Did your 3 year old want to start preschool?
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Anonymous
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My kid loved nursery and pre-school and so did i. Nursery was 3 days a week for 3 hours in morning.
Preschool was M-F for 6 hours including an hour rest / nap. The school was 2 blocks away in a big old church with spacious exterior grounds. The kids knew they were close to home so I think that also made a difference. I have seen suburban pre / nursery schools and daycares. Those were very drive-thru in feeling as well as reminded me of community healthdaycare. The big old church had a lot of character. |
Anonymous
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I have one kid who would rather stay in the house with me than do almost ANYTHING. But once she's out she's happy as a clam. PreK3 was hard with a lot of encouragement from me to get going each morning, but by PreK4 she was getting up on her own and ready to eat breakfast and get dressed and head off to school. I wouldn't consult DC bc it will give her the idea that you aren't sure about what is best/how the school will be. Giving an option to kids that age should look more like "Do you want to bring an apple or a yogurt for snack?" I agree with the PP who said frame it as "you get to go!"
I also agree with you that minimizing transitions is best. If you can get into the other school this year, just wait for that. |
Anonymous
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Nah. My kid has been in daycare since 15 months and he def didn’t care about going to 3k last week. He has an introverted personality, though, and hasn’t shown much interest in this kids in his class. He’s perfectly content in school, though, and he also does not get a choice on whether he goes. He didn’t cry or cling at drop off last week at all.
Personally, I think the longer you put it off the harder it will be. One consideration: I definitely would not want to start a kid in full time school as their first experience. Going from 0 to full time, 6 hours a day, 5 days a week is a rude awakening. If I were you I’d take the part-time option as a softer intro first, so they at least get used to the school routine. Then transition to full time later might go a lot smoother. |
Anonymous
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longer you wait, the harder it seems. even 2 days/week for half day early seems important. and then you can slowly ramp it up until they enter kindergarten or full time preschool.
we did it at 15 months. fulltime preschool (9-3:30) at the local church. great call. |
Anonymous
| 2 DCs all started preschool at 3 and loved it, one DC is the very shy type while another is the very outgoing kind, they enjoyed learning, exploring and playing with classmates. I think a good preschool makes a lot difference. |
Anonymous
| Preschool was a huge adjustment for both of my kids - they cried for weeks - but they ultimately loved it. The socialization, stimulation, play based learning and ultimately the beginnings of academics in prek are very good for them. |
Anonymous
| Mine was nervous initially - age 3 - just fear of something new. She ended up enjoying it immensely, made friends, learned letters, numbers, and phonics. Made K much easier. |
Anonymous
Mine did not want to go b/c they had no idea what it was at all. Once they got there, it was an adjustment but after a week or two, they loved it. It was also a program with shorter hours and it seemed like a good fit to start out. |
Anonymous
No 3 year old has any ideas about preschool. They are too young to grasp the concept. Of course your 3 year old wants what she's used to. At that age they tend to not like change. What they may show "liking" for is playing in the company of other children. My 2.5 year old just started preschool. I did not consult his opinion. The transition was fairly easy. A little crying the first week of drop offs but by the fourth day he was asking for "more school." |
Anonymous
I think you're referring to the English Village Early Learning Center in Bethesda MD. That place is wonderful, my child went there and loved it. |
Anonymous
Why do you have to say that you and spouse wfh? This just demonstrates that those who work from home are not working. |
Anonymous
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No my kid was like yours -- wanted to stay home and not excited about preschool. She got a reprieve because of Covid and started at 3.5 just three days a week. She did fine but it was a struggle every time. We thought switching to 5 days a week would be easier (thinking the inconsistencies of just three days a week kept her from getting comfortable. Nope. She still had serious separation anxiety until she was 4.5 even with two wonderfully kind and supportive preschool teachers and a terrific playbased curriculum.
She did eventually get over it and by K she was heading into school happily most days (some exceptions). But now at age 8 she's still a homebody. I do think at 3 it was a lot about not wanting to be away from us and being scared to get used to new people. But in retrospect I also think she's just someone who likes being home and also likes smaller groups of people and more quiet. She's a good student but is always happy to come home at the end of the school day. |
Anonymous
Yes, my 3 year old had no idea it was any kind of “school.” It was just another fun activity. |
Anonymous
DP but of course not. If you WFH with small kids the kids do see you at various points throughout the day though and it is comforting to them to have you in the house. We had a full time nanny but WFH meant I could eat lunch with my kids. Also as they outgrew naps they were allowed to come relax on the floor of my office with a book or quiet toy in the afternoons while I worked. It was really nice. But I was working all day which is why we had full time childcare. |
Anonymous
You were not working earnestly. |