When did you enroll your kids in preschool?

MommyKayla11 · December 2012

DS is 17 months and will be 2 by next September. Our DCP offers a preschool program for kids 2+. Do you think this would be a good idea for a 2 year old? When did your LO start preschool? Anything would be helpful, thanks!

smerka · December 2012

My older son started right after his third birthday in September. But he's at the school district preschool as the next step after EI for a speech delay. Because of the kindergarten cutoff, he will be in preschool for three years, which I think is kind of crazy, but probably necessary because of his delay. Two seems early for preschool.

LaCally4 · December 2012

DS is turning 3 next week and he started pre-school in September. He goes 2 mornings a week and loves it. He will most likely be in pre-K for two more years because of his late birthday. Next year he will do 3 days and then the following year he will go every day. I like that he gets the mornings to socialize (I'm a SAHM) and it gives me some rare one-on-one time with DD2.

IncognitoSuperhero · December 2012

The one we plan to send DS to is a preschool/ daycare. They have an infant room and a room for all ages 1 thru 5. They operate their 1 year old and older rooms like preschool not daycare, it's not just babysitting but planned and organized activities, learning, etc. so we plan to send DS when he is 1 next fall for a few days a week. Mostly so he can be with other kids his age, and have interactive time with other people than me and DH.

gimmietimmies · December 2012

L, t, and e did the year before kindergarten (age 4). L did it at age three as well, because it was offered, but we also lived in a city with services like that. There aren't preschools here that enroll prior to age three. I don't know if I would have spent the money on top of daycare for preschool for a two year old, I might have if I were a SAHM.

RondackHiker · December 2012

We moved DS from a daycare where he was in a preschool to a different center. They're not considered a preschool. But he does letters and activities and circle time and arts and crafts. He learns more at the new one with less pressure on him.

Find out the difference between the preschool classroom and the other classroom. As long as your kid learns and is happy, either one is fine.

MommyKayla11 · December 2012

We're thinking of doing a cooperative preschool, which is almost 6k less than other preschools around us. It would be four days a week and my mom would watch DS on Mondays.

littlemermaid · December 2012

I'm a sahm so my kids went when they were 3 and it was not part of a daycare. It was located in the elementary school that they would be eventually attending.

kcisthebombdotcom · December 2012

In my humble, fairly uneducated opinion, that is a waste of your money. I think you're getting the same benefits from a daycare vs a preschool when you're talking of very young children. At that young an age, they're learning by just being around other kids.

I think the main benefit of preschool isn't the learning involved, but the listening to other adults besides parents/learning the rules of a classroom/socialization without mom right there. I think daycare kids gain those skills without needing formal preschool. I think it's really only a necessity for a child who was with a SAH parent to get used to that routine.

I mean, if you were at a daycare where they park the kids in front of the TV all day long--yeah the preschool is a better option. Otherwise, stick with the daycare and worry about doing a structured preschool regime when he's actually closer to school age assuming he's learning, growing and thriving in his current environment.

catycate · December 2012

I stay at home, so DS will start at 2 1/2, due to his birthday, next September. It will be 3 mornings a week, 4 hours a day. I'd look at the diiferences of classroom and decide which is a better fit for your DS (i.e. is the preschool class more structured? How so? Will your DS thrive with more structure or less?)

klondikebar · December 2012

Only one of my children attended preschool. He started when he just turned 4.

CoffeeBeen · December 2012

cmeon_the_water:
I'm a SAHM, so we didn't start until 3yoish. My son has a July birthday, so he started in the fall at 3y,2m- my daughter has an October birthday, so she'll start in January, so 3y,3m. I'm not sure what a 2yo will get out of a preschool program that they wouldn't be getting out of a good qualified daycare program, anyway, though- so, if it's more $$$ and I wasn't convinced they were offering something awesome that should be above and beyond what they do during their daycare hours, I'd pass.

I often feel that way, too. DS' "daycare" functions equivalently to a "preschool." It's at a center so they don't start calling it a preschool until the next room up, but they have the same schedule, same games, the toddler group even has playtime with the preschool kids. OP, I'd pay much more attention to the curriculum than what they call it.

andyyougoonie · December 2012

DD started preschool in August, the same month she turned 2. It's only 2 mornings a week for about 4 hours/day. She has never been in daycare or anything like that around lots of other kids so it has done a world of good for her social skills. She has learned a few bad habits, but that's to be expected. She loves school and going to see her friends and teachers.

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