~~Breezee~~

luluroo

I saw your preschool post just now (from earlier).  Ok, here is my opinion as a K teacher...take it fwiw!   I think kids will learn everything they need to learn in kinder.  I don't think preschool is necessary.  Is it nice in preparing kids for school? Absolutely.  BUT it also depends on the preschool.  I have kids come in to kinder that went to prek's where they were able to do anything they wanted, whenever they wanted.  So, that is a big change for them to learn to sit, attend certain activities, raise their hand, etc. 

 I am a HUGE believer in kids have the rest of their lives to go to school so let them be little as long as possible.  And play!  So much play is gone these days and I think it is SOOOO important.  So, a preschool that does have some structure but does allow for a lot of creative play, in my opinion, is the best.

Are standards a lot higher now? Yes and I do think that kinder is the new 1st grade but kids at that age are sponges.  They love to learn and grasp things quickly.  I have quite a few kids that enter kinder with no letters/sounds/ability to write their name and all will leave kinder reading (on some level).

So bottom line, you do what is best for Jefferson.  You are definitely not going to "damage" him or put him WAY behind his peers if you don't do preschool.

Wow....that was long!!

Oh and glad the siggies are back!

breezee_bean

I wanted to ask you your opinon on it, but I didn't want to be annoying=P  Is your kinder an all day?  There is only like a handful for schools here that are full day (the one we want to send J to is private and 2 full days per week.)  The public schools full day kinders are for kids with extra learning needs.  This is part of the reason why I am thinking that I am going to forego preschool and just start him in kinder.  I thought that would be a good "transition year" kind of like preschool.  The preschool I was looking at is 2.5 hours 4 days per week.  I think that he is too young this year (3 y/o) to go.  And, when he's 4 next year, I am hoping to go back to work.  So, the 2 and a half hour preschool with no afterschool care wouldn't work so well.  We would loose our excellent dayhome lady if I had to look for an afterschool care program. 

Thank you so much for your insight, S!  I really, really, really appreciate it=) 

luluroo

Nope, we aren't full day.  We are 3.5 hours and honestly, it is about all these kiddos can take.  I am not sure if because of the economy or what, but many of them are YOUNG.  In Cali you have to be 5 by December so we get some babies in.  And developmentally, most just aren't ready for that kind of learning.  That is a bigger difference that I notice...not that they attended prek or not, but if they are ready to learn.  In most cases, 4 year olds just aren't.  They want to play!  

Since he is in a day home situtation with other kids, he will be JUST fine

breezee_bean

I notice a HUGE difference in the 4 year olds and the 5 year olds.  It's amazing how that year makes a difference. 

I got paranoid when one of the posters in my OP said that she works in a kinder and can for sure tell those kids who went to preschool/prek and the ones who didn't.  I think that J will do really well because he is so adaptable.  We may have to do something different with Kate though, she's gonna be a firecracker=P 

Thank you so much again.  You really eased my mind=)

luluroo

I saw that too...I think you notice the young ones right away.  Or the ones that have never been away from mom and are just nervous about new situations.  Still, all those things considered....you can't tell about 2 weeks into school (well, at least in my class!).  One of my smartest boys (he is reading at at least a 4th grade level) never went to preschool.  Just stayed home with mom.  And he is doing fantastic! And a smartie too!  Personality tells way more than experience.

And my Drew is sooo not like Luke.  Different cat all the way around

breezee_bean

that's so interesting about the boy in your class.  It all goes back to the fact kids are sponges and what "natural" abilities they have.  In Canada, you have to take these goverment test your senior year and pass them.  So little dude needs to pass those=P

 

luluroo

Yeah we have the high school exit exam too.  But I was just reading a study that was talking about kids that read at 4 years old or so have no real advantage over their peers when they get to 4th/5th grade.  It all levels out.  So why push kids?! 

Don't get me wrong....my kids are very prepared when they leave kinder.  The standard is to write one good sentence and all of my kids were writing multiple sentences...it just that I don't see the push in making kids excel so early.  I swear, these kids are going to burn out! 

ok, off my soapbox....