Anybody started to think about preschools?

just wondering if anybody else has preschool in the back of their mind, or in the front! i'm thinking about it but it's going to be pricey with me being a single mom. i probably should make it a major priority though, eh? does anybody NOT go to preschool anymore?? how do you go about choosing a preschool?

 

I was shocked when some of my friends talked about checking out preschools... for the fall. I had no idea that you have to get registered over 6 mo ahead of time! anyway, I don't think I'll be doing it, mainly for the cost factor, but some morning when the kids are all crazy I think it might be nice to drop them off for a few hours! my plan is to stay at home with them until kindergarten... but who knows.

good luck figuring out what to do.

 

Most of the preschools my way do not start taking kids until age 3...depending on if I am working yet by the new year or not, it depends on whether I will be sending them full time or part time. My SIL works for a daycare/preschool over the summer and she let me know that they do have rolling enrollment. I have definitely been thinking about it!

 

i've picked out a montessori school near us, but they only accept potty trained kids who are at least 3 years old. i started looking because we're going to have to get registered way in advance if we want to have any hope of getting in.

 

I'm thinking about it already, but have no specific plans or schools in mind. I really like the Montessori method, so I will probably start there when I'm looking for a school. I don't plan on putting them in preschool before they're 3, though.

HERE is a link to a great article I read while I was pregnant about the 5 major preschool methodologies. It does a good job of summarizing what the teaching philosophies and styles are. I hope you find it helpful!

 

GREAT article! Thanks for passing it along...

We are already on the waiting list for our first-choice preschool...the wait-lists in our area are ridiculous <_< We plan on sending the kiddos when they are around 3 and will do full-time since DH and I both work.

 

We enrolled our girls for this summer (as soon as they turn 2!) Mostly to get them out of the house. It's just two half-days a week (8-12pm). I don't want to risk their naps at this age so I thought this schdule was perfect. We talked to friends and family in our area of what they liked and why. But you are right it is expensive, when we broke it down it was close to $16 dollars an hour, but that is about what we are now paying for the nanny. Plus you are really paying for ratio's. In my state of California it's like 1:6 but our school is closer to 1:3, especially in the summer.
I remember thinking years ago (before kids) that 2 years old for pre-school was too young, but now that they are close to that age I can see they are so hungry to learn...more that I can do with my limited knowledge of what they are capable of and when. Plus I love the type of play and art that they will be exposed to as well.
Good luck with your decision!

 

I've started thinking about it and dh thinks I am crazy for already being worried. I just know that we can't afford the ones I would really like to get them into, but if our situation changes (dh is commission only) it will be too late to get them in at that point - ughh! Our public school system does have a lottery for preschool that you can get them into at age 3 - two of them are montessori schools. I don't know the likelihood of getting in, but I would need to sign them up for the lottery next March for them to go when they are 3. We work full-time and when you add after-care, holiday care and summer care on top of the pre-school fees in can get very, very expensive so I am hoping that we get into the public school option. It seems early but I have to think about it now because of wait lists and because my daycare only keeps kids up until age three.

 

I would like to send my kids part-time when they are 4, but I'd be surprised if we could afford it. We are going to have 3 kids very close in age. The only way I could see being able to afford it would be if I return to work.

 

Mine will be starting in the fall. It will be 2 mornings a week. It's just at a local church, but has a great reputation. It's just a morning program, which is perfect for me!! I know I'll miss having them home with me all of the time, but I think it will be a nice break for all of us. We did register in February, that's when it opened for fall and they usually fill up quick so I didn't want to miss out. I'm mainly doing it because I am a sahm and figure they would enjoy seeing someone besides me and it would be great for them to get to be around other kids.

 

I will enroll mine when they are closer to 3. I sent my oldest when he was a couple months past 3 and he did awesome! I ended up becoming bf with one of the teachers and now she's still my bf and she's also the director so I will be sending the twins to her. Thankfully she can give us a good deal because money plays a big part!
One of my main reasons for sending the kids to preschool is because it builds up their immune system. They will get sick and they will miss school however if it's just pre-school then it's okay. I hear of so many parents that didn't put their kids in pre-school and just sent them off to K and the poor kids are sick the entire year and miss a ton of school.
Of course there are so many more aspects and I love that they will play with other kids and not have me around

 

I've really been thinking seriously about it, because I work during the day and my husband works nights. During the day he stays home with the girls and he's lucky if he gets 3 hours of sleep per day. I think it would help him out so much even if they went a few hours a day a few times a week. I have been asking friends where there kids go, but most aren't close enough to be easy for me to get them to or my husband to pick them up from. I'm sort of frustrated with the whole situation.