Preschool/daycare at two?

momtotwo25 · August 2013

I have a two year old and a 1 month old. DH and I are debating sending the two year old to some sort of preschool / daycare setting for a couple days a week. We want to socialize DD1 and make sure she gets used to different authority figures, different kids, different settings, etc. I've always brought DD1 to various playdates, story times, etc but now with two, I'm not sure how easy it will be to keep all that up. Life is definitely busy now!

I was definitely planning on her starting preschool when she turned three, but I'm just unsure if I should start now when she is two. WDYT?

If you sent your LO to preschool / daycare, when did you start? How much time did they spend there? Full days or half days? How many times a week? Thanks ladies!

mandymack · August 2013

Welcome to the board!!

My oldest didn't start Preschool until 3.5yrs because she had to be potty-trained in order to attend. It was a rough road.

She went Mon, Wed, Fri from 9am-12pm. The following year, she attended a Co-Op and went Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri from 9am-12pm before going to Kindergarten.

Nolan can start at 2yrs9mos, which would be in March 2014 and would go Tues and Thurs AM from 9am-12pm without being potty-trained. I *may be* considering it. Once he's 3yrs9mos, he can go Mon, Wed. Fri from 9am-12pm. I think they have a full-time option but I'm not interested.

Andrewsgal · August 2013

I put DD in MDO at 18 months as a break for me. I was actually on bedrest at the time. I also love that it gave me one on one time with DS when I had him.

Angela814 · August 2013

We started DD2 in a 2 yo program through the YMCA last year. It was 2 days/week for 1.5 hours each day. Her older sister was in 1st grade, and she really wanted to go to school too. As a bonus, I was forced to workout since I was at the gym anyway. She'll be in the 3 yo program at the Y again this year - 2 days/week for 2 hours.

ChicagoBroad26 · August 2013

My oldest daughter will be three in December. She's starting a preschool program this fall. Its two days a week, 8:30-11 one day and 8:30-12 one day. I think it'll be great for her socialization and I'm looking forward to having some one on one time with my four month old.

notkateanymore · August 2013

DD started going to MDO at 6mo. At 2, she went two days a week for 4 hours a day. She loved it. At three, she was there 3 days a week, same hours and then at 4, she started M-F half-day 4k/PreK at the private school that she ultimately went to school at through 2nd grade. It worked great for us and I wouldn't change a thing.

AimeeL85 · August 2013

My DS is starting in about a week, he is a little over 2.5 years old. It will be 2 days per week, for 2.5 hours each day.

While I don't think it's necessary for him to have preschool this early (we do other activities with other kids also), I'm doing it because I think he will really enjoy it. It will be a change of pace - some different faces, different activities etc. I don't really think of it as school at this point, more like a playdate a couple days a week that I'm not required to supervise.

dairygirl19 · August 2013

Preschool at 2 in this area really isn't an option. All the PreK programs here are mainly public/parochial school run so they don't start until 3.

However, my 2 year old does go to daycare and she freakin' loves it. Best decision I ever made

She started going at about 1.5 when I went back to work and having her rotate between family was too hard. She goes to in an home daycare that just by chance happens to have other kids mainly her age.

She goes 2 mornings a week for four hours in the summer and 2 full days during the school year.

I love the interaction/socialization/rule following/learning it gave her. She loves the other kids and has a ton of fun. She's not sad when I leave, and she's not thrilled to go home. She asks about "Kids at Xs house" on days she isn't there..lol.

It's by no means a PreK though. It's a home daycare run by a lady in her mid50s who is the sweetest calming person I know. She loves what she does and the kids love her. It's a lot of free play with a bit of circle time and the occasional art project thrown in. Whatever. Doesn't bother me. She's 2. She loves it. She has fun. She has her whole life for actual school.

dgancz · August 2013

Mine started at two. She did three days a week from 9-11:30.

We did it since she was not used to social situations, was an only child and was uses to being only with me. We figured it would be good for hear tho learn to seperate.

She is now 4 and will be going five days a week from 9-2:30.

Socialworkgirl · August 2013

I have a 14 month old and we are trying to decide whether to start sending her at 2 years or 3 years. These responses are really helpful!

chardonnay24 · August 2013

We are starting preschool in 3 weeks - he'll be 2.5. It's only 1.5 hours, 2x/week, so it's really more like a MDO program. I'm mostly doing it to get a little break and because he has a speech delay and some trouble with social skills, so I'm hoping this will kind of help get him ready for pre-k, which will ideally be a full day, 5 day/week program (in 2 years).

bumpuser924057 · August 2013

We just started my two year old DS in "preschool" (really more like daycare at this age, but whatev, they call themselves a school). He goes two full days a week - technically I can send him from 7:45-6:00, but realistically I get him there at 8:45 or so and pick him up at 3ish. I really didn't want to go this route this early, but it became rapidly apparent that I couldn't handle two newborns and a toddler on my own all day every day. We're a month in, and the drop-off drama is still pretty intense. I'm hoping that gets better in the next couple weeks or we may have to revisit the whole thing.

karen_loy · August 2013

Hi, DS started pre-preschool last year in a Montessori Catholic school when he was 1y 10m old; it's a special class that only some schools offer when the kids have to be 2 by the end of the year, so he was the youngest one. He attended every week day from 8.30 to 1pm until december and then until 4pm from Jan. until the end of the year

We all loved it! He was in a class of 18 kids with 2 teachers and a Nun and learned lots of things (numbers, colors, shapes, songs...), became super social and just enjoyed it a lot while I had time to unwind the last months of my pregnancy and then take care of a newborn

He is pretty much counting the days until preschool starts (in 3 weeks), he'll have the same schedulle, Mon-Fri from 8.30am until 4pm

FWIW I know that things work differently here in Europe and that I'm probably seen as a heartless, awful mom for sending my not even 2 yr old to preschool full time, 5xweek, but that's just my (positive) experience

kcisthebombdotcom · August 2013

If your motivation to do preschool stems from wanting the social/educational experience, don't bother. there's a reason why preschool traditionally starts at three. That's the age kids move from playing side by side with peers to playing with peers and making friendships. There's not much of a social need at two. Barring any special needs kids will master the classrooom rules in just a year of preschool prior to kindie. With practice you can learn to take both kids to activities. I found story time at the library to be the easiest one to start with because it was a contained area and other moms were helpful.

If you want to do preschool/daycare to get some one on one time with your younger child and/or a break from your oldest that's a great reason and you should go for it.

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Preschool/daycare at two?

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