How old was your LO when he/she started preschool

bbe13

My LO turned three in March and has never been away from me really.  I am super anxious about sending her, but also feel I will be doing her a disservice if I don't (socially anyway)...  How old was your child and what kind of program did you choose (i.e. how many days a week...)  Also how did you handle the transition.  TIA

HarrietNJMommy

DD#1 started 2 months before her 3rd birthday. 

DD#2 started at 2.5.

DS will start this fall which is 3 months before his 3rd birthday.

All 3 kids were in an "intro" class for 2.5-3 year olds. 2 days per week (half days). Each day was 2.5 hours....... 

QtGinaJ

DD was one month shy of 3.5yrs old when she started.  She goes to a Christian Preschool all day on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  She has loved it since day one!

luvmagoldn

My boys were 3 years 8 months (January birthdays) when they started preschool two mornings a week.  Next year they go three mornings a week.

Both boys transitioned really well but maybe it was because they had each other? Except DS#2 fell on his way in to school the first day and had a HUGE lump on his forehead.  Not the best start I grant you but he transitioned ok after that. 

WestCoastMommy

He started a Preschool summer camp in June that was Tues/Thurs 9:15 to 12:45. DS turned 3 in June.

He starts a 3's program at a private preschool this fall which is also Tues/Thursday from 9 to 12:15 and goes Aug to June.

futrkingsley

DS started preschool when he was a few months past his second birthday.  He attends 3 half days a week (4 hours each).  I work FT and my mom is with him when I'm at work so he went from staying home with gramma to school+Gramma and it was hard.  He cried at drop off and dreaded going for at least a month. 

He's a very sensitive kid in many ways and that transition was rough for him but necessary. He needed that social interaction and he needed to see and be around other kids. 

NaplesWifey

DD started last August in a 2 year old class. She was almost 2.5 when she started, and went 2 mornings a week from 8:30-12. We had a great experience with it, and are very happy we sent her. She will be going to the same school again this year in the 3 year old class.

shopgirl78

DS1 will start prekindergarten at our public elemetary school @ 3 years, 11 months.  He will do two years of PreK and has been a daycare child. 

franciscaz

I sent Harmon early b/c he has special needs that would be better met in the school environment (and they were).  He started at 2 1/2.  If he hadn't I would have held off sending him until that January when he turned 3 or the following August.

brightning

DD will be 4.5 when she starts preschool. I'm not sure how many days/hours we'll send her. She'll get about 7 months of preschool before starting kindergarten.

Jinsy80

A little over 3 years old (she's a July baby). She's always SAH with my husband or my  mom, so she hadn't really been left with many strangers. Her program was twice a week, for 2 1/2 hours. She did okay, it was hard for her to adjust to the rules. She was one of the youngest in the class...

howleyshell

I waited until #1 was 4 (end of July birthday) to start pre-school.  My younger one was chompin at the bit after seeing the older one go so he's starting at 3.5 (December birthday).

I wondered about starting my oldest the year before (at newly 3) and DH's response was:  "He's got the rest of his life to be in school.  Let him play and be at home with you for now while we can."

We did plenty of socialization with things like library story time, play dates, etc.

I think 1 year of pre-school is plenty as long as you're working on some academic fundamentals at home and encouraging socialization.

If you decide to wait another year the pre-school teacher told me the 2 things they wish parents worked on more at home before starting pre-school are using liquid glue and scissors.

We'd done plenty of scissor stuff but I hadn't considered glue as something we should be practicing.

 

 

kada626

dd1 will be starting preschool in the fall and will be a little over 4yrs old. So far we plan on just one yr of preschool then kindy. She is going to go 3 days a week, 3hrs a day.

CD+AL

DS will be about 3y7m when he starts preschool next month, and he'll go for a couple of hours 3 days/wk.  He went to daycare FT from 13wks to 8mos, but he's been with me 100% since 11mos.  (My mom watched him at my house from 8mos to 11mos, and from there, I haven't been away from him.  The longest break was about 12hrs when I went to the hospital to have DD and then another 12hrs after he visited and before I came home with her.)

That said, I think the transition will be a little tough on both of us...maybe even more so for me than for him b/c he will be having all the fun, new experiences and making new friends while I just get to miss him.  However, the main reason that he's going is for the socialization, so we chose a very small program b/c we didn't want him to be overwhelmed by too many kids.

I look at it this way...It has to happen at some point, and I think it will be easier on him now than at 5yo when he starts K.  The first few days/weeks (I hope not weeks!) might be a little tough, but he'll survive and so will I.  It will be very good for him in the long run, and for now, he's really excited about it anyway even if it hasn't really hit home with him yet that it means that he's going to be spending so much time away from me.

ETA: DS will have two years of preschool before K.  At his school (private), the 3yo class meets 3 days/wk for about 2.5hrs/day, and the 4yo class meets 4 days/wk for about 2.5hrs/day.  Then they jump up to a full day K program at that school (and the public school too), which is going to be a HUGE change for him too.

MrsBalletStar05

A lot of people here start their LOs in a church pre-school (we're in the bible belt, churches are everywhere, plus it's a good way for them to get more people in their doors) at age 3 for 2-3 days a week.  We didn't do that for our son because he was in daycare for awhile, and then I started to work at a daycare and he went with me...so besides getting plenty of socialization, our schedule just wasn't going to work with a program like that (many got out earlier than when I worked and hubby is not able to help with pick-up). 

We're starting him this year (he just turned 4), in public pre-K that is 5 days a week.  It is optional, but most people I know put their children in this program at the elementary schools.  Hubby will be able to drop him off and he gets out late enough for me to pick him up - so it works out.  We don't start for 3 weeks, but I'm not at all worried about the transition.  He is a very social, outgoing, and active child.  He's been with me during the day for about 10 months, but I don't think he will have problems adjusting since he was in daycare for so long, and again - he is very outgoing and independent, ect. It is my other child that I am concerned about when that time comes!!  I'm anticipating that to be more difficult.  Fortunately, we have a few years.  But for my older child, we have really been talking it up.  We just bought him new shoes and a new backpack that he will get to take to school (I let him pick both out), so he is very excited about that. 

capulet

DD started preschool when she was almost 3 (her birthday is 10/10).  She went to two different schools, each 9:00-11:30 two days a week.  Up until then she had been away from me with babysitters a couple of times and with DH's family for up to 12 days at a time on a couple of occasions - so used to being cared for by other people, but mostly family.  She was the youngest at both schools, and by far the smallest, since she's little for her age to begin with.  But she transitioned really well.  In the first couple of weeks she cried occasionally when I left her, but usually one of the teachers would hold her and comfort her after I left, and they always said she settled down pretty soon after I left.  At parents' night at one of her schools, they advised us to leave quickly and make as little fuss as possible when we dropped them off, because it would be easier all around, so I always just gave her a hug and a kiss and left as soon as I handed her off.

I was pretty sure she was ready to start preschool, and the only thing that was really up in the air was potty training - she had just started wearing underwear at all, and she was supposed to be potty trained by the time she started, although both schools were flexible in the first month or so.  As it turned out, she only had a couple of accidents, and the schools were fine with that in the beginning as long as it wasn't a consistent thing.

I'm very glad DD did preschool this year.  She had a lot of fun and it was neat to see her learning skills and new things outside of what she learned at home.  And I was happy to get a couple of hours to myself every day!

welshgirl

DS started 2 hours one morning a week just after his 2nd birthday, and at 2.5 went 2 hours twice a week. He went to a local community centre program, with 8 kids and two teachers and loved it. I wanted him there so I'd have a fe hours to myself and DD without older brother.

He's off on summer holidays now, but will start nursery school officially (3 hours, 5 mornings a week) after Labour Day (3  years 3 months).

mbritto4

She turned 3 two weeks after starting in 2 morning (9-12) a week preschool. This fall she will be in pre-k three mornings 9-1. I was in preschool 2 years and wanted my kids to be as well. She will turn 5 right after kindergarten starts if she starts fall 2012. I don't see there being an issue, but if her teachers & the district found reason to delay I would. But won't do it just based on her birthday, unless Michigan moves their cut off to September 1.

kelbrian

Liliana turned three a few days ago and will start preschool on August 8th. She will be going five days a week, from 9 until 2:45.

She's bored being at home with me. This was also the school we really wanted to send her to, and if she didn't get in this year, she likely would have never gotten in (they only accept a few kids for each grade after preschool). So, we're sending her. She talks every day about how excited she is to start school. 

smitt2619

DS1 started in the fall at age 3 1/2 yr.  He'd been home with me for just over a year before he started, and was/is a very shy boy, specifically around new and unfamiliar situations.  I was very nervous on how he'd do, nad it did take him awhile to warm up and be comfortable, but he did fine.  It was really good for him to be in that environment, to learn in a different way and be forced to develop some independent social skills, ones he'll need when he's in kindergarten.  Last year, in the 3's program, he went 2 days per week, for 2.5 hours each day. 

bim38106

DD1 was 18 months. I was due w/ DD2 and remembered DD1 as an infant was extremely difficult/colicky, so I was worried and wanted the break for both of us. She LOVED it!! We switched her to a "real" preschool at 2.5, though that school also starts kids at 18months. She's been going 2 mornings a week. Next year she'll be going 3 mornings.

DD2 will be almost 2, starting this Fall w/ 2 mornings. DH works long hours and I'm a SAHM and have no help most of the year.... so I need a break!

Plus, every time we'd pick up DD1 from school last year, DD2 would run off with the other kids and it was hard to get her to leave! LOL. She is ready and I know she's going to love it!

AngelaU1971

My son started at 4...I wanted him to have 1 year of preschool before kindergarten.

My daughter will start in September - she's 4.

I will start my 3rd at 4 also.

PhilsWife07

DS will be just shy of 3 when his program starts this fall (3 four-hour days per week). He turns 3 on Sept 4 and school starts the week before Labor Day.

SymphonyGirl

DS turned 3 last July and we started him in a 5 day/week half day preschool program that August. It was a little tough on us both for about 2 weeks, and then he started really having some fun, so I stopped worrying.  DS was just so shy around other people that I felt like it was incredibly important to give him some social time with others.  He's still shy, but not nearly like it was a year ago when he was flat out afraid of new people. 

KelzinBoston

DS will start at 3y3m in the Fall.  I looked into starting him earlier, but Preschools in my area are ridiculous to get into and you have to enter the lotteries the January before to get in, and even then space is limited.  It took us 7 applications/lotteries just to get into one Preschool for next year.

I am considering starting DS2 earlier only so we can get a spot in a Preschool easier (more spaces for younger children entering since they move up and take spaces in the older classrooms).

Yes, it's a bit crazy and I feel ridic for putting this much thought into Preschool.

KristinKD

DD1 was 2 3/4 when she started; she was in a two-day 2 y.o. class that was 2 1/2 hours two mornings a week. Next year she'll be in a three-day "young 4s" class, and her third year will be pre-k.

Before last year, she had never been watched by anyone other than her grandparents, and her adjustment to preschool was still pretty smooth. Before she started, I talked up how fun and exciting school would be and how she'd make new friends, learn new things, play with different toys, and make lots of crafts. Every so often she had days where she cried and said she wanted to stay home with me and DD2 (as if she ever missed anything beyond laundry or errands!), and her teacher sometimes needed to distract her with a book so I could leave, but she was always happy once she got going.

We will probably start DD2 in the same 2 y.o. class when she's 2 1/2.

ArcticFox

My DD has a March birthday, and she actually started the week after she turned 3!  Random.. but they had an opening and I had a 6 month old baby and was desperate for some 'free time' so to speak.

DD did great.  I actually just posted about being super hesitant to put my 2 year old in preschool yet, but I think 3 is a great age because they can communicate and engage in a lot of independent play.

We did MWF 9-11:30 and it was a great amount of time.  Now DD loves preschool so much we even do the summer session!  She loved being able to play with other kids (since it was hard for me to get out with the newborn and get her into social stuff), and it gave me a chance to get some stuff done that I needed.

My DD hadn't really ever been away from me either, except for a few times like when baby #2 was born and I was at the hospital and about 3-4 obgyn appts where I had to have DH or my best friend watch her.