Preparing for Playdates: Franklin, NCRC and Little Folks

[Anonymous]

Hi all,
we have upcoming playdates at Franklin, NCRC and Little folks and I'm wondering what to expect, how they differ, etc. My understanding is that NCRC and Franklin are true playdates where he's playing with others while being observed but Little Folks expressly said they'd not be evaluating him - so are they evaluating mom and dad to see how we play with others? Any thoughts from parents who have experience with these schools would be most welcome!

[Anonymous]

Worst of all, the playdates where they ask you to separate from your 2 year old. I'd love to hear stories about how to deal with this when your child still has a healthy dose of stranger anxiety.

[Anonymous]

At NCRC, one parent is permitted to stay in the room during the playdate. DH and I were really worried about the stranger anxiety so we made sure to do a dry run to the school with DS beforehand so that it wasn't a completely foreign environment. I also had DH go on the playdate since DS tends to cling more to me. Thankfully, DS did fine. They had him playing with other kids and toys and had a snack at the table.

[Anonymous]

I've been drilling my daughter daily on her ABCs, 123s, name and age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been drilling my daughter daily on her ABCs, 123s, name and age.

I'm assuming this is a joke, at least I really, really hope it is...

[Anonymous]

I've taught mine how to shake hands and introduce herself!

[Anonymous]

Do those playdates really make a difference? I heard it is who you know, NOT how your child behaves. And money $$$$ doesn't hurt either. ALTHOUGH I do think shaking hands and introducing yoursef is a step in the right direction

[Anonymous]

We just had a playdate at Franklin and it was lovely. Ms Randy, the director, is amazing and makes children at ease. I had no idea how my child will react but he loved every minute of it and didn't want to leave, and when we got home asked when he can go back. I think the only thing they are looking at is how well the child separates from the parent and interacts with the group, and they make it a a fun and stress-free experience. I have no idea how it is in other places.

[Anonymous]

A few years back, we did all a three. My memory may be rusty, but here's what I recall:

At Franklin, we were asked to separate from our child. The Director took her by the hand, and she made our little one really comfortable--despite our initial anxieties about such separation.

At NCRC, my husband stayed and watched the playdate. A small group of kids, semi-jittery parents watching, school folks watching and evaluating. Per my husband, they were kind, but it felt a bit corporate. The facilities are impressive.

At, Little Folks, you watch your child play around the classroom for a bit, you can watch the class, and the teacher and/or director chats with you briefly. A more homey feeling, the classrooms are in an old Georgetown townhouse and it's bright and full of energy. You get a feeling for the school, but they are not assessing your child.

[Anonymous]

"I think the only thing they are looking at is how well the child separates from the parent and interacts with the group"

Isn't this part of what a good school should be helping a child learn? I find it horrifying that preschools are basically evaluating 2 and 3 year olds to see if they are acceptable. ugh!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"I think the only thing they are looking at is how well the child separates from the parent and interacts with the group"

Isn't this part of what a good school should be helping a child learn? I find it horrifying that preschools are basically evaluating 2 and 3 year olds to see if they are acceptable. ugh!

They aren't evaluating the children, honey. They are evaluating you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"I think the only thing they are looking at is how well the child separates from the parent and interacts with the group"

Isn't this part of what a good school should be helping a child learn? I find it horrifying that preschools are basically evaluating 2 and 3 year olds to see if they are acceptable. ugh!

My now 6 year old refused to separate from me at the Franklin playdate. They ended up letting me reschedule and then come to the room with him. He was great when I was there and was accepted. I think it's a developmental thing....six months later when he was 3 he would have been totally fine separating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"I think the only thing they are looking at is how well the child separates from the parent and interacts with the group"

Isn't this part of what a good school should be helping a child learn? I find it horrifying that preschools are basically evaluating 2 and 3 year olds to see if they are acceptable. ugh!

They aren't evaluating the children, honey. They are evaluating you.

Well. They are evaluating the children, too. How well they can follow basic directions, if they can sit still in a circle while someone reads them a book, whether or not they can separate from their parents, if they appear very aggressive, or if they might have sensory development issues, etc. etc.

[Anonymous]

I have done 2 NCRC interviews now. (I didn't interviews at other preschools not listed in your post.) Yes, they are evaluating your child. What's wrong with that? I didn't prep my kids. I just took them and said on the way we were going to play at a school. Both kids did fine. Your kids sense your own anxiety. Just relax and have fun with this process. It is preschool for heaven's sake!

[Anonymous]

I have news for all of you - they're evaluating your kid to determine what sort of temperament s/he has so they can put together a class that isn't all active children or all reserved children. They're trying to balance age, gender and temperament. Age and gender can easily be identified, you need to observe a child to determine their temperament.