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Infants, Toddlers, & Preschoolers
How far would you be willing to travel for your toddler's preschool?
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Anonymous
| We are trying to decide between preschools for our 3 yo DD. She will be going 2-3x per week and 3-4x next year when she is 4.. The preschool we like is about 20-25 minutes away. The others are much closer, about 10 minutes or so. Would you choose the closer preschool for the convenience factor or is 20-25 minutes not too far to drive? Thanks!! |
Anonymous
| I know people who drove that far or farther to get a preschool they really liked. For us, we decided "good enough is good enough" but it wasn't just a matter of 10 minutes each way a day, it meant totally screwing with our commute (likely giving up a metro commute, adding 20+ minutes, etc.) and we decided that overall the family would be much better off with the good preschool that worked for us. |
Anonymous
| Depends on how much you like the school. We drive 20-25 minutes each way. DD is there for 4 hours, 3x a week. I have a PT job nearby, so it works well. If it were totally out of the way from where I or DH worked, I'd probably pass. A commute for a few hours a day gets really old, really fast. Not to mention stressful if you're trying to get to/from work on time. |
Anonymous
| I have one child in one that is 20 minutes away and the other one in a preschool right next to my house - I will use this year to see which one I like better and put them both in the same one next year. (the one that is 20 min away has a program that the other one does not for my 2 yo) so it was a great opportunity to test it out. The 3 yo is way more adaptable and is in school more than days than the other one. |
Anonymous
| We did that for a year and regretted it. Much happier being closer to home. It's not just the commute. It's also playdates and building a community. |
Anonymous
That's a really good point. It would be great if your child meets other kids who will be in his/her school. |
Anonymous
| We drive 25-30 and it is so worth it. Our daughter's school blows away the closer options. This is her second year and we'll send her sibling next year. |
Anonymous
We're in the same situation, although the poster who mentioned the playdates and community has an excellent point. Also, when it comes time to head to school, if you're going public, it might be the case that none of her friends will continue on to her school. It's not the end of the world, but just something to think about. |
Anonymous
| Pre School is 2-3 years at the most. If you go 20-25 minutes away, most of their friends and yours will be in a different school and you will be starting over in K. Having been though this twice, a good pre school is good enough. It really does not make that much of a difference. If they are happy and the environment is clean and safe, go for the close one. |
Anonymous
Not just this but they will want to have playdates with classmates that they like playing with at school. With a school that far away they could easily be 40 min or more each way. Playdates start being dropoff, that's a LOT of time in the car. I think this is more an issue with part time programs. If it was all day 5 days per week on on your commute route that would change my opinion some. But there are also birthday parties, which also start being drop off. Sucks if they are 45 min each way. With proximity, it is likely that the parents of some of the kids' playmates can become your friends/family friends. I think that relationships depend a lot on convenience. It's that type of community that PP was referring to that you may be forfeiting by focusing too closely on a given program. Good enough and close can mean a new community around the whole family. |
Anonymous
same for us playdates aren't bad because traffic is a lot lighter. and we know neighborhood kids through a playgroup (if we do decide to go public) |
Anonymous
| For me, 15 minutes in one direction is max. My child now attends a special needs preschool and there is one family that drives from Gaithersburg to Silver Spring to come to it. If I were in her position, I would might do the same, but for me the drive is 5 minutes to the same school. She cannot go home between the start and end of school as school is only 2.5 hours. So for her is a real commitment of time and energy, but she does have 2 children in the same class. |
Anonymous
| 15 max |