Start DS in Montessori at 4 or wait until K?

[snomnky]

Ds is in a great private school right now for 3yr old preschool. He does well and goes 2 mornings a week. We have been accepted into the preschool program at our local community Montessori that will be be opening next year. We also got a spot in the school for his kindergarten year (YEAH!!) We WILL be sending him for kindergarten but we are torn about preschool.

Our main concern is if he stays at the school he is at now he will have a harder time adjusting in kindergarten. Another concern is that the Montessori program is 5 mornings a week while his private school in 3 mornings a week. Although I think he can easily handle 5 mornings, I worry about what if he can't, what if it is too much and he gets burnt out?

The other factor is the cost, Montessori will be 1,350 more for the year, the total cost will be a stretch for us. If he stays at his current school he will have the same teacher and potentially the same students in a small class (8-10)

Do people have success doing a more traditional preschool before committing to Montessori for kindergarten on up?

Any input would be helpful, we have to make a decision by the end of next week, yikes!

[teenygreenies.org]

I would highly recommend getting your DS into the Montessori school as early as is feasible. It takes children some time to get used to the Montessori environment and learn how to work in it so if you wait until K, then he may spend the first half of his K year kind of "wasted" in just getting used to the environment. If you start him now then he will be normalized by then and can get right to work in his K year.

[chekhovgirl]

That sounds kind of strange that you had to gain admittance for the "kindergarten" year as well as next year. Did you ask them for availability for both years depending on your decision? Is that why? Is the kindergarten class separate? If so, it doesn't really sound very Montessori to me because usually the first program for a Montessori school to have is a "preschool" program that goes through the kindergarten age.

The ideal is that the child is there to complete the whole program from 3-6 years of age. Some schools don't even take kids that would be entering in their third year (age-wise) and none of them in my area refer to it as "kindergarten"- it's just the third year of the cycle, so we call them "third year students".

I would put him in the Montessori school next year if you're going to go there anyway.

[snomnky]

Originally Posted by chekhovgirl

That sounds kind of strange that you had to gain admittance for the "kindergarten" year as well as next year. Did you ask them for availability for both years depending on your decision? Is that why? Is the kindergarten class separate? If so, it doesn't really sound very Montessori to me because usually the first program for a Montessori school to have is a "preschool" program that goes through the kindergarten age.

The ideal is that the child is there to complete the whole program from 3-6 years of age. Some schools don't even take kids that would be entering in their third year (age-wise) and none of them in my area refer to it as "kindergarten"- it's just the third year of the cycle, so we call them "third year students".

I would put him in the Montessori school next year if you're going to go there anyway.

The school is a charter school, so public, it has to follow the same admittance policies as other charter schools. Because it is public, the preschool is first come first serve and operates as a private school in that you have to pay for it. The kindergarten operates as a lottery as do all the other grades.

[bobandjess99]

you really should send him rigth away. "kindergarten" isn't just a year in Montessori..it is the culmionation of 3 years in the EC room...you can notpossibly do all the stuff in just 1 year, plus, part of the whole point of being the oldest in teh classroom is to show your mastery of the stuff, and to help model for and teach teh younger kids...if you wait until K to send the kid, the classroom loses out in 2 ways..first, your son misses the entire M experience.....think of it as missing the first 2/3 of a course, and then jumping in for the last 1/3...anyone is bound to be disoriented, and struggling to catch up. then, the class loses out..since instead of a bunch of experienced, already-completed-2-years kids, they have a bunch of rookie kids supposedly leading the class. all in all,it makes for a really non-Montessori environment.

[snomnky]

I appreciate everyone's input, but I don't think I have been too clear about the school.

The school hasn't even opened yet, it will be opening next May, my son would be the first year of students in the school, most of whom have not been in a Montessori before.

I wouldn't buy a first year car model, should I really send my son to a first year school? The other thing that I have just thought of is that we have no way of meeting his teacher, there is not teacher yet, and I am not sure if I am comfortable sending him to be taught by someone I have not met and he has not met. He is very easy to love but has a strong personality, I can tell right away when he meets someone if it is going to work or not.

So, as much as I would like to start him right away, I just don't know if it is an ideal situation for right now.

[BCFD]

Originally Posted by bobandjess99

you really should send him rigth away. "kindergarten" isn't just a year in Montessori..it is the culmionation of 3 years in the EC room...you can notpossibly do all the stuff in just 1 year, plus, part of the whole point of being the oldest in teh classroom is to show your mastery of the stuff, and to help model for and teach teh younger kids...if you wait until K to send the kid, the classroom loses out in 2 ways..first, your son misses the entire M experience.....think of it as missing the first 2/3 of a course, and then jumping in for the last 1/3...anyone is bound to be disoriented, and struggling to catch up. then, the class loses out..since instead of a bunch of experienced, already-completed-2-years kids, they have a bunch of rookie kids supposedly leading the class. all in all,it makes for a really non-Montessori environment.

:

I agree with everybody else and think you should get him in Montessori now. I was going to ask you if it was a charter school. A BIG congrats on getting in!! I'm currently holding my breath praying to the universe that my dd get accepted into one of our local M charter campuses in the fall. : My dd started out at 1 half day per week at her current Montessori school when she was 3, quickly moved to 3 half days a week and it still wasn't enough for her. She missed so many lessons and the consistency was awful. Of course, in my heart it was killing me to send my first born ANYWHERE without her Mommy. She had never been away from me unless DP was with her. Finally, she moved to 5 half days per week and it has worked wonders for her. She is currently in her 2nd year of Children's House. I highly recommend 5 days over 3, too.

[bobandjess99]

ah,okay.
actually, that is the EXACT situation I was in this current year with DD!
Our local public district started a magnet montessori school. Brand new program, brand new teachers, brand new materials, everything. The teachers were public school trained over last summer, had never taught M before. The students were ALL new to M (excepot maybe a couple i guess whose parents had been paying for the private M school?..not many if any though..).
I was very concerned as well.
However, the school did do a lot to help educate and inform parents, and the director was open to many long talks with those of use who were concerned, lol. And in the ned, there have been a couple things that have changed or eveolved through the year..for example, now, in order to prevent the whole "newbie" 5 year old "K" students, if you go to the school as a 3 or 4, you MUST go there as a K(well, or be pulled out of the system entirely, of course). so the K class will be full of mostly exprienced students. Also, kids who went to toddler m woudl be potty trained before getting to the 3-6 class..many of the entering 's with no M background were not (including my dd) the directress thought this would be no big deal..it turned out to be a slightly bigger deal, lol, and for next year, they have adopted a "you may only apply if your kid is Pt'ed" policy.
the teachers..some are clearly cut out for M..some not. Sadly, my dd's classroom aide left midyear...so dd had to adjust to a new teacher already.
so..I do undersatand about the "new car model" thing..and yes, there will certianly be some kinks.....but in general, it's probably best to go.

In your particular situation....you probably should send him now. Even if there is no teacher yet, there will be at some point..is it just one class? Perhaps you could explein to the director/whoever is in charge about your childs personality, and say that once teachers are hired, you would need to meet in order to determine classroom placement. See what they say...

Secondly..everything I said still stands..even if the rest of the kids are new, that is only 1 "strike"...he would still benefit from starting asap, and yes, i think the transition woudl be hard.....a class of 8-10, to a class of what? 25? Plus a whole new way of doing stuff, of "being" in the class? Completely different expectations, routines, etc.

I'd try to get more info from whomever is currently in charge in orderto make your decision.

Originally Posted by snomnky

I appreciate everyone's input, but I don't think I have been too clear about the school.

The school hasn't even opened yet, it will be opening next May, my son would be the first year of students in the school, most of whom have not been in a Montessori before.

I wouldn't buy a first year car model, should I really send my son to a first year school? The other thing that I have just thought of is that we have no way of meeting his teacher, there is not teacher yet, and I am not sure if I am comfortable sending him to be taught by someone I have not met and he has not met. He is very easy to love but has a strong personality, I can tell right away when he meets someone if it is going to work or not.

So, as much as I would like to start him right away, I just don't know if it is an ideal situation for right now.

[MattBronsil]

I don't know what I would do. It would be a hard choice to send my child somewhere I do not know yet, but is likely to be good. Is there a way you could bring these issues up with the director and/or board of directors?

[chekhovgirl]

Originally Posted by snomnky

The school is a charter school, so public, it has to follow the same admittance policies as other charter schools. Because it is public, the preschool is first come first serve and operates as a private school in that you have to pay for it. The kindergarten operates as a lottery as do all the other grades.

Okay, but you don't have to re-apply every year, do you? Or does it not go past kindergarten age?

[snomnky]

we decided not to send him next year. He still has his spot for kindergarten and if we like it he will stay as long as we are in the area.

Unfortunately the decision had to come down to the cost, we couldn't justify the extra 1,350.