Pre-School and Daycare
ArcticFox
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2 year olds and preschool
ArcticFox
member
If you enrolled or thought of enrolling your 2 year old for preschool, how did you make the decision? How old (exactly) were they?
My DD is 2 years, 2 months. I'm thinking of starting her in January (they have openings), but I don't know how to make the decision. Did you wait until you felt they were 'ready'? Or was it that you wanted them to have something in their schedule? Etc?
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Re: 2 year olds and preschool
I enrolled DD1 at 18 months because I was about to have DD2...DD1 was a super difficult, colicky baby and I was afraid DD2 would be the same, and knew both DD1 and I would need a little break. She LOVED it and has ever since
We enrolled DD2 this year, just before she turned 2. If I didn't start her at the beginning of the school year, we wouldn't have been able to until next year when she was almost 3 and I knew I wanted her to start before then. Their preschool is very popular and fills up fast! She absolutely loves going to school as well, and I really love getting the break
Both girls started at 2 mornings a week. DD1 just switched to 3 mornings a week this year (she'll be 4 in Feb.). They both really adore school. As do I
Especially in the winter when it's so cold and gets dark early, and I don't have much help here, it's nice having that break for both me and them.
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We enrolled DD when she turned 2. They had openings. The class was only Tues/Thurs from 9-11am. I figured it would be good for her to play with other kids and begin to learn routines. DD is an only child, and there aren't many kids in our families.
My DD loved school!! They played, drew pictures, painted, played outside, ate snack and read a story. It took a while to us to transition her in to the class because she started mid-year. For about a month a sat in a chair in the corner of the class room. She hated for me to leave, but I got to see how the day progressed, how she played, well.., it made me feel better.
DD1 was just shy of 2.5 when she started last year. She went 2 days a week for 4 hours. It was really nice to have a "break", but I had DD2 with me, so it wasn't much of a break! It was nice to be able to take DD2 to library story time, and run errands with just 1 kid to lug in & out of the car
This year DD2 started going also before she turned 2 because I got a job at the pre-school. She was a little young for the class, but they let me bring her. She absolutely loves it, and I think it has been really good for her.
Most real scholastic based pre-k's in my experience potty training. Mom day out programs usually take 18 mos or older non-PT'd and are 1-3x a week for a few hours. I have many friends who are and find them wonderful. It is just about getting a break and giving your children a place to get out of the house and grow. They socialize and they experience new things. If I didn't have the worlds best nanny and the kids were not already really exploring the world (they have gym, music, art, and swim rotated every 6 wks) as well as various therapists coming in and working with Rachel (and they always work with Cally too) I would consider it an option!
We did enroll Harmon at 2 1/2 but he was different. He is on the spectrum and attends the public schools. He did well but he needed it. He can't be in a "normal" environment yet. 4 day a week 1/2 days though is not something I would do for the twins though at age 2.
DD started in a Montessori 2's classroom at 2 years 4/5 months. I was going back to work full-time, so it was that or daycare. It was absolutely wonderful. She did before school and after school care in addition to their 8ish-2:30ish full day program. She was potty trained, but that wasn't a requirement.
I've taught at a part time preschool (2 days a week for 3 hours a day) and it was a good first school experience for the kids. They learned to listen to adults who are not Mom or Dad, play with others, and they got to work with materials most homes don't have. It was a nice break for the stay-at-home parents. Personally- 3 hours twice a week would not have been enough time for me.
DD began attending preschool at 2 exactly. We lived in California at the time and with no family around whatsoever and a husband who traveled to 3 different states every week, I needed a break. So, we enrolled her in a preschool 2 days a week. I would drop her off about 8:30 and pick her up between 2:30-3:30.
By the time she was 2 1/2, we'd moved home to Louisiana and we found the school she's at now. School started in August and that October she turned 3. Now, she's 4 and loves her school, teachers and friends. It was the best choice for all of us. I got the break I so desperately needed and DD learned some important skills; albeit a little earlier than we would have liked her to. (Trusting other adults, learning that it's OK to be apart, and playing and socializing with other children.) She may not have been "ready" but I definitely was!
I sent DD at 2 years, 3 months (almost 4 months). It's the norm around here and she loved it right away. I never questioned her being too "young" for the experience until I saw people discussing it on the bump. I guess every kid is different, but DD and most of her friends were very curious about each other at age 2 and loved spending the day together playing.
For me, it was more of a question of frequency than whether to send her at all. I started with two mornings/week (9-12) and she liked it so much that I ended up extending her to 2 days/week, 9-3.
DD went to a school based PDO program at 1 and a half, one day a week. Loved it. It helped her social skills a great deal. At 2 1/2 she started attending two days a week. The day runs from 9:30 until 3.
We've been extremely happy with the decision to send her.