any thoughts?

[Azik's mom]

This is a little long but I would appreciate thoughts anyone can offer. I am trying to decide on where to send my DS. He is 2.5. and will be three the end of September. My schedule is flexible so there is the option of continuing to have him home with me but he seems to be showing signs that he wants to interact with others and I could use a couple of hours to take care of getting my business off the ground.

I am looking for a program that's 2-3 hrs for two or three days a week. I would prefer a program that was multicultural (hard to find in this area), focussed on learning through play, and music. Above all I want my DS to feel welcomed and safe.


So here are the options Im considering

Option 1: A preschool nearby that would accept him into preschool although he will not be three by the time the school year starts. They say that he will have to spend 3 years instead of 2 (he will not be 5 by the cut off date for kindergarden).
Pros" The school is nearby, the school is popular with moms in the area,
Cons: Im not sure about keeping him for 3 years Im concerned that he will be bored.

Option 2: Preschool that's 15-20 from us. He will be class with 2 year olds.
Pros: begin with kids who are the same age (as far as the school calendar is concerned), being potty trained is not a pre-requisite (he is not yet fully potty trained), the director really paid individual attention to my son, (seemed as though she cared and really invited us to be part of the class). Some activities are multi aged e.g. circle time.
Cons: school is a little distance from us, multicultural component limited

Option 3: Bi lingual school (English and Spanish).
Pros: bilingual and focus on multicultural education (our family is one of the few African families in the area), intro to Spanish, multi aged class room, focus on arts and literature
Cons: 15-20 mins away, school is not well established, classes are 4 hrs/day (not sure if he is ready for this), when I visited some of the younger kids were sitting, not participating in activities (these kids seemed to be by themselves a lot).


Would appreciate your feedback.

Thanks!

[spottiew]

Ask the one that tells you 3 years what they will do for 3rd-year kids so that they won't be bored. FYI, my child is in Montessori for age 3-6 and is going into year 4- and not bored. But if they tell you that's their plan, then they should have specifics. I also think commute matters quite a bit- we commute way too far, and it affects us in a way that I wish it wouldn't.

Though to be honest, those ALL sound quite good!

Originally Posted by Azik's mom

This is a little long but I would appreciate thoughts anyone can offer. I am trying to decide on where to send my DS. He is 2.5. and will be three the end of September. My schedule is flexible so there is the option of continuing to have him home with me but he seems to be showing signs that he wants to interact with others and I could use a couple of hours to take care of getting my business off the ground.

I am looking for a program that's 2-3 hrs for two or three days a week. I would prefer a program that was multicultural (hard to find in this area), focussed on learning through play, and music. Above all I want my DS to feel welcomed and safe.


So here are the options Im considering

Option 1: A preschool nearby that would accept him into preschool although he will not be three by the time the school year starts. They say that he will have to spend 3 years instead of 2 (he will not be 5 by the cut off date for kindergarden).
Pros" The school is nearby, the school is popular with moms in the area,
Cons: Im not sure about keeping him for 3 years Im concerned that he will be bored.

Option 2: Preschool that's 15-20 from us. He will be class with 2 year olds.
Pros: begin with kids who are the same age (as far as the school calendar is concerned), being potty trained is not a pre-requisite (he is not yet fully potty trained), the director really paid individual attention to my son, (seemed as though she cared and really invited us to be part of the class). Some activities are multi aged e.g. circle time.
Cons: school is a little distance from us, multicultural component limited

Option 3: Bi lingual school (English and Spanish).
Pros: bilingual and focus on multicultural education (our family is one of the few African families in the area), intro to Spanish, multi aged class room, focus on arts and literature
Cons: 15-20 mins away, school is not well established, classes are 4 hrs/day (not sure if he is ready for this), when I visited some of the younger kids were sitting, not participating in activities (these kids seemed to be by themselves a lot).


Would appreciate your feedback.

Thanks!

[Azik's mom]

Thanks for your response. I spoke to the "3 year" school today and they said essentially what they would do is to design it so that in his first and 2nd year he will focus more on socialization and play and then in his last year it would be more pre K material. Seems as though they have a curriculum set up so that if you are not yet 3, then you would be with particular teachers so to make the experience meaningful and not boring. The older kids receive another curriculum and are with other teachers.

[kittykat2481]

Originally Posted by Azik's mom

Thanks for your response. I spoke to the "3 year" school today and they said essentially what they would do is to design it so that in his first and 2nd year he will focus more on socialization and play and then in his last year it would be more pre K material. Seems as though they have a curriculum set up so that if you are not yet 3, then you would be with particular teachers so to make the experience meaningful and not boring. The older kids receive another curriculum and are with other teachers.

Sounds like a good deal to me! DS is also in a M class, and has been the youngest child all year (and will be again next year bc he's moving up a class). I can tell you that he's learned so much from being around children just a little older than he is. And if the school has a plan for how to keep him engaged for 3 years, then it sounds great. For what it's worth, I've heard it said many times on here, and I try to remember it myself - plan for this year. You know what his/your needs are this year. Don't make plans based on what you think the situation will be in 2-4 years, since we don't have a crystal ball.

[sapphire_chan]

With option 3, did you mean to type that it was 15-20 miles away? With needing to use the time to work on your business, that could cause you to loose a significant amount of work time to driving. Unless your business happens to be the type where you could find a good internet connection near his preschool and work in your car or a cafe?

[Azik's mom]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

With option 3, did you mean to type that it was 15-20 miles away? With needing to use the time to work on your business, that could cause you to loose a significant amount of work time to driving. Unless your business happens to be the type where you could find a good internet connection near his preschool and work in your car or a cafe?

Yes it is 15-20 mins away. And actually my plan was to use that time as library time since I do a lot of writing and researching. There is a University there so lots of resources, so it will not be a wasted commute. I go there often as it is because they have a little more resources compared to where I am presently. Im actually hoping to move there in a year or so.

Thanks for the advice that does put things in perspective to think of his needs this year as opposed to years to come

[peaceful_mama]

I agree with picking a school based on his needs for THIS year. You could think you've got the future all planned, and then a teacher quits or the director changes or something and it ends up totally wrong anyway. And he's not likely to have the same teacher all 3 yrs, the only thing is with staying in the same school he would likely have at least a few of the same friends--though that changes too, people move etc.

so pick based on the best thing for your almost-3 right now. The rest will work itself out