Preschool open house was today..

ArcticFox · September 2011

DD goes to her old classroom that she was in as a 3 year old (she is in the 4 year old program). I was so excited that her class only has 13 kids in it, because last year it was 19 kids.

However, the 3 and 4 year olds are going to spend a portion of their day together. Like free play when they get dropped off, active time on the playground or gym, etc. Obviously not things like circle time where they learn the academic type stuff.

I am not upset - best word I can come up with is bummed - because

a) now they made the pickup and dropoff for the 3's and 4s at the same time, and it is a small parking lot and small classroom. (In the past it was a bigger parking lot, bigger room with a huge hallway for parents).

b) the kids will be mixed for much of the day.. I was just looking forward to smaller class size etc. Personally if I had a child that just turned 3, I wouldn't want them with 4.5 year olds, but I guess that's just me.

I'm sure everything will be fine, I'm not upset, I guess it isn't what I thought was ideal. I also have a 23 month old that flips out every time we leave her big sister at preschool, so when it takes a while to do pick up or drop off (like to sign in etc), the tantrums are that much worse.

Any thoughts? Just me? I'm open to seeing any positives for these scenarios..:)

kada626 · September 2011

It sounds like she'll have lots of other kids to interact with which sounds like a good thing. Then when it's time for the learning she'll be in the smaller group anyway. I think it will be fine!

Our open house was today too. I'm a little more nervous for my dd than I was. It took awhile for her to warm up to the teachers. She didn't want to participate at first. Plus, it seems almost all the kids in her class have been in preschool before. That could be a good thing but it just sucked seeing the other kids know all the procedures and dd needed more direction. There was only one other girl that I know of that was completely new in her class.

MrsBalletStar05 · September 2011

ArcticFox:
DD goes to her old classroom that she was in as a 3 year old (she is in the 4 year old program). I was so excited that her class only has 13 kids in it, because last year it was 19 kids.
However, the 3 and 4 year olds are going to spend a portion of their day together. Like free play when they get dropped off, active time on the playground or gym, etc. Obviously not things like circle time where they learn the academic type stuff.
I am not upset - best word I can come up with is bummed - because
a) now they made the pickup and dropoff for the 3's and 4s at the same time, and it is a small parking lot and small classroom. (In the past it was a bigger parking lot, bigger room with a huge hallway for parents).
b) the kids will be mixed for much of the day.. I was just looking forward to smaller class size etc. Personally if I had a child that just turned 3, I wouldn't want them with 4.5 year olds, but I guess that's just me.
I'm sure everything will be fine, I'm not upset, I guess it isn't what I thought was ideal. I also have a 23 month old that flips out every time we leave her big sister at preschool, so when it takes a while to do pick up or drop off (like to sign in etc), the tantrums are that much worse.
Any thoughts? Just me? I'm open to seeing any positives for these scenarios..:)

This made me laugh because I was just saying the other day about how parents get upset about this exact "issue". I teach dance and sometimes those two ages get grouped together. For things like free play and recess, this really shouldn't be an issue at all. Like the PP said - more kids to interact with. It's really not that drastic of an age difference when it comes to playing and physical/large motor stuff.

flyingsaucer · September 2011

Mixed age groups can be great, kids learn from each other and learn to take care of each other. Lots of good programs group kids from 3-5 together all day

capulet · September 2011

DD started preschool about a month before she turned three. She went to two different schools two days a week each - one was mixed age and one had separate classes for 3s and 4s different days of the week, but a lot of the 4s went to both classes so they could be in preschool all week, so that was essentially a mixed-age class too. She was the youngest at both schools (not to mention the smallest, because she's small for her age anyway), but she did just fine. I think she grew socially and academically as a result of being with the older kids, and some of her best friends from preschool are starting kindergarten this year.

We are moving from NY to UT in January and the school cutoff there is earlier (Sept. 1 instead of Dec. 1 - her birthday's in October), so I am looking for a Montessori preschool or other mixed-age school because I want that diversity in ages. If she goes into a preschool where kids are separated by age, she'll be treated as a three-year-old when she's been in preschool for a long time and is ready to be challenged more.

Also, for most of my preschool and elementary school years, I was in mixed-age classrooms (had the same preschool teacher two years, went to Montessori in kindergarten and first grade, was in mixed-grade gifted classes in grades 2-6). So it just seems totally normal to me.

So obviously I am in favor of mixing ages! I think it's great, especially for younger kids.

TinyPinkBug · September 2011

Ty's school mixes 3 and 4 yr olds. The 4 yr olds do have higher expectations than the 3 yr olds. I am not exactly sure why they chose to have mixed classes rather than separated, but I assumed they have some reasons for why the mix is more ideal. It certainly isn't an issue of space or staff, they have 12 half day classes and 6 full day in the school for just 3 and 4 yr olds. The school is also stacked with teachers, therapists, child psychologists, and specialists in just about every area of child developement. So I would think that the mixed ages was done for a specific reason.

TinyPinkBug · September 2011

Oh, and I wanted to add, Don't talk to H about how N is going to preschool and what she will be doing, etc. Instead focus on talk about what you are H are going to do during that time. And do something fun with her. Take her to a playground, library story time, maybe a music class or something. I also let B bring her own backpack into school like Ty does. I let her take it off with Ty and then linger for a minute or two, have her then say good bye to Ty, go get her backpack and leave. I don't know how that could work out for you, but it makes B feel like she is being a big kid too.

FortMyersBride · September 2011

I understand the p/u and d/o concern, but I would wait a bit to see how it plays out.

As far as the mixed ages issue, my DS attends Montessori with a 20 kid class ages 3-6 (he technically isn't 3 yet, so he's the youngest by at least 6 months). I see it as a huge positive that he's mingling with older kids and learning from them. I've often seen one of the 5 or 6 year olds showing him how to do a project when I pick him up, and it's pretty darn cute

jen5-03 · September 2011

I never thought of daycares/pre-schools having the kids play outside seperately. Seems like that would mean less outside time for everyone. Ours is both a daycare and a preschool - the 2yo, 3yo and 4yo rooms all play together outside (they move up each fall, Sept 1 cutoff date, stay with the same kids each year). Only the under 2s are in a seperate playground or seperate time.

E is a quiet kid and often very shy. Having the wider group to play with is good because she can find more kids like her.

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