To Preschool or Not to Preschool?

Are there any SAHMamas out there with almost-4-year olds who are not going to place their kids in preschool? Just wondering

 

Only one of my four went to preschool, and that was because we qualified at the time for the state preschool in San Antonio because XH was enlisted. He was ready for K, but missed the bday cut-off, so they would not let him attend K (unless he could do third grade work--wouldn't he then need third grade?? :blink: ). Then when he went to K the next year he was bored. However, I should note that he is 19, and K has gotten significantly more academic since then.

My others did not attend preschool. My younger son (who will be 17 in July) wasn't interested in pre-K type activities, so he went to K knowing almost nothing, got interested and flourished.

My daughters also have a late bday and missed the cut-off, so I took them to gymnastics once a week and the library preschool program once a week (which was free), and taught them to read at home. They were fine when they got to K and had no trouble taking turns and standing in line and so on. I don't think pre-K is a necessity if you have the time and inclination to do some of that with them yourself instead, and libraries often have programs that let them learn a bit about how to conduct themselves in groups of other children. I am a natural homebody anyway, and did not mind not getting a break from them that would be provided by pre-K, but both of my sisters think I am :crazy: .

 

No preschool here either. We did the library storytime programs. We did some classes at the zoo. We took a few art lessons. Mine are doing just fine in school. Both are naturally more reserved until they get to know you. Going to preschool probably wouldn't haven't helped that because they tend to start over with the being reserved thing in every new class, group of people, or situation. Sarah is top of her class in reading and close in math. Timothy is top of his class in math and close in reading. We just played games, went to the store, had fun and went to sleepovers at grandma's house.

Marissa

 

We almost didn't do it, because of the price, but I found a cheaper place. I did it as much for me as for them though... I needed the break. I don't know how SAHMs survive without preschool!

 

Mine also have a late birthday, and I seriously considered skipping preschool. Honestly if I didn't have a new baby mine would not go to preschool b/c of the cost. But I feel sorry for my two home with me all day while I am nursing a new baby and not taking them places, so we are going to find the money for them to start school in the fall.

 

None of my boys have gone to preschool or school for that matter. I homeschool. I will probably start teaching the twins to read come fall. They want to learn to read.

 

We are contemplating this issue. Right now, they are in MDO and we have decided to keep them in it through the summer. We have to decide like NOW whether to have them do it for another year and then just start kinder or switch them over to preschool the year before kinder. I kind of hate to switch them because they know the teachers, friends, etc... BUT...I was wondering if it is too big of a transition to just go straight to kinder without preschool?? LOVE hearing from all of you on this issue.

 

We decided not to send our boys. We get out alot in our mommies group, go to story time at the library and museums all the time . The cost for 2 at one time is just too much while we are on 1 income. Plus we have a baby on the way and I figured it might be hard to get out on time to get them to school with a newborn! It has been a hard choice but it just can;t happen here..... :mellow: I sure would LOVE the break!

 

My girls have attended pre-school since they were 2 yrs old. I also talked to the director at our pre-school to determine what their 3-4 program had to offer as I was looking at other pre-schools to compare. Ultimately she told me that all K programs are looking for two things (private schools and public) "are the children well behaved and are the parents involved". I honestly send them to pre-school for the 3 hour break which can be done through other activities beyond pre-school. Although my girls attend pre-school I do not think it's a prerequisite to kindergarden. Remember, most of us parents did not attend pre-school.

 

Great topic! This is my great debate! As a former preschool teacher.... LOL!

I want to send them so they can get out of the house and not be stuck at home. They do go to a playgroup through EI as community kids once/week. However, I'm sure that will be ending by the summer or so. They will just outgrow it by then, if they last that long. And I do storyhour with them as well. But, I also have Annabella at home and she limits A LOT of what I can do with them(she needs to be in the middle of EVERYTHING). And I am also watching an infant three days/week as well, and there are more limits there.

But, the cost is the other issue. With one income, we'd be spending upwards of $350/mth for the both of them for two days/week. That's the private one. The public one in town is $3600/yr for four days/week for the both of them. It's 'only' $300 more/year to send them four days vs. two. But, I'm not ready for them to go four days(I say that now...). And they also miss the cutoff for Kindergarten so they won't go until 2013.

And as a former preschool teacher(I taught the 4-5 year olds), I could do it at home. But who has time? That's my problem.

 

It can be done. My sister homeschools her children also. She has a one yr old, a 4 yr old (PK this year), an 8 yr old (3rd grade), and a 11 yr old (6th grade). She also does daycare in her home. So she adds infants to preschoolers to the mix. Her day is very structured, but it is certainly possible to do some education with your children with little ones at home. I personally think she's Wonder Woman! But I'm not gifted with the little ones like her! LOL Everything is done in the home (no group activities) during the day. Her children add activities like scouts and church choir in the evening and on weekends.

I'm sure that she would love to be able to just homeschool, but daycare has allowed her to be at home with her children.

 

Preschool isn't mandatory, and most kids with a loving and supportive family life will do just fine in kindergarten without any preschool.

None of mine have gone to preschool.

 

Here is an article I came across just today on this subject.

 

Excellent article! My girls will probably go to pre-k in the elementary school next year, but if budget cuts happen, they may spend another year at home (going to library programs and maybe a dance or gymnastics class).

 

Thank you for all your input, everyone! I particularly enjoyed the article posted above. FYI, I'm leaning toward not putting my twins in preschool for several reasons (they're small for their age, we're very active in a variety of programs, I'm an elementary teacher myself, etc.). Sometimes it's just helpful to hear what other parents have to say. Thanks again! :grouphug:

 

I am a teacher and a special ed teacher at that. I say this because without preschool, I would not have noticed the needs of one of my boys that resulted in him needing to attend special needs preschool (so I did get away with 1 going for free for a year and a half). I noticed Jon had a speech issue. What I didn't notice was how bad it was, and that his "boyish" behavior was the result. I just thought of him as a very active boy. It turned out that he had/has a severe expressive speech delay, which cause pretty severe behavior problems. Fortunately, his school was very heads up, and aided in his evaluation and change of placement.

Beyond that, I wanted my boys in preschool so they could learn how to interact with an adult that wasn't mom or dad, and even more important without me having to be there. I also wanted them to learn how to act within a group setting, things I can not duplicate at home. Fortunately, we have a great preschool here who costs $1400 per year for 4's and $1100 per year for 3's.

 

True..very true. I agree with this. My concern is going from no kind of classroom setting of ANY kind to a full day of school. With my DS's personality (very spirited, very strong willed), DH and I are concerned that he might have a hard time adjusting. He requires consistency and does not adjust well to change at all. We kind of feel like we need to build him up to full time (a full day) of school. They don't offer half day kinder programs anymore (like when I was a kid). It is full day. I think going from a stay at home setting to a full time---full day of school could be a HUGE adjustment for some kids. I hope that makes sense...not sure if I am explaining myself very well.

 

We still have 1/2 day kinder here. It really depends on the area in which you live. And I do agree that for some kids it could be a challenge going from sah to full-day. It depends on the child and the programs.

I think that preschool is a definite good fit for some. I think that not doing preschool is a definite good fit for some. It's just figuring out what works for you, your wallet, and what's expected at the schools in your area.

Marissa

 

I think it depends on your kids, your family, your finances, your local schools, your K programs, and your preschool programs.

For us--- preschool was suggested for DD2 that had developmental delays. We did 4 hours a week when she was 3 (T/TH 2 hours).

Then at 4 she (and her twin was a typical classmate) qualified for a free 'at risk' preschool for 4 yr olds (20 hours a week). She got OT/PT on an IEP. We were planning on starting 1/2 day K the next year. It was a great experience.

Then we moved. The cut-off date was earlier and she no longer could go to K (no exceptions).

Here they have universal preK (free) for a kids and so both girls went to PreK at 4 turning 5. We have been homeschooling since the PreK is a repeat of last year and even more playbased than the last one.It has been a good time for DD2 to develop and refine social skills, but not really needed like it was last year.

I think that for our family- the situation, preschool was an essential part of DD2s growth (getting the therapies she needed as well as social skills), my other DD- I think would have done fine either way. There is no way we could have paid for preschool and we were very lucky to have such great opportunities.

Next fall they are off to all day K.

 

I can see it being a big transition to full days of school. I personally think that full day kindergarten is too much and unnecessary for a lot of 5 year olds, but that's a topic for another thread. In that case, maybe using preschool as a transition for that would be a good idea.

 

I enjoyed reading what everyone said, and especially that article.

I have toyed with doing a 3yr preschool, only b/c I would attempt to get in my part-time work hours during their mornings at preschool instead of me having a nanny come. it would be less expensive... but I'm wondering if the stress of getting me and them out of the house in the mornings would be more stressful than the cost savings!

I know that they would love it, but we do have a lot of fun doing our own thing too... big decisions. in the end I think I'll wait it out another year, maybe do it when they are 4. A lot of the schools here have a free preK 4 program.

 

I don't think you need to worry about the transition from staying at home to a full day in school as much as you'd expect. I say this because I've watched numerous kids make the transition to the full day pre-school my girls attend currently. Within days for some and two weeks for all, they're happy and well adjusted to the school environment. I've only seen one child in an entire year not make the transition smoothly... and come to find out, he had some serious speech delays that needed to be worked on in a more structured environment.

My girls go to school from 8:30-3, and have since just before they turned three. Both DH and I work, so the choice was an easy one... we needed to find a daycare or preschool. We decided a good time to transition from home to "school" was 3, and researched the options. I have loved having my girls in school this past year. It's so much fun for them, they get out of the house, and they still have the afternoons to play at home.

I'm potentially going to lose my job in the next few months due to massive layoffs at my company. If I do, we'll pull the girls out of preschool and not worry at all about missing out. I love the school they go to, but having seen the curriculum for a year, it really comes down to what a few of the PPs said. Preschool is great to have your children interact with another adult. It can teach some rudimentary skills, and even some advanced ones (my almost 4 year olds are starting to read). But without it, your kids will do just fine transitioning to kindergarten.

 

We did preschool at 3 for Leah because she had twin infant brothers and I knew that she could use the outside stimulation. She then did pre-K twice (due to her late birthday) and is now in half day K this year. The boys started preschool this year. They were two months shy of 4. They will have a year or pre-K next year and then half day K the next year. I just think by 4, they are ready for more outside experiences than I could give them. They love their teacher and are learning how to play with other kids other than their brother. Plus, their teacher tells me all sorts of things about them that they dont exhibit at home. It's great to get another perspective and give one to them as well. GL with your decision.

 

In January, my two started a 2 day week program through the city. They go for 2.5 hours each day and I think it's perfect for them at this age. They do like going and unless I find a full time job by September, they will be going again. September 2012 at age 4, they'll be able to be enrolled for full day Pre K through our church. I think the decision really rests on finances and what works best for your family. Good luck deciding!