STM+ question re older child preschool!

homediva

Moms with little ones - will you be sending your child to a preschool or daycare program? I'm considering (and have pretty much decided) to switch my son into a better preschool for 2-3 days a week. Right now he's at a great daycare but I would like a more structured program - and the one I found is at a farm with animals which is amazing to me!! We visited today and it felt like such a good fit. They even have a pig, and horses!

Anyway I'm just getting nervous about logistics as it's a 15-20 minute drive. Do you guys think this will be really hard to manage with an infant in tow? They also offer a pick up/drop off service but I'm reluctant to have my little man go off into the world with someone else behind the wheel. Maybe I'm being overprotective. They offer two programs - 9-11:30, 9-12:45 or 9-2:45 and I can pick my days. I'm opting for the longer one so he can have his nap there....I think! 2-3 hours in the morning seems hard to structure the rest of our day around. Right now I'm convinced that I'll be breezy when the baby comes, but in reality I am the type of mama who lives by a napping schedule!

Sorry for the long one! What do you plan to do? And what should I do? LOL.

Oh and he needs to be 3 and potty trained so all this won't be til July.

WhiMiMa

My son (3.5) goes to daycare one day a week. I looked into preschool, but other than the expense the timing just stinks for our lifestyle. My son normally sleeps til 930-10, then naps 3-6. Either I'd have to drag us all out of bed super early on preschool days or we'd all have to shift (really hard on hubby who works nights). I don't even want to try to it with a new baby, but we really cherish our sleep over here

I have started a mini at home preschool and he absolutely loves it. Plan to keep it up during baby's nap time in the future. I'm sure my son would love it, I'm just not ready!

I'm still trying to decide if I should start him in K in 2015 or 2016. If we waited til 2016, then I prob do a year of preschool first.

If I were you, if the timing works out with your new baby's nap schedule, then yes, but if not, either shift baby or put off for a while.

homediva

Thanks so much for your thoughtful response! We usually do activities in the morning and stay home in the afternoon too - with a nap from 12-2 and bedtime at 6:30.

They still do lots of play at this school, but they also feed the animals, work on letters, line up before going outside etc. his daycare now is a free for all - lots of fun but no themes or crafts etc. When I visited today, one room was looking at different types of animal prints then going outside and looking for prints. Another was reading a book about pancakes then making pancakes. They help in the garden and the food they serve is better - it's just a total upgrade, although he does enjoy his current daycare!

Edited to fix spelling!

thomas930

DD (4yrs) is currently in preschool and she will continue until the end of the school year. She will have about a month and a half left when baby joins us. She goes from 8-11 am and I have my 22 month old home with me. We've been able to work out our schedule where both still get naps with no issues.

I you think it would be easier nap wise, then send him for the longer day so he can nap there. 

homediva

I guess it's all about finding a balance between older child's needs and younger baby's needs - eek, new territory! Do you guys think I'm being crazy-paranoid leaning towards not bothering with the shuttle service? On one hand it would be awesome to have him just dropped off, but on the other hand the thought of him being in a moving vehicle with someone else just makes me freak out!

homediva

WhiMiMa said:

My son (3.5) goes to daycare one day a week. I looked into preschool, but other than the expense the timing just stinks for our lifestyle. My son normally sleeps til 930-10, then naps 3-6. Either I'd have to drag us all out of bed super early on preschool days or we'd all have to shift (really hard on hubby who works nights). I don't even want to try to it with a new baby, but we really cherish our sleep over here

I have started a mini at home preschool and he absolutely loves it. Plan to keep it up during baby's nap time in the future. I'm sure my son would love it, I'm just not ready!

I'm still trying to decide if I should start him in K in 2015 or 2016. If we waited til 2016, then I prob do a year of preschool first.

If I were you, if the timing works out with your new baby's nap schedule, then yes, but if not, either shift baby or put off for a while.

What is this "mini at home preschool?" Just activities you do with him? Sounds interesting!

thomas930

As for the shuttle service,  I personally wouldn't do it only because I'm a stickler for car saftey and I go to the max when it comes to car seat saftey....I'd be afraid that they only meet the minimum requirements. I don't really trust other people to buckle my kids in properly. 

AcaAwkward

I wouldn't do the shuttle, but the preschool itself sounds amazing! Hopefully the baby likes the car just fine and will snooze during drop off and pick up. It will be a great excuse for you and your newest LO to get out of the house as well, even if it's just for a coffee run on the way to school.

DD currently goes to preschool twice a week from 9:30-2:30. She naps and eats at school and has adapted to that schedule beautifully. She will attend three times a week (same school, same schedule) for the 2014/2015 "school year."

MamaFantastic

welcome to my personal hell!!  i'm currently debating 3 different schooling options right now.  i actually made a post about it a few weeks ago, so you could check back in my post history and find it pretty easily, i'd imagine.

right now kiddo (who will turn 4 in april) goes for 2 full days per week.  one of those days i'm working those same hours, and the other day i'm home for a free day.  when the baby comes and i'm no longer working that small job, we will transition him to just a half day morning program.  right now the 3 places i'm looking at (one of which is just keeping him at his current place) are all basically a 9-12 program, which feels a bit short.  his current school allows for dropoff pretty early, and goes to 12:30 for the half day program, so it would be longer than just the 3 hours there.

i'm trying to be realistic about what i can and can't expect of myself when i'm hauling a newborn/infant/older baby with me into and out of the buildings.  that's a major factor in the mix.  also - flexibility for time of drop off or pick up.  i have these nightmares of always being way late/early or always having to wake the baby from her nap to go pick him up at lunch time.

homediva

@ mamafantastic I remember your post! When do you need to decide? Registration for my desired school opens on Feb 1. I have those nightmares too! Waking up baby to get in the car? Shudder! I'm sure whichever school you choose, you'll fall into a routine! And second babies just have to be adaptable I guess.

To go in and out, the infant seat will be great and I'll keep a carrier in the car in case wearing baby is easier!

MamaFantastic

True... between the Boba for awake times and the infant seat for naps, it shouldn't be that terrible. His current school has a very easy/close parking situation and a very flexible drop off and pick up policy (basically any time between the start and stop hours). It's a major factor!

leighbball

My situation is pretty different because my son currently goes to a sitter full time 5 days a week and in September when I return to work (I'm a teacher), both kids will go to the same sitter but ds will start preschool half day, 5 days a week at another elementary school in my district.  It's a tuition based program but an excellent one and I'm so happy I got him in (we don't live in-district so it's not a guarantee).  However, he will be based across the town and it has me freaked out a bit...he's only 3!  But, I have several friends whose kids have done the program with busing and it's been a great experience.

If I didn't have to do the busing, I probably wouldn't...but I can't leave my students for that.  If you can drive him and it works, I would do that.  If it doesn't work out, then at least you have the shuttle option...but I'd talk to other parents who use it first to get their impression. 

laurel22

We've had DS (3-1/2) in a Montessori preschool program for 2 days per week since he was 20 mos old. It's been great! The active socialization with other kids has really been beneficial. He's there from 8:30-4:30 ("school" is from 9-3:30, the extra time is just "daycare"), and while he's tired at the end of the day, it hasn't ever been too much for him. If the program is right, I wouldn't be bothered driving 15-20 mins for it. It's too bad they require kids to be potty-trained beforehand, because we actually found that being around older potty-trained children helped immensely with DS's potty-training.

homediva

Thanks so much ladies! DS's current arrangement is 2 days at day care from 8-4, he naps there and usually wants to play with "one more thing!" when I pick him up. We call it "school" too. After seeing how he joined in today (he literally pulled a chair up and joined in!) I'm not too worried about him being comfortable in a new environment. I agree, the short mornings make running any errands or anything difficult! His current program doesn't require potty training but many kids are so maybe I'll try to get that going sooner rather than later.

Really appreciate all your perspectives!!