When to Start Preschool?

My girls have an October birthday and as of right now we are planning on holding them back for Kindergarten. So they will start when they are 5 but will turn 6 shortly thereafter.

I am trying to figure out if I should start them in preschool this fall (they will turn 3 in Oct.). Which would give them 2 years of preschool, and then 1 year of Pre-K or if I should wait a year and start them next fall.

I am kind of leaning towards sending them 2 half days a week this fall. I think they would benefit from the structure and socialization. However, it is pricey and if they aren't going to get a lot of extra benefit from starting early maybe I should just wait another year.

Thoughts? Experiences? What is everyone else doing?

 

Are you ready for them to go?

My girls' birthday is 9/1...our town's cutoff date so I don't even know yet what we will do for K. :wacko: They could have gone to PS this year and if they go to K "on time" it would be 2 years of PS. Because of finances we couldn't send them this year but looking back it's for the best. If we decide to hold them, they will still get 2 years of PS. If not, no biggie IMO if they only get one year.

If it were me, I would wait another year and only send them for 2.

 

My twins did 2 years and will start K this fall. Liam will start preschool this fall and do two years before K as well. Some of the schools around here start them at 2 years 9 months, but I didn't want them going for 3 years of preschool (and neither did my wallet ). I think that you could probably find some other activities for the socialization factor and then start them next year.

 

We did one year of PS (for 3 yr olds) through a local church 2x a week for 2 hours (so 4 hours a week). It was just enough at the time (they were 2 y 10 m). This year they did PreK (started at 3y 11 m).

They have an Oct birthday---but we plan on sending them to K next fall. Although possibly they will get 2 years of PreK ( so 3 yrs of PS) if we move to a state that has an earlier cut off date.


I really like the first year since it was 6 kids and a small church program from 9-11 on T/TH. It was just enough to help them develop some independence and a 'social group'.

THis year in PreK it is 1/2 days M-Th and run through the state (so free). They are learning PreK activities and the class has 16 Kids and 2 teachers (I main and 1 aide). It has been a great program!


We have also been involved in lots and lots of community programs (nature center, library, etc) that have helped develop social skills. They were all free/very inexpensive. If the girls had not gone tot he community PreK program they would have stayed home with me. I think they would have done well either way/

I would look at what the class dynamics would be (it is a daycare setting or preschool only- how many kids- etc), how much $ it is, and your girls personalities.

 

I looked into it this year as well. Because of the cut off date my girls would be in the 2 year old class this upcoming school year. I don't think they need 3 years of preschool before K. So we're going to hold off and send them to 3 year old preschool, 4 year old preschool, and then K. If our state had free preschool for 2 and 3 year olds I might reconsider, but we're going to have to pay for it.

 

My girls have a spring birthday, so this might not apply to you. But we decided against preschool all together. Our district has pre-k for 4 year olds and they will do that (5 days a week, half day), and then do K (full day).

They are learning so much between us and our sitter that I didn't feel it was necessary and its expensive around here. So they will start pre-k at 4 1/2 and K at 5 1/2. I'm going to sign the girls up for ballet this summer and possibly gymnastics too, and we do library programs as well so I feel like they get a lot of socialization.

 

we'll probably only do one year or preschool, if that. they learn all their basic things at home with me, so i figure i can sign them up in things they WOULDN'T learn in preschool... dance class, soccer, karate, music, etc... that's what we plan to do

 

Leah has an October 10th b-day and she was not able to go to K this past year. She missed the cutoff by a month. However, that had no bearing on when I sent her to preschool. I sent her 2 days a week at 3 because she had 9 month old twin brothers and she really needed some outside stimulation and socialization. She thrived in a preschool environment.

For the boys, they will start this fall going 3 days a week and they will turn 4 in December :faint: I held them out this year for finances and just keeping them home for one more year. They will do the 3 year old class, and then the 4 year old class (Voluntary Pre-Kinder), and then go to K.

GL with your decision!

 

My girls' birthdays are in December, so they will be 5 going on six when they start kindergarten. We are going to start them in preschool this fall...we've held off just because of personal preference. I figure they'll be in school for 13 years, why rush. However, they are learning so fast that I think it would be a disservice to them to hold them back any longer.

 

My boys too miss the cutout date as well with their October birthday. It would be nice to be sending them this fall, but that would mean three years of preschool, and I don't think they need that. I taught preschool, so personally for me, there is no rush for me to send them, as I could "teach" them at home. Not to mention, $ comes into play for us, especially when we are on one income. The town has a preschool program that is four days/week for I think 3 hours/day. That's $1800/yr times 2. Not horrible, but I don't have $3,600 floating around the house!

My thought process has been I will send them to preschool in September 2012. They'll turn 5 the next month. I'm sure by then I'll be ready, as well as them. If we can/could handle it money wise, I may send them next year. But I'm highly doubting it. And like someone else said-I'm going to sign them up for various classes, etc-which in the end will be cheaper than sending them to a preschool program for x amount of hours/week.

 

My two also miss the cutoff date with their birthday. My SIL works at a daycare/preschool over the summer and they have rolling admission, so I am going find out info from her about possibly starting the kids there in January. If not the city has preschool programs at various playgrounds that 70-80 dollars per month per child and I'll be able to sign them up in the fall of 2011.

 

I'm generally pro-preschool as I think it's important to set kids up for success in school and I generally think most kids need some practice in the school environment to thrive before attending kindergarten. (I think they need practice listening to the teacher, obeying authority figures other than parents, playing with friends, etc. As you can see, for me, it's less about academic readiness and more about the environment.)

However, I don't think 3 years of preschool is necessary at all. I would only do it if you think they need it for some reason. Maybe a developmental delay, immature social skills or play skills, etc. Or, if your sanity needs it. I am definitely sending my two this coming year when they'll be 3 years 2 months because my DS has a speech delay and some other social/play skill delays, so he needs preschool now. However, 2 of my closest mom friends aren't sending their spring birthday kids to 3 yo preschool. They both have older children who went only to pre-k/4 yo preschool and subsequently thrived in kindergarten.

PS-In IL, our cut-off date is Sept 1. I feel kind of bad that my kids' birthday is july 7 as they will be one of the youngest in their class. But with DS's delays, holding him back would not be beneficial for him so I'm definitely starting them in fall of 2012.

 

Kyrstyn, Caroline (Oct. 11 bday) started K when she was 5 and turned 6 five weeks into it. She did 2 years of preschool before hand. So she went to her first year of preschool (3 year old) when she was already 3 and then turned 4 right after it started. Then the next year (4 year old preschool) she was 4 and turned 5 right after it started.


I did not feel she needed 3 years of preschool. So that would be like your girls not starting preschool this fall and starting in the fall of 2011 and doing 2 years and then doing K. It worked really well for us. I like that Caroline is one of the oldest and more mature kids in her class. :good:


The year she turned 5 she missed the K cut off by 11 days. But I would not have sent her even if she could have made it. No way would I have wanted her to be the youngest in school all her life.

 

My girls started full day (8:30 - 3:00) preschool three months ago. They're in the three year old classroom and have interaction with the four year old classroom too, so I've gotten to see how things go in both classrooms. C & P have certainly learned a lot in just three months, but even still - I don't think kids need much preschool to prepare them for kindergarten. Kids can figure out listening to a teacher, following directions, and school routine in just a few short months - so three years is way more than then they *need*. If you want them to go next year, though, certainly send them. It won't hurt... it's just not necessary.

 

Mine have been going to school since age 2. My first is May born, started with 2 full days at age 2y4m in the States, then did 3 full days at age 3, then 5 full days here in HK at age 4 and is now in (UK system) Primary, Year 1. A school of 720 students, four form and thriving. She's reading, writing, spelling, it's quite amazing and she enjoys it a lot. She leaves at 7.25 am, comes back at 3.35 pm (school is from 8.15 am til 2.40 pm), hence the reason I started with the full days last year (to get her used to it).

My twins turned 2 end of November '08 and started 2 mornings in January '09 (you can start here at age 2 without parent supervision). Last September they started 5 mornings in what we here call K1. This September they'll start K2 and I'll probably add some mornings along the way since they'll start Primary 1 in August 2011. They'll be super young as they go by birth year (2006 will start August 2011) and mine are end of November born so they will be 4y9m when they start Primary Year 1 (I am a little concerned about it, but we'll see how it goes, there will be other kids with the same "problem"). So they'll turn 5 in November while some others in their class are already turning 6 in January ...

All of them are happy in school, they enjoy going, they don't feel pressured to learn but still pick up so much. It's nice to be around other kids, socializing, learning new and other rules, etc. I honestly don't see anything wrong with them being in a school setting at a young age. I am not saying they will be smarter because of it in the end, but it can't hurt. As long as they're happy, I am happy too!

 

We also have October Birthdays. Our cut of is you have to be 3 by 9/1 to start preschool. There are 2.5yr old programs that they could go to in the fall but I am not sending them. It's pricey and didn't think they need 3yrs of preschool before K. Good luck with your decision!