Preschool problems...

Hi there - My girls have been going to 2 day a week all day preschool/daycare for about 2.5 months. The first month and a half or so went pretty well - they were generally happy when I picked them up at the end of the day and I was feeling pretty good about things.

However, a 15 month old girl recently started at the school and since then things seem to have gotten kind of chaotic - lunches come home barely eaten, girls are super fussy and starving at the end of the day, etc. This is a small, home based preschool with only one teacher. There are six kids in the school and all of them are 3 or 4 except for this one little girl. Most of the toys are geared towards 3 and 4 year olds so the baby is constantly falling off of the toys, putting things in her mouth and generally needing a ton of attention. I think she cries for much of the day, too.

I'm a little upset that the teacher accepted such a young kid into the program and I'm afraid it's going to effect the quality of care that the older kids receive. Do you all think it's appropriate for a 15 month old to be in a preschool with 3 and 4 year olds? I signed them up for this school (even though it's the most expensive one in our area) because it's small and, prior to the baby starting, the teacher did lots of cool and fun activities with the kids. Now, I think she just spends all day trying to get the baby not to cry...

Thanks for any input!

 

No, I wouldn't be happy. A 15 month old is there for daycare. Your kids are there for preschool. Big difference.

 

Does she have an older brother or sister in the program as well? I'm just wondering what the parents & the teacher were thinking when enrolling her. I would have a problem with that as well. It's unfair to all the kids, including the little one. I would talk to the teacher about it.

 

I agree with Sheryl and Rachael. Its not fair to anyone (the little one nor the bigger kids). I'd definitely talk to the teacher to see what the plan is for continuing the activities she was doing with the 3-4 year olds before the 15 month old enrolled (especially since you said its a really pricey preschool).

 

No, she doesn't have an older sibling. I think the parents chose the school because the son of a good friend of theirs goes to the same school. I think the teacher agreed to take the kid because she was having trouble filling an empty spot...

 

I would talk to the teacher.

A 15 m old with 3/4s is a BIG difference, if you say it is not a sibling- I would absolutely talk to the teacher.

3/4s are at a totally different developmental pattern than a toddler.

If it is not working, I would find a new preschool.

It is a preschool setting they should be doing preschool things-- not daycare.

 

Thanks for the support! I'm not super clear on what the difference between preschool and daycare is. My kids never really went to "daycare" - their first group experience is at this school. What would you say the difference should be - besides that preschool kids are older?

 

In preschool you are taught something each day. Daycare is like babysitting. I think a lot of daycares teach the kids once they reach a certain age. Like at my kids school they are taught a bible verse and a letter each week. They make things that start with the letter of the week. They bring home homework - tracing and coloring the letter of the week. A 15 month old wouldn't be able to do those same things developmentally so therefore I'd not put mine in the same class with babies.

 

I wouldn't be happy either... Definitely talk to her.

 

Is the woman caring for your kids running a daycare or a preschool? If you chose to send your kids to her because she 'sold herself' as a preschool I'd be annoyed. However, if its a more traditional home-based daycare, I don't know if you have any recourse except to put them into a more traditional preschool.

 

My sis' runs a home daycare. When the children turn 3 she starts doing preschool with the children. But she would have younger children to care for also. It sounds like that might be the case here. You may want to clarify with the "teacher" if that is what she is running, ie. a home daycare. If it is in fact an actual preschool, then 15 months is too big an age difference IMO.

 

That's my thinking. I'm guessing it is more of a home based daycare-and she happened to have a house full of preschool aged children. If I were to guess, she is certified for babies/toddlers and up, so she took on the toddler, because she has the license to do so-and it filled a slot. There are many home daycares that have infants/toddlers/preschoolers together. It may not be ideal, but it certainly is out there. I would talk to her about her plans with the toddler, if she plans on hiring an aide to help out, how the preschool aged children would be affected, etc.

 

If she is a certified teacher, and this is a preschool, I would ask if she has guidelines/curriculum and see if it says anything in there about what ages she accepts for the program your girls are in. If there is no stated age requirements, then I would say she can do whatever she wants.

I personally would have a problem with it. This is one of the reasons we chose not to put our girls in one of the most popular preschools in our town. It's one class of typically 20 kids+, aged 2.9 - to 5+ (those not cutoff eligible for K).

 

She definitely sold it as a preschool and when we signed up the age ranges were from 2.5-five. I knew the 5 year olds were going to kindergarten, so I figured there'd be more 2.5/3 year olds than the older kids, but I didn't expect a 1 year old! The school doesn't have an academic curriculum which was one of the reasons I chose it - I don't feel like a 3 year old needs to be drilled on letters (mine already know their ABCs and numbers anyways) - I wanted a program that emphasized learning to get along in a group, etc.

I stopped by there today and things were reasonably calm and the kids were playing well. The baby was kind of just toddling around and staring blankly at things and crying once in a while when she fell down or whatever. So, I guess it's not horrible, but I still feel like it's not ideal to have a baby in with a bunch of preschoolers.

Sigh - not sure what to do. I don't want to alienate the teacher by expressing my disastisfaction with having a 15 month old at the "school" because I don't think we want to move schools at the moment.

 

I would start by visiting other preschools in the area. See what is going on. I know that while my kids did a letter a week (and that wasn't until they were 4--at 3 it was a color and a shape per month), they were never "drilled". They would do stuff like, one child would take home the "letter box" and have to find 3 things that began with that letter. Their school was definitely play based and not academic based, although there was an optional enrichment class for the 4's.

I would not be happy. If she is running a preschool for 2.5 year olds through 5, then she should not be accepting a 15 month old, it is not fair to the 15 month old, nor is is fair to the older kids. I know you don't want to change schools, but look at what is best for your kids, and sometimes that is making a change. But, I would start by looking around, you may find that the traditional preschools are different from what you think they are.

 

Here are my experiences with home based care/preschool. My good friend runs a child day center out of her basement. She provides daycare for the littler kids and preschool curriculum starting at 3. She has a set schedule and each day she does circle time/activities with all of the kids. She split up the 0-3 kids from the 3-5 kids. When she does circle with the little kids, the bigger kids go outside or in another room to play. When she does circle with the little kids, she uses the bigger kids to do the harder things (like come up with words that start with a letter) while the younger kids do the easier things (sing the alphabet song). Her lessons have a range learning so that the little kids and big kids stay interested. It sounds to me like your preschool teacher needs to rethink her lessons to keep the smaller one interested.

At my daycare center, they start lessons/circle time at 12 months old when the kids transition to the non-baby room. The babies take a bit but by 15 months, they are capable of sitting in circle time to listen to a story or a song. Circle time can work for young toddlers but it needs to be kept short and the teachers need to understand the kids won't always be paying attention.

 

I wonder what the parent of the 15mo were thinking. I was freaked out when my girls were the smallest in the 2-3 class when they started pre-school. 15 month old is a baby and they need attention that is why a lot of daycares have the 1-2 year olds at a lower teacher to child ratio. I agree, a crying child is really a big destraction. At the beginning of the year there are always a few crying children(which is normal) but you should see the look on everyone's faces...they are upset too and really frozen. It's too much.