Preschool orientation

NicoleWI

I can't believe they did this! I'm on the board at DD's preschool and am certainly not the only working mom. We just got the orientation info for this year and they made the "mandatory" parent orientation from 9:30 to 11:30 on a weekday. WTH? Since we were there last year, I know I like the school and that this annoyance isn't a sign of how the year will go. But, last year, I was worried I'd be the only working mom and I would have been really upset about starting off on this foot. As it is, even though I'm cutting back and WFH on Thursdays, I can't just leave for a whole half-day to attend orientation! Nor do I like having to miss it.

I sent a complaint to the school and said that I can't make it.

I just feel like this is such a bad PR move for new families coming into the school.

SoMoNY

Tell them that your job is what pays their tuition and to F off.

I had to tell DS's school (as did other WMs) that 5pm parent meetings were BS.

Told the director to learn how to use email if she needs to communicate with us

CrawltheWarriorKing

While I think it is inconvenient and would prefer to have it in the evening (my kids school does).  If that's the time they choose, I'd voice my preference or concern but I would take a 1/2 day from work to attend. 

I don't see why you couldn't take a 1/2 day or just the entire day as vacation/personal.  Isn't that what PTO days are for?

 

2chatter

I just elect not to attend those things, outside of year one.  I sometimes still don't attend if someone can attend for me.  I don't like to burn PTO on things that my children will not enjoy.

SoMoNY

PTO is for fun stuff and health needs

Mustardseed2007

I don't like that they scheduled it during the day and then called it a "mandatory" orientation.

I mean, yeah, it sounds like they aren't going to kick you out of school if you don't go, but just saying it's mandatory is a cue that it's super important for your to be there and not everyone can get off.

 If you want to schedule it during the day, inconvenient but fine, but if so then you shouldn't call it mandatory.

 

CrawltheWarriorKing

SoMoNY said:

PTO is for fun stuff and health needs

PTO is for anything and everything that takes you away from work.  Sicknesses, deaths, vacation, and waiting for the AC dude to come fix it when it's 98 degrees outside - which is not fun stuff. 

So if your kids soccer game is right after school yet your work schedule is until 6pm, guess you'll never go to one of their games?

CrawltheWarriorKing

SoMoNY said:

Tell them that your job is what pays their tuition and to F off.

I had to tell DS's school (as did other WMs) that 5pm parent meetings were BS.

Told the director to learn how to use email if she needs to communicate with us

You sound like so much fun to interact with.

christinak22

My daughter's is in the middle of a Thursday, too. I'm taking a half-day at least, especially because it's our first year in school ever.

Can you ask the director to meet with you to fill you in when you're available? If it's that important but you're not willing to take time off, I think she would fill you in on the secrets told at the meeting.

jf198400

If this is just a preschool and not a daycare, I would think a large majority of the children have a SAH parent.  I'm sure there are some families like yours with a nanny or grandparent and 2 working parents, but its probably less common.  When you don't have a FT daycare situation, you as a parent need to find a way to deal with things that come up during the day.  It would be nice if the preschool offered 2 meeting times one during the day and one at night.  You could suggest that, but for now I'd just take time off work.

2chatter

CrawltheWarriorKing said:

SoMoNY said:

PTO is for fun stuff and health needs

PTO is for anything and everything that takes you away from work.  Sicknesses, deaths, vacation, and waiting for the AC dude to come fix it when it's 98 degrees outside - which is not fun stuff. 

So if your kids soccer game is right after school yet your work schedule is until 6pm, guess you'll never go to one of their games?

I  guess I am super lucky.  I have vacation time, sick time, bereavement time and personal time.  Something like this would come from vacation time, so it's not exciting to me to take fun time and sit in some absurd meeting.  I also have a flexible schedule, just not right.smack.dab in the middle of the day.  I have found that so many of these items are a total waste of time - not beneficial to my child or to me (summer camp orientations are the worst - it's a glorified "pick up  your tshirt").  Our former private school did orientations on Sunday afternoons out of respect for working parents.  They met the teacher, had handouts, etc.  Those were great. 

CrawltheWarriorKing

2chatter said:

CrawltheWarriorKing said:

SoMoNY said:

PTO is for fun stuff and health needs

PTO is for anything and everything that takes you away from work.  Sicknesses, deaths, vacation, and waiting for the AC dude to come fix it when it's 98 degrees outside - which is not fun stuff. 

So if your kids soccer game is right after school yet your work schedule is until 6pm, guess you'll never go to one of their games?

I  guess I am super lucky.  I have vacation time, sick time, bereavement time and personal time.  Something like this would come from vacation time, so it's not exciting to me to take fun time and sit in some absurd meeting.  I also have a flexible schedule, just not right.smack.dab in the middle of the day.  I have found that so many of these items are a total waste of time - not beneficial to my child or to me (summer camp orientations are the worst - it's a glorified "pick up  your tshirt").  Our former private school did orientations on Sunday afternoons out of respect for working parents.  They met the teacher, had handouts, etc.  Those were great. 

I have all that separate time too and can come in late and still make up my hours during the week, but for those that don't have that flexibility PTO is there only option.  Of course if you've been to the last few meetings and it's the same bs by all means skip it.  I personally would attend especially if it's their first year in that school.  I'd still suggest a later time for working parents but I wouldn't tell them to F off like another poster suggested!

SoMoNY

CrawltheWarriorKing said:

SoMoNY said:

Tell them that your job is what pays their tuition and to F off.

I had to tell DS's school (as did other WMs) that 5pm parent meetings were BS.

Told the director to learn how to use email if she needs to communicate with us

You sound like so much fun to interact with.

Why, because I tell people that pointless meetings could be replaced by email?

A LOT of us have told the director the same thing and guess what, she listened and now send out emails 80% of the time instead of calling a meeting.

In the NYC area most women work and most have a commute.  Preschool isn't important enough to piss away a day out of the office.

SoMoNY

Mustardseed2007 said:

I don't like that they scheduled it during the day and then called it a "mandatory" orientation.

I mean, yeah, it sounds like they aren't going to kick you out of school if you don't go, but just saying it's mandatory is a cue that it's super important for your to be there and not everyone can get off.

 If you want to schedule it during the day, inconvenient but fine, but if so then you shouldn't call it mandatory.

 

Exactly, a mandatory meeting during work hours is stupid.

This is for a preschool, not so they can graduate high school or anything important.

CrawltheWarriorKing

SoMoNY said:

CrawltheWarriorKing said:

SoMoNY said:

Tell them that your job is what pays their tuition and to F off.

I had to tell DS's school (as did other WMs) that 5pm parent meetings were BS.

Told the director to learn how to use email if she needs to communicate with us

You sound like so much fun to interact with.

Why, because I tell people that pointless meetings could be replaced by email?

A LOT of us have told the director the same thing and guess what, she listened and now send out emails 80% of the time instead of calling a meeting.

In the NYC area most women work and most have a commute.  Preschool isn't important enough to piss away a day out of the office.

No, I agree that it is much easier to send information through email.  It was becase of this...

Tell them that your job is what pays their tuition and to F off.

Suggesting the emails instead of lots of meetings or suggesting a different time to accomodate working parents is great.