- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Pre-School and Daycare
Start preschool at 2 1/2 or 3/12?
I'm thinking about starting DD in a preschool program 2 mornings per week this fall (she'll be 2 1/2.) DH thinks we should wait until next year because "she's too young to get anything out of it" and its expensive (but not out of our budget with some minor changes). I think it would be good for her because she would have to learn to listen to other adults besides family, and it would be good for socialization with other kids her age. I SAH with her & we do get out almost every day. We do storytime once a week & other days we either go to the park or the mall or run errands. She plays with her cousins (3 & 1) about once a week also.
So WDYT? Tell me your experiences if you started DC at 2. Thanks 
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Start preschool at 2 1/2 or 3/12?
I started DD at 2 and 1/2. She goes Thurs/Fri from 9-12. She has learned so much and loves it. The first month she was shy and cried every time I dropped her off. She has learned a lot about independence, sharing, and routines. She also had a speech delay but caught up quickly after starting school. Her class is called 'young 3's but most of the kids are 2 1/2. It is the "introductory" class at the school to get them ready for the 3 year old room. They baby them more and help them get used to coming to school. I am so glad we decided to send her at 2 and 1/2.
DS will actually be starting as soon as he turns 2. He cries when I drop DD off because he wants to stay and play.
DD#2 started at 2.5 this past fall. She goes 2 days per week (2.5 hours per day). It's $340/month, so it's not cheap at all, but she's done so well in the program. DD#1 started in the same class last year, 2 months before her 3rd birthday. Money well spent for us.
It's a personal decision. There is no right or wrong. Just what works for your family situation.
I also believe this is a personal decision, but do think preschool is very important.
My kids start MDO just for social reasons at 18 months they start actual preschool at 2.5
We decided against sending DS to preschool during his 2 yr old year. I think he probably would have enjoyed it after the initial transition period, but I also feel like he has so many years to be in school, that I don't want to rush it. However, we live in an area where there are lots of things for kids his age to do - classes of every kind, playplaces, zoos, museums, libraries, etc etc etc., so I am able to keep him engaged and learning and around other children easily. If we didn't have so many options available to us, I would be more likely to have chosen the 2 yr old preschool because I do think 2 yr olds are capable of and enjoy learning and exploring new things.
I will add, that if I had not had DS and only 2 kids, that I would have waited until this September to send DD#2 to preschool when she was already 3. But, because I have to divide my time in so many ways with 3 kids, it worked out for everyone to send her this year. She was ready for it.
DD started 2 weeks after her second birthday.
So glad we put her in. It's been really wonderful for her.
Well, I guess I'm the oddball here. We're not planning on putting DD into preschool until she's 4. We do lots of learning activities at home, but she doesn't have much interaction with kids her age other than weekly library. But I think she can learn what she needs to learn in preschool in one year, and in the meantime she gets lots of other benefits from staying home with me.
Um, maybe I'm just from an out-of-sync area, but our daycares don't have "pre-school" for anyone younger than 4. Before that it's daycare.
I wouldn't send my child to a so-called pre-school before 4 years old. Daycare, yes, for the interaction and social development. But not a structured curriculum pre-school. JMO.