HELP!!! I am losing my mind over the decision to do preschool or not. - Page 2

[mattemma04]

I sent my dd to preschool.Looking back I think it was a waste of money,exposed the entire family to multiple diseases,and resulted in no lasting friendships once we stopped going.We would have been better off with playgroups and playgrounds.

Best wishes whatever you decide.

[ILoveMyBabyBird]

I thought kindergarten was when kids were suppose to make friends, learn to socialize and get used to being away from mom, etc. etc, which i believe that's why it started out as half day? Don't quote me on that. That being said i know making these choices is tough. Ds has just turned 4 and i am freaking about whether or not he will homeschool. Heck i'm already looking at job postings, and I probably wouldn't be working until he's in first grade and that's if i still am not pregnant with #2 yet, lol! But the more i think about ds going to public school the more i am feeling like yes, that is what i feel will work for him, and the more i think about hsing, the more i think it may hold both ds and myself back in more ways than public school would. So look at it from that perspective, which do you think your dd would benefit the most from? staying home with mom for another year or sending her to preschool?

[Kirsten]

Originally Posted by D_McG

I would not send a child to K without some preschool. I wanted my son to learn to take direction from people other than me, learn the rhythm of a classroom, etc. it's made a huge difference to him. He really opened up and got more confidence. Most every teacher I know says you can tell the difference between those who went to preschool/daycare and those who did not and that the latter group is at a disadvantage.

I agree. I work at an elementary, and it is always a worry about the adjustment for the very rare child (we've had only one in four years) that comes in without any preschool experience.

When I was a kid (I'm 41 now), at least where I lived, preschool was just starting and totally optional. Kindergarten was the first year of school for me and many kids. But now 95% of the kids I know go to preschool (75% for two years - at ages 3 and 4, and the other 25% for one year at 4 years old). So kindergarten teachers expect that kids will already know how school works - that they will be comfortable with the concepts of lining up, sitting in circle, waiting your turn, working in small groups, following direction of the teacher, taking care of eating lunch/using the bathroom/putting on coats without adult help.

A couple people mentioned not being ready to send their child to school. But is it about an adult wishing for one more year of babying their child or is it about the child getting an experience that is 1) fun and 2) helpful as prep for kindergarten? I don't think a 4 year old needs to be in preschool every day necessarily, but I would do the two or three half day option.

What I didn't hear from the OP is why you aren't comfortable with her going to preschool. It is hard to give helpful "been there/done that" advice if we don't know why the worry is there in the first place.

[ssh]

My 4.5 year old DD loved preschool and is going again this year. We chose a co-op preschool so I was in the class twice a quarter. It is play based and I don't feel anything else is really appropriate at that age. My DD is very high energy and intense so she really learned a lot about listening, having self control, being able to sit still for group activities, being assertive without being aggressive, and following directions. We feel we found the perfect place for her to practice social and behavioral skills she'll need in school. As a co-op the price was less than other local preschools, actually $7.50 a day.

[SubliminalDarkness]

I think you made a good decision, OP

We don't "do" preschool. I have very social children, but I just feel preschool is unnecessary. I didn't go to preschool. My older son, who will be entering third grade this year, didn't go to preschool. My younger son is now 3 1/2, and he won't be attending preschool.

I feel like kids will spend enough time in school. Their time at home with their parents is so short, where their environment is controlled by us almost entirely, why take more away from that?

My older son did absolutely wonderfully when he entered kindergarten. He's always been academically very advanced, and socially he's fine as well. He's not had any behavior problems(aside from sometimes getting in trouble for talking when he shouldn't have, but almost all the kids get in trouble for that at one time or another).