’s rude.
Don’t paste your eyeballs shut (srsly)
Miss Yolanda’s rule on glue was “just a dot and not a lot!”
They learned to read and spell the name of every kid in the class, which made Valentine’s day fun!
They learned about various countries/cultures of the world by having visits by adults from those places who brought in native snacks
They did crafts every day and developed great eye-hand coordination
They earned to respect the other kids and not to make someone cry
They learned to stand in line without shoving
They learned that taking turns is a worthy endeavor.
They learned how to partake in events like Nativity plays, Mother’s Day tea parties, and Father’s Night In without acting like wild children
The learned MUSIC. Lots of it. They sang happily ever day.
They even learned how to behave in church: One day they were to bring their teddy bears, and while they went on the playground, the bears “snuck off”. After searching for them with magnifying glasses for clues ( & Sherlock Holmes paper hats) they discovered the bears in the Sanctuary with the Minister reading from the Bible to them. After which he officiated at a small “teddy bear wedding”. *“Do you take this bear”…*was very cute. Of course it was a traditional bear marriage, boy bear, girl bear. And the reception was punch and white cake. I played “Here comes the Bear” on the piano.
So they learned how to behave at social functions, and that people go to these things, and it’s normal. Not an occasion to act out.

In short…it alleviates the behavioral and attention issues that Kindergarten teachers struggle mightily with.
We had kids come to kindergarten that appeared to have been raised up to that point by wolves. I kid you not. And their defensive parents were a problem too, since they had to give a zillion excuses for their children’s behavior.

Pre School? It’s GREAT thing.
I don’t know if it makes them smarter, but it makes them RECEPTIVE to teachers, new concepts, and respectful. I never had a teacher roll her eyes at either one of my kids. Or yell. Or get a demerit, or anything else. They absolutely knew how to act around others, and still be happy little kids, with kid curiosity, and kid wonder and awe.

But was it preschool or your parenting that accomplished that?

A lot of what you are saying are what I see as the benefits of preschool. But I think a lot of what you are saying can also be accomplished at home by parents, too. As I said in the OP, I did not attend preschool and neither did my siblings, but we were all exceptionally well-behaved children in school and did not have problems adjusting to a school environment. My mother did not specifically teach us anything, but growing up in a home with multiple children she had rules and standards and we were expected to live up to them, and for the most part we did! That served us well when we went to school.

I did volunteer at the local Head Start when I was in college, so I do know what good a preschool can do for underprivileged children. Some of those kids had really rough home situations.

 

[Cat]

I guess I’m the odd mom out.

I’m 57, and my daughters are now 31 and almost 29.

No, we did not do pre-school, and I don’t think it’s necessary.

I took great pleasure in preparing my daughters for kindergarten (required at that time, and still required by most states, I believe) at HOME.

I was determined that I would not send my daughters to school at all until they already knew how to read and do simple arithmetic. Sorry, teachers, but I attended a State University that is known as “teachers college,” and boy, could those elementary ed majors party!

I was not about to take a chance that my daughters would end up in a class with some new age “friend-teacher” who partied their way through college and barely made the grades.

So I did a lot of reading, writing, arts, field trips (to the park, to local museums, to church clubs, to free concerts, movies, theater, etc.) with my daughters during those first five years. It was precious, precious time. It was not stressful for them or me–it was pure childhood and pure fun.

And by the time they entered kindergarten (public school at that time, eventually we had to move to private school when the public system became mired down in a desegregation lawsuit), they could read, write, and do simple arithmetic.

They could also tie their shoes, use the potty appropriately and not have accidents, eat at a table with others without being gross, state their names, address, phone number, birthday, parents’ first and last names, etc. They knew how to speak respectfully to adults, and they knew how to speak to other children and listen to the replies.

They were also friendly and interested in other children, and capable of making friends. They knew that whining, hitting, biting, kicking, crying, etc. were actions that would make other children not like them, and make the teacher mad.

Interestingly, they knew very little about popular culture. When my older daughter’s kindergarten did a play using Michael Jackson-style music, my daughter asked the teacher after class, “Who’s Michael Jackson?” The teacher got a real hoot out of this–she told me that my daughter was just like one of the Waltons!

They were healthy and strong from a lot of outdoor active play. Also, both girls started figure skating before they entered kindergarten, so they were already involved with this great sport. (That made them “interesting” to teachers and other kids.)

In case you’re wondering, my husband was (at that time) a computer programmer, so he made a decent income. But we were soooo broke all the time and it seemed that we would never climb out of debt. A second income (mine) sure would have been nice.

But my husband and I have no regrets about our educational choice for our children.

 

[on_the_hill]

My wife and I both work outside the home, which means we had to pay for childcare. We had a nanny come to our house.

From about age 18 months until kindergarten they were in a Montessori school. It was less expensive than the nanny.

That being said, if the choice is between daycare and preschool, I’d go with the preschool. If the choice is between a stay-at-home parent and preschool, I think it depends on the child. Some do really well at preschool, others are better off with mom (or dad). I was with mom until kindergarten, and I turned out o.k.

Too soon to tell about *my *kids, though.

 

[pianistclare]

But was it preschool or your parenting that accomplished that?

A lot of what you are saying are what I see as the benefits of preschool. But I think a lot of what you are saying can also be accomplished at home by parents, too. As I said in the OP, I did not attend preschool and neither did my siblings, but we were all exceptionally well-behaved children in school and did not have problems adjusting to a school environment. My mother did not specifically teach us anything, but growing up in a home with multiple children she had rules and standards and we were expected to live up to them, and for the most part we did! That served us well when we went to school.

I did volunteer at the local Head Start when I was in college, so I do know what good a preschool can do for underprivileged children. Some of those kids had really rough home situations.

I would not have taught them how to interact with so many other types of people. I just wouldn’t have access to them. They would have never ridden a school bus or gone on a “field trip”. They would not have had a Japanese woman come and feed them in my home. There’s a difference between good child rearing and life experience.
I get what you’re saying, but simply being AWAY from mama in a very educational , and safe place is good. It’s only 3 hours. I liken it to training wheels. Less broken bones/feelings.

 

[pensmama87]

I guess I’m the odd mom out.

I’m 57, and my daughters are now 31 and almost 29.

No, we did not do pre-school, and I don’t think it’s necessary.

I took great pleasure in preparing my daughters for kindergarten (required at that time, and still required by most states, I believe) at HOME.

I was determined that I would not send my daughters to school at all until they already knew how to read and do simple arithmetic. Sorry, teachers, but I attended a State University that is known as “teachers college,” and boy, could those elementary ed majors party!

I was not about to take a chance that my daughters would end up in a class with some new age “friend-teacher” who partied their way through college and barely made the grades.

So I did a lot of reading, writing, arts, field trips (to the park, to local museums, to church clubs, to free concerts, movies, theater, etc.) with my daughters during those first five years. It was precious, precious time. It was not stressful for them or me–it was pure childhood and pure fun.

And by the time they entered kindergarten (public school at that time, eventually we had to move to private school when the public system became mired down in a desegregation lawsuit), they could read, write, and do simple arithmetic.

They could also tie their shoes, use the potty appropriately and not have accidents, eat at a table with others without being gross, state their names, address, phone number, birthday, parents first and last names, etc. They knew how to speak respectfully to adults, and they knew how to speak to other children and listen to the replies.

They were also friendly and interested in other children, and capable of making friends. They knew that whining, hitting, biting, kicking, crying, etc. were actions that would make other children not like them, and make the teacher mad.

They were healthy and strong from a lot of outdoor active play. Also, both girls started figure skating before they entered kindergarten, so they were already involved with this great sport. (That made them “interesting” to teachers and other kids.)

In case you’re wondering, my husband was (at that time) a computer programmer, so he made a decent income. But we were soooo broke all the time and it seemed that we would never climb out of debt. A second income (mine) sure would have been nice.

But my husband and I have no regrets about our educational choice for our children.

My mom is 50, and shared your approach (except she really didn’t take us places, since she was/is kind of a homebody, but she definitely encouraged us to be curious and had high expectations for behavior). I think it worked for us, absolutely.

My son is a bit more outgoing and we are involved in more social things (for my sake and his. ) I babysit four days a week, but on my days off we go places like you described, and he participates in playgroups and activities with other children his age in addition to the things we do at home. I signed him up for a preschool music class taught by a friend of mine. I get frustrated with him, but really, he is a very well-behaved child most of the time. I don’t see that he behaves worse than the children I watch who came from a more formal environment (though that was daycare, even though they called it a “learning center” - it was daycare.)

I guess right now I am leaning co-op. One or two days a week, I get to socialize with other moms, get to help teach (I actually would enjoy this part ), and minimal expenses, while still dipping into the formal structure of school and having more experiences than I could offer by myself.

 

[Book_Worm]

We sent DD to a Montessori pre-school, five afternoons a week. I would have preferred three half-day sessions, but that was not available.

When she began first grade in our parish school, she was leagues ahead of the children who had gone through their pre-school program, even though she was the youngest on the class. She had finished their kindergarten curriculum, so the parish school accepted her into first grade even though she missed the age cut-off. As she was an only child, our main concern was socialization, but we loved the Montessori program and the way she grew and blossomed there.

While she was in college, DD worked in the child care center my company had on site and eventually became director of one of their centers. It was an excellent center, and had a very comprehensive program. It was certainly NOT just baby-sitting, although I know that some daycare centers are.

DD also taught in an elementary school, so, as a SAHM, she is more than capable of providing a good pre-school learning experience for her children, but she has chosen to put DGS in the pre-school program in her parish school. It is a stretch for them financially, and because he has several severe food allergies, also very labor-intensive for her. But it’s her professional opinion that the benefit he derives more than outweigh the costs, financial and otherwise.