Preschool

[Vishenka69]

How do you differentiate between "preschool" and "day care"? DD currently goes to day care for two mornings a week for socialization and various activities (music, art, etc.). I'm planning on increasing that to three mornings in the summer. While kids don't yet play together at that age, it helps to see what others are doing. She became a lot more interested in the sippy cup after watching all the other kids use one. Plus they don't mind the mess, so let them use a spoon on their own and do various painting projects. I'd rather she practice there, so there's less clean up for me.

[ides]

I was under the impression that preschool was for a short period per day & highly structured. Where daycare has activities and can be from a short to long period of time and its not specifically structured.

[SuzySunshine]

Not all preschools are highly structured and I guess when I say socialization I don't mean necessarily playing with the other kids because as someone said they do more parallel at that age - but getting out and being out with other kids without me and her little brother.

The preschool that A goes to here has some structure but is definitely not at the extreme end, the preschool we are putting her in next year has even less.

I would have loved to have her in pre-school a few mornings a week this past fall, at almost-3-years-old, but we're still broke and instead did a one-day-a-week class that's low-cost through the state of MN. (Wish we had that in IL! Another big wet kiss from me to MN right there.)

Julie, we are very spoiled with this in MN, I've looked and looked and can't find anything similar in OR which I think makes it hard to get younger kids out, like R who isn't old enough for preschool. I will be sending him to a "day school" for one day a week starting in September and he'll be 20 months old. Its really just a daycare I'm sure but I think it will be good for him and it will give me a free 9-1 stretch once/week where they are both in school.

[moonlight]

I'll give a little info on the school. It's a church based pre school. It's only open 9am to noon M-F. MDO is offered and it goes all the way up to Pre K classes. The pre school program at this school has been there for a little over 50 years. The teachers have college degrees and the director has a masters in Education. For the Leapers class (1 yr olds, that have not turned 2 by Sept 1st) is Tues and Thurs 9am to 12. The cost is $90 per month and there are only 10 spots open for the fall and it fills up fast. Ten kids, and two teachers in this classroom. At this point I couldn't afford it, but I should be working by the time the class starts in the fall.

I'm getting all this flack (from family) about GERMS and she's going to get SO SICK. I just feel like she needs some out-of-the-house time. I have a friend here in town that sends her son there and they love it. When I took the tour I got a good vibe from the place and it just reminded me of the little pre school I went to from 3yrs old through Kindergarten. I haven't priced daycares or pre schools in a long long time. $90 per month for part time is a good price, right?

[SuzySunshine]

I pay $119/month for A to go two mornings/week for 9 - 11:30 so I would say $90 is good. Kids are going to get sick when they get exposed to other kids, but it also helps raise their immunity in my opinion. Kids that are sheltered from other kids for that reason when they are younger are sicker when their older IMO. If you want to send her, send her - unless your family is being asked to pay for it its none of their business.

[GrayMatterWife]

I'm getting all this flack (from family) about GERMS and she's going to get SO SICK.

Ignore this. My kids are--far and away--the healthiest kids I know. They rarely miss school. DS has missed only two days this year: once for pink eye (which he didn't get at school and no one else in the class got, either) and once as part of a three-day vacation he took with his dad. The girls miss every so often, but definitely are less sick than most other kids I know their ages--including only-at-home kids. Maybe my kids are just hearty, but I don't think that daycare has made my kids any more or less prone to getting sick.

Besides that: kids get germs. At school, at church, at Target, everywhere...

[MrsK]

I'm in the same camp as GMW and Chrystal. BabyK has been going to day care since he was 12 weeks old. He has friends, structured activities including music, crafts, storytime, recess, etc. He knows how to sit in a circle and be patient at snacktime, follow instructions, pick up toys, and the like. He was even singing a song with hand gestured the other day. As for germs, he's been more sick since I started sending him part-time and taking him to various playgroups the other days - he's exposed to even more kisd at the library, park, and various homes than he was when he was in day care with the same 10 kids every day.

[GrayMatterWife]

... knows how to sit in a circle and be patient at snacktime, follow instructions, pick up toys...

I just wish I could get those skills to translate fluently at home. How do they get the kids to DO THAT?? I have learned to co-opt some of the school's phrases and signals--and it works! I started singing the "clean up clean up" stupid jingle that they do at school, and suddenly, DS and DD#1 started cleaning up and were completely focused on it! I was in shock: dude, it WORKS!!

[ladymoreta]

I agree about the germs - I think it's good for them! (For the most part, and assuming everyone is immunized against the nasty stuff...)

[HouseofWool]

I just wish I could get those skills to translate fluently at home. How do they get the kids to DO THAT?? I have learned to co-opt some of the school's phrases and signals--and it works! I started singing the "clean up clean up" stupid jingle that they do at school, and suddenly, DS and DD#1 started cleaning up and were completely focused on it! I was in shock: dude, it WORKS!!

Clean up, clean up, everyone do their share... I hate the freakin' tune, but it really works. If I tell S to pick up her books she refuses. If I tell her to clean up, they are much more likely to get put away.

[MrsK]

I just wish I could get those skills to translate fluently at home. How do they get the kids to DO THAT?? I have learned to co-opt some of the school's phrases and signals--and it works! I started singing the "clean up clean up" stupid jingle that they do at school, and suddenly, DS and DD#1 started cleaning up and were completely focused on it! I was in shock: dude, it WORKS!!

That's the crazy thing. He DOES bring the skills home. DrK and I sometimes have to ask his teachers to tell us the rules of games that he attempts to initiate with us. However, it does amaze me that he'll eat his veggies at school -- I think it's the peer pressure. He does what the other kids do. The most amazing thing is that they can get 10 toddlers to nap all at the same time.

[Auspicious]

It sounds good to me, Moonlight. Especially that you got a good vibe on your visit and that you have a first-hand recommendation from a friend.

I don't put much stock in the germs thing, either. As others have pointed out, if you're not taking them to a school setting you're taking them out somewhere else that they're around other kids anyway. Once they're beyond the newborn stage, I think every cold they have now is one they don't have to have later.

[scrub-jay]

I pay $119/month for A to go two mornings/week for 9 - 11:30 so I would say $90 is good. Kids are going to get sick when they get exposed to other kids, but it also helps raise their immunity in my opinion. Kids that are sheltered from other kids for that reason when they are younger are sicker when their older IMO. If you want to send her, send her - unless your family is being asked to pay for it its none of their business.

This isn't just your opinion, it is backed by several peer reviewed scientific journal articles. ML- please let me know if you want the references.

I'm thinking about preschool a lot these days too. Jack is 3. We are thinking about sending him in the fall because we are moving to a new city and will lose the friends and activities that we spend most of our time with here. He is such a social kid and is just getting into playing WITH his friends rather than around them. But it kills me how expensive the private preschools are - we are looking at $300-$350/mo for just two mornings a week!!! It's so hard not knowing anyone there to get information about the church preschools too. I know here which ones really focus on the religious education (no offense intended but not our style) and which ones are just preschools that happen to be on church property. And ditto with the co-ops - there are some great ones here but they are hard to find out about when you are out of town. Sigh.

Anyway, in your case Moonlight I would definitely say try it! Or get on that list anyway while you think about it more!

[alison]

I'll be the dissenting voice here on colds. I pulled dd from class today, because another child was sick--lethargic, head red as a strawberry, fussy, sneezing.

Don't bring your kids to activities/school thinking every other parent is ok with their child bringing home every bug on the planet if they can possibly help it.

Your child doesn't need to be in a playgroup, Gymboree class just because YOU need to get out of the house.

I realize that people have to work and can't always be home with a sick child, but I'm talking classes and fun where parents are present.

Arghhhhhhhh!