Pre School

My boys were born in October 2009. NY State follows a school year calendar of Dec 1-Nov 30.
If I were to start my boys in pre school this September, they'll be 2, soon to be 3 within a month of starting.
If they were to start in September 2013, they'll be 3, soon to be 4.
They will either start kindergarten in September 2014 (4 yrs old) or September 2015 (5 yrs old).
My bday happens to be November 30 -- the cutoff date for being included in a class -- and my parents started me when I was 4. I turned 5 that November 30. I always did fine.

That said, my boys were early preemies, but to date, have shown no signs of developmental delay.

So, when did you/will you start your kids in pre school? What were/are your reasons for starting earlier/later? How did they do?
I believe right now that they are too young for 2-3 hrs worth of structured class time. However, September is a long time away.
I am leaning toward September 2013.

Did your kids/will your kids attend pre school for one or two years?

There are some "competitive" schools around here where demand is higher than supply, so I want to be sure to get my ducks in a row.
I do doubt we'll start them this year, but am interested in your thoughts.

Thanks.

 

My girls will be starting preschool this September at 4 & will go for a year. For us, the decision was a combo of cost, having a new babe this year & not being entirely certain I wanted them to go to school at all (am still reserving the right to home school if I find it becomes needful). They're really excited about the idea though & I think it'll be nice next year to have a few mornings a week of just me & E.

 

I am considering it this fall- they'll turn 3 in Sept or next. I'm nervous as they seem unready to potty train and I know that is a requirement. I would like time with my new baby, too, but am apprehensive at the same time that the schedule (getting them there on time) will prove really hard for me to manage this year. I'm no help- I'm really conflicted, too. :huh:

 

Mine will be 4 in July and I am sending them to preschool 4x per week for pre-K class and then if everything goes well they will be going to K in 2013, if they still need another year they will go to young 5's class and then at 6 to K.
That is my plan.

 

We did preschool at 2 turning 3 (Oct Bday) as it was suggested by Early Intervention. They girls went twice a week for 2 hours (4 hours a week) it was great! They were preemies too and had some delays--- preschool helped with social skills. If they had arrived on their Due date, they would have had to wait a year.


So we did 3 years, but only intended on 2 years. But then we did not do Kindergarten.

We did end up moving around so they did one year of 3 yr old preschool (2 turning 3) then two years of PreK (at 3 turning 4 and 4 turning 5) then skipped K and entered 1st (at 5 turning 6).

We moved states and it caused some weird mix up in 'cut-offs'. We are now (again) in a state with a Dec 1 st cut off again so they are with agemates.

I would do what you think works.

You could always try preschool and pull them if it does not work or wait. Really--- it totally depends on your family, your kids, what they need, what you can afford, and what is available in your area.

You can always register and then back-out if you are worried it will not work out (all you lose is the registration fee) or potty training does not happen, you would rather save the $, etc.

There is no wrong answer. But I would not blanket decide if you will do Kindergarten what year just yet! A lot can change in the next few years, and when you get closer a lot of schools will help evaluate if you should do K or not with Fall Birthdays.

Right now, do what works for you family. If that means staying home- do so. If that means a few days a week- try it out. Remember, nothing (preschool-wise) cant be changed if it is not working.

 

My boys are in daycare so they get structure throughout the day but they will do preschool at 3 turning 4 for 2 hrs/2 days a week, and then preK at 4 turning 5 for i think 2hrs/3days a week, so they will be 5 turning 6 when they go to kinder.

 

Our two are starting pre-k (that's all-day in the elementary school) this August. They have to be 4 by the end of September to qualify, so they missed it this year. (December b-day here.)

They will start kinder when they are 5 and then turn 6 that December. We really didn't have a choice because of their birthday.

 

My boys were in EI since the ages of 12 months & 18 months. They still qualified for speech therapy through the school district and on their 3rd birthday began preschool 2 1/2 hours 4 times a week.

Their birthday falls in January so they will be in preschool for 3 years.

They are now 4 so they have been in school for a year. Both have come leaps and bounds this past year and I am very grateful they were able to attend at such a young age.

 

My boys are October birthdays as well, so they miss the September cutoff in our town. I was a former preschool teacher, and due to costs, they've been home the whole time with me. It's almost $4,000/yr for four days a week at 2.5 hours/day(September-June). On one income, we couldn't swing that.

However, I had some concerns about Anthony with gross motor and speech. He was evaluated and long story short-qualifies for speech therapy in the school district. And they deemed him needing help in two areas(you qualify when two areas are lacking): speech and socially due to a speech delay. Now he talks, etc. But there are some sounds/blends, etc that he doesn't pronounce. If you are talking to him about pizza, or the movies, or a book-you can understand him. But if he goes off and starts talking about something totally random, you would have difficulty. But I digress! The teachers were saying he may suffer socially if kids can't understand him.

All that to say-my boys start preschool next MONTH! EEK! They take kids who need services year round, hence why they are going in March. And because he is a twin, they won't leave the other one behind, so he goes as well. So they will have a year and three months of preschool. They will go to Kindergarten in September of 2013, where they will turn six that October. So they will be probably two of the oldest in their class. Generally, I've heard boys mature a bit slower than the girls, and that they do well waiting until they are older for Kindergarten. Obviously, every kid is different. I'm glad, for me and them, it's not a decision I will have to make!

 

My two have been going to a preschool for two days a week for 3 hours since they turned 3 (Jan 2011). If our finances were a little better we would have loved to send them full day pre-K in the fall, but that is through the catholic schools here and we just could not swing the pre-k tuition right now. The public schools do not offer pre-K in the city.
My two also have December birthdays and will be most likely be one of the oldest kids in their class. They won't start kindergarten until Sept. 2013.

 

My two were in a "learning daycare" (covered some pre-K stuff, letters, numbers, sight words, addition/subtraction, arts and crafts) from 2 1/2 until they were almost 4, then went directly into pre-K. They'll be starting K in the fall as new 5s. They turn 5 four days before school starts and cut off is (I think) September 30 so they won't be the absolute youngest in their class.

Of course, I was a November 29th baby with a cut off in August. But I went to private school (mom taught there) and switched to public in 4th grade (the grade my mom was teaching.) I was the youngest person in my class, so the two of them being some of the youngest in their class doesn't bother me.

 

We started sending them at 2.5.. It was 1.5 hour twice a week. This year it's 2.5 hours three times a week, and next year every morning.

Really depends on you though... I'm not good at teaching stuff and was going nuts with them all week, and I wanted to get them used to a more structured setting.

 

The cut off date here is September 30. So here my girls will start a year later than they would in your school system. I started them at age 3 (almost 4) in just a little program that is 2 days a week for 4 hours each day. Honestly it was more for a break for me than anything else. I have a baby and the girls get bored sitting around here with the baby all the time. It's a good way to break up the monotony of the week. They do one letter each week and I have to say they are constantly asking how words are spelled and I credit their school with that. So to answer your question, we will do 2 years of preschool b/c this year we did 2 days a week and then next year they will go to pre-k. A 5 day a week pre-k program at the elementary school that we want them to go to for K - 5. They'll do full day pre-K because they will have to be tested before they can be accepted in to this school for K. I'm like Fran, not good at teaching them on my own.

 

My husband and I sent the girls when they were 4 because they missed the cutoff age for Kindergarten. We knew they were ready for some sort of school type placement, but they couldn't get into K, so we put them into preschool that was at the elementary school. They rode the bus there and it was 4 times a week and they started two weeks later than regular school, and ended two weeks earlier. It was a fantastic year for them and really gave them a big head start for K. For the girls, they already knew the school, bus routine, lunch routine, etc., so K wasn't stressful for them at all.

 

My girls started preschool at age 3. Due to our work schedules, they went for six hours a day, five days a week. I loved it and so did the girls - but at that age, it's mostly just fun things like painting, drawing, reading stories, etc. They did learn letters and numbers, but most kids in the class didn't get all that interested until 3.5 or 4. There was a 2 year old class and mostly that was just daycare.

I think preschool is great, but at age two it's mostly just to get the kids out of the house and give mom a little time off. Kids that age aren't capable of playing together (they're still doing parallel play) and there isn't much academic stuff they can do. So I don't see a huge amount of value, unless you want them to experience a new situation or you need a break.