School

[Thirteen]

DS will turn 3 this year, after we've relocated.
He's an introvert, and has never been to day care/preschool/an MDO program. I'd like to look into something in this realm, before #2 gets here, so he has a more established routine and there isn't a bunch of upheaval all at once.

I'm thinking about easing in, maybe 1-2 half days a week. Since we are "off-cycle", I'm not sure if I can even get him in, but I want to try.

1) What should I be looking for? (Credentialing, cleanliness, licensure, teaching)

2) What is a reasonable price for half day? Full day? (I'd like to keep it from wrecking our budget)

3) I'm using google, yelp, and a few other websites to see what's out there, but none of the options discuss times of enrollment, price, or class size. Is this just something I need to go and physically check out for each contender? I am not there yet, so finding a "good one" by group or word of mouth isn't available.


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[v-girl]

Make sure the teacher can draw.


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[scrub-jay]

Visit and trust your gut. My dd is in a Montessori and it is a great fit for her personality. Pricing is really variable depending on area and type of program/school. I cold-called many schools before moving just to get a feel.

[SuzySunshine]

R is 3 and goes 2 days a week, he goes full days but he could go half days. Tuition is ALL OVER the place! I pay $240/month for 2 full days a week, at the uber expensive private school you'd pay $800/month for 5 half days.

Look for something "play based" or "child led" the research has shown that kids that get into academics to early don't do well later in life.

State certification is important. NAEYC is a great youth educational organization if you're lucky enough to have a preschool around. I've often wondered if we should have looked at Montessori so look at all of your options.

[HouseofWool]

Find out if the teachers have a thing for glitter. I am still digging that shit out of my floors.

[GrayMatterWife]

Find out if the teachers have a thing for glitter. I am still digging that shit out of my floors.

Amen to that. Ask about their "MGC"=maximum glitter capacity.

Kidding. Sort of.

[GrayMatterWife]

We sent all our kids to day care centers on the hospital campus, associated With the university. We LOVE them. Honestly, my kids are better people for having attended. I homeschool DS now (age 9), but I could never have done the awesome job with his early childhood education experience that the center did. I second the recommendation that you look for play and sensory based. Parents who want their little time mastering Ancient Sanskrit by kindergartner raise screwed up kids. There is plenty of time for the hardcore academics later.

[Vishenka69]

Have DH ask around where other docs send their kids. That's how we found our daycare. And bring DS when you test visit.

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[Deebs]

Honestly, I could tell in most phone conversations with directors. I'd be careful with "play based" only because it's a BIG buzzword in early childhood education. I toured a preschool here that people love, love, love. It's "play based." There is no purposeful play. The kids might as well be thrown in a room with toys. The teachers were also very hands off because they were letting the kids figure it out for themselves. If that's what I am looking for, there are playgrounds, open gym, and other avenues for kids to just play.

DD#2 goes to a preschool that is a great fit for her and for us. It's also "play based" but has an educational focus. If the kids are playing with a cash register, the teacher might engage with them about what a cash register is, what goes in it, where do we buy things? do you go with your parents to the store? If it snows out, snow will be brought into the sensory table with food coloring to explore how primary colors mix together to make more, different colors. They read a story and there is a project they can do that goes with the story. There is also some direction given to the kids to encourage them to try new things. I don't want my daughter only playing dress up daily. I'm happy that her teachers encourage her to try a puzzle (or even do one with her), try out the kitchen, etc. As the kids get older, the setting does become more structured. No one leaves the school in the last month of preschool without being able to sit at circle time, write his/her name, etc. Those are all important skills to move on to Kindergarten.

I guess before calling, I would really think about what you're looking for. Is it a playgroup because you'll be going to a new area? A start to school? How involved do you want to be?

[SuzySunshine]

DD#2 goes to a preschool that is a great fit for her and for us. It's also "play based" but has an educational focus. If the kids are playing with a cash register, the teacher might engage with them about what a cash register is, what goes in it, where do we buy things? do you go with your parents to the store? If it snows out, snow will be brought into the sensory table with food coloring to explore how primary colors mix together to make more, different colors. They read a story and there is a project they can do that goes with the story. There is also some direction given to the kids to encourage them to try new things. I don't want my daughter only playing dress up daily. I'm happy that her teachers encourage her to try a puzzle (or even do one with her), try out the kitchen, etc. As the kids get older, the setting does become more structured. No one leaves the school in the last month of preschool without being able to sit at circle time, write his/her name, etc. Those are all important skills to move on to Kindergarten.

Yes, if there is no educational focus in the play - its not truly play based its childcare. This is very similar to the preschool our kids go to and we love it. I'm currently struggling with do I send R to the 4's class next year or the pre-K. I'm leaning toward the 4's because I want to give him one more year of play before he has to sit and learn.

[ides]

A couple thoughts:
I asked for recs on the city data website. It gave me a few good leads.

Speak to the director of the school. If they are also a teacher it's very valuable! Also there manerism can speak volumes of the school culture.

When you arrive visit the school with B.

Ask tough questions like how do they discipline the kids.

Montessori w/structure was the best choice for O.

Look for an independent school that is just a school not a daycare. The best pre-k's I found were only pre-k and half day.

Look for a school with teachers with masters of childhood education.

You might have to wait to enroll until next year. Often the best pre-k's are full without openings during the year.

When you get there ask every parent you meet where their kid attended.

[spotty_dog]

I guess I would say I stumbled into the right situation for us. I had a vague idea of what I wanted from preschool when DS went at 3, and it wasn't academics. A playgroup may have fit the bill, but ours had disbanded, and anyway one thing I wanted for him was a larger group of kids and a regular relationship with an adult who was not me.

In our area the choices boiled down to two. A religiously-flavored academically-focused Montessori for about $5000 per year, or a casual and loving cooperative where I could participate in the school day now and again for about $800 per year. (It's since gone up to about $1100 per year.) I picked the latter and don't regret it for an instant. We got socio-economic diversity, we got tapped in with the group of parents who want to be part of their child's education and develop as parents, we saved something like $15k between two kids, LOL!

I also don't regret choosing to do two years of preschool, because our playgroup was dissolving by the time DS turned 3 and anyway it only met once a week or so. He wasn't interacting freely with other kids as much as I wanted, so the two and then three afternoons a week (our program has moved to three days for all ages, which is "industry standard" for 3s) were a nice regular routine to have.

Good luck!

[ides]

We have done three years of pre-k. The first when he was three was half day, 2 days a week. At four he did four mornings a week. Now at five, since he's past the prek cut off and not can't start kinder, he does 4 half days a week. His prek has 3, 4, and 5 year old classes.

[ladymoreta]

Sorry, just catching up on this. I'd recommend at least 3 days a week, maybe 5. I have DS in 5-half-day and DD in 2-half-day, and DD took a lot longer to start loving preschool, I think, because it wasn't very routine. Once it becomes a predictable part of their schedule, they seem much happier with it. (Now she wants to stay when we drop of DS on her "off" days!)

The cost will depend on the type of program you choose. We did a different preschool last year, but that one was about $16 per hour. Ours this year is about $13 per hour, but we have to bring snacks for their whole class once per month, and we have to bring classroom supplies (such as kleenex, paper towels, etc.) We also have a *lot* more fundraisers at this school. In theory, we'd go out and sell the stuff to family and neighbors, but in reality, I've just been buying their suggested sales amount. This year has been much more expensive.

[moonlight]

Everyone has given you fab advice. Ask lots of questions, things you care about and beyond. See how they handle a involved mom. Go with your gut! If it seems off pull him out and move on. Ask if the moms ever get together for coffee or anything like that. Lastly, ask how they integrate music into the program. That was my go to test question. Should be easy to answer, but believe me you'll get all kinds of answers. It was a important thing for us.