Homework at preschool?!

[beru]

I work out of the home and sent my son to a daycare close by to work which I love. Now, he is 4 and started in the preschool classroom. His very first day he came home with homework. My DH thinks I am exagerating because it was just a craft project. However, the project had a very narrow focus with explicit directions and it would take at least 20 minutes. It was assigned Friday to be returned Monday. This weekedn was busy as it was his birthday party. I wanted to write thank you notes with him, explore his new toys with him, help him choose old toys to donate to goodwill, etc. I didn't even have time this weekend to do those things. We didn't have time to do this project until Sunday night and my son was too wound up for a structured activity right before bed. I got up early because I was thinking of getting him up to do it. Then I just stopped myself. What the f***! He is 4 years old. I am not waking him up early to do homework!

Maybe I would feel differently if they gave us a week to do it or if I was warned there would be "projects" on the weekends. Then I would know that I would need to plan times for these.

My instinct is that this is wrong. Am I overeacting?

[sofiabugmom]

No, you're not overreacting. Or maybe I'm just overreacting with you because when I saw the thread title I went all That's just plain nonsense. Especially to spring it on you on a Friday instead of giving some notice that your four-year-old child would even HAVE homework in the first place.

And I'm curious as to what are the consequences of not doing "homework" in preschool? Would your DS get a failing grade of some sort? Or be ostracized in front of his classmates? Either would lead me to pull my child out, but I don't know what your other options are so I don't want to make that suggestion to you.

Is this a daycare facility or a private preschool? I only ask because you mention daycare and preschool classroom in the same paragraph and I got a little confused.

[beru]

The center is a hybrid daycare/preschool. They take infants to (pre-K) 6 year olds. The younger kids don't have a "curriculum" and the older kids have a preschool curriculum. I didn't care about preschool when I found the center. My son can already read and do subtraction... I just wanted 1. a daycare near work 2. a place my infant could go too and 3. a good group for him to be able to socialize with other kids. Everything about the place is great as a daycare. And I think the other parents love it as a preschool. It's just not important to me for my son to get a "head start" in school.

As for consequences, I beleive what would happen without the assignment done is that my son would have difficulty participating in the day's lesson. There are no grades, no "demerits" or anything...

When I pick him up tonight, I will ask some questions:
Should I expect a project every weekend, a few times a week, etc?

If we will be getting assignments only intermittently, can we have a week for a "due date"?

[sofiabugmom]

It does sound like a good fit for your family, I'd certainly try to make it work with the teacher instead of looking for another facility. And I think those are very valid questions. I wonder if the other parents had issues with homework for a preschooler ...

And it also sounds like your son has already had a good head start at home, mama!

[GooeyRN]

I dont feel it is fair to give a weekend project to such a young kid. Families like to do things together on weekends, and catch up on life, not worry about school projects. He is only 4. sheesh. Let the boy be free of responsibilities for a couple more years.

[mojumi]

I always found it slightly annoying to have 'projects' to be completed at home assigned to my pre-K ds and dd, but at their school it was optional & we had a week to work on any project. If you did it, the project was displayed on a separate board, and if you didn't, no big deal. (Of course, peer pressure at work, dd and ds love to have their special work displayed.) Most of the projects were really simple, things we'd might do together anyway (read a book, draw a picture of a character in it, etc). Mostly it bugged me because I felt like *I* was getting *parenting* homework and I really didn't feel like I needed it, lol. Anyway, rambling long answer, we're used to seeing 'homework' assignments from pre-K, but also used to it being *optional* and really really easy & short.

[kofduke]

DS had "homework" last year in preschool, usually to work on writing the letter of the week or practice reading his sight words. It usually took 10 minutes. I was freaked out by it at first, but he LOVED it -- he liked sitting down with us and showing us what he could do, what he was working on at school, etc. So I just went with it.

[quaz]

For my oldest...she had optional homework.
We never did it. Not once. It was done more at the request of the parents...something once a week.

DD2... she also has optional. She is over-the-top excited about the idea.
Last night she had to come up with items that started with a letter. She drew pictures, and wrote what each picture was. Reminds me.. it is still in her bag.

Consequence?
None. It's pre-school. If my kids choose not to do it, then they don't.
Tammy