Sending a 2.5 year old to preschool this fall?

[Anonymous]

No way, not worth the risk. See if you can find another family or two with similar-aged kids who takes similar precautions as you, and "bubble up"/do regular playdates for socialization instead.

[Anonymous]

I would but my husband is an essential employee, can’t Really telework, and so we have a lot more exposure anyway. We haven’t looked into a “bubble” assuming no one would want to bubble with us. Not sure if we were both full time telecommuters not going anywhere if our answer would be different.

[Anonymous]

No. I am not.

Before becoming a mom, I was a preschool director (I have my masters in ECD). Preschool and socialization in our socio-economic group are totally and completely unnecessary. Little kid classes are fun, nice and cute but no child with a stable home life and educated parents or caregivers needs to attend or will gain much from it. Some studies even point to early school as a deterrent to creative thinking and personal exploration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. I am not.

Before becoming a mom, I was a preschool director (I have my masters in ECD). Preschool and socialization in our socio-economic group are totally and completely unnecessary. Little kid classes are fun, nice and cute but no child with a stable home life and educated parents or caregivers needs to attend or will gain much from it. Some studies even point to early school as a deterrent to creative thinking and personal exploration.

Wow, that’s sad that you think this. I’m the pp preschool teacher and my two primary focuses during the school year are socio-emotional development, and open-ended exploration. No worksheets, no crafts where the end result of the project is to look the same as everyone else’s. I agree that many kids would be fine without 3 years of preschool, but at least one to learn some social skills....helpful in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. I am not.

Before becoming a mom, I was a preschool director (I have my masters in ECD). Preschool and socialization in our socio-economic group are totally and completely unnecessary. Little kid classes are fun, nice and cute but no child with a stable home life and educated parents or caregivers needs to attend or will gain much from it. Some studies even point to early school as a deterrent to creative thinking and personal exploration.

Wow, that’s sad that you think this. I’m the pp preschool teacher and my two primary focuses during the school year are socio-emotional development, and open-ended exploration. No worksheets, no crafts where the end result of the project is to look the same as everyone else’s. I agree that many kids would be fine without 3 years of preschool, but at least one to learn some social skills....helpful in my opinion.

Another teacher - a kindergarten teacher - here. I agree with the first teacher. Some of my brightest and most imaginative students didn’t attend preschool. Socially they were fine and caught on to the rules easily and were well liked kids.

How much “open-ended exploration” can a three-year-old really do when the class has to move on?

I used to send my child to preschool (traditional 3 hour morning preschool) for the change of pace for her and because I wanted a break!

Years ago, no one started school until five.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would but my husband is an essential employee, can’t Really telework, and so we have a lot more exposure anyway. We haven’t looked into a “bubble” assuming no one would want to bubble with us. Not sure if we were both full time telecommuters not going anywhere if our answer would be different.

Find other essential worker households, they’d be happy to bubble up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. I am not.

Before becoming a mom, I was a preschool director (I have my masters in ECD). Preschool and socialization in our socio-economic group are totally and completely unnecessary. Little kid classes are fun, nice and cute but no child with a stable home life and educated parents or caregivers needs to attend or will gain much from it. Some studies even point to early school as a deterrent to creative thinking and personal exploration.

Wow, that’s sad that you think this. I’m the pp preschool teacher and my two primary focuses during the school year are socio-emotional development, and open-ended exploration. No worksheets, no crafts where the end result of the project is to look the same as everyone else’s. I agree that many kids would be fine without 3 years of preschool, but at least one to learn some social skills....helpful in my opinion.

Another teacher - a kindergarten teacher - here. I agree with the first teacher. Some of my brightest and most imaginative students didn’t attend preschool. Socially they were fine and caught on to the rules easily and were well liked kids.

How much “open-ended exploration” can a three-year-old really do when the class has to move on?

I used to send my child to preschool (traditional 3 hour morning preschool) for the change of pace for her and because I wanted a break!

Years ago, no one started school until five.

+1 Nanny and homeschool teacher here. I’ve seen the same. Kids who had previously been able to focus on a fun game (or their creation) for long periods gradually lost that ability due to so many forced changes in preschool. They also seemed to lose creative drive (more common in kids who attended Montessori).

[Anonymous]

No

[Anonymous]

FWIW, we sent my daughter at 2.5 and she was still doing parallel play mostly alone. She has obviously been home since covid started, but even with kids in the neighbor I see her being MUCH more social now than before, just naturally because she's older. So, I don't think 2.5 is definitely when you need to "socialize" at preschool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

+1 Nanny and homeschool teacher here. I’ve seen the same. Kids who had previously been able to focus on a fun game (or their creation) for long periods gradually lost that ability due to so many forced changes in preschool. They also seemed to lose creative drive (more common in kids who attended Montessori).

Yes, just anecdotal (and slightly off-topic), but all three of the kids I know who go to Montessori preschool CANNOT entertain themselves at all. They are really whiny, have to bring around their own special toys with them, and are always coming up to their parents looking lost in an unstructured play situation.

[Anonymous]

no, we are not sending DS

[Anonymous]

Nope. I am not sending my three year old either. It seems completely pointless due to the Covid 19 protocols. They are all to be masked and doing activities 6 feet away from other kids. My child can do an activity by himself at home for free.

[Anonymous]

We are. 3 hours in the morning. Weve both had to take so much leave this summer, more me than my DH. Ive used up all of the FFCRA leave (80 hours) and my DH as a fed is not eligible for FFCRA nor is he getting some of the childcare pay that other feds are receiving. His office says maxi flex which means he works 5am to get his day started in but ends up still working until 5 or 6pm most days because his boss and coworkers are working. then. His one supervisor is notorious for scheduling a 3 or 4 pm meeting at 11am.

Those 3 hours will give me enough time to keep my job, which we need. I can work 5-7am before he wakes,during nap, and for an hour before dinner or after bedtime. Ive put in my 8 hours by then.

Im building back so that if we get shut down again Ive at least put in a strong few weeks/months and can use the rest of the 10 weeks at 2/3 pay until the end of the year.

We have no family help and moved in April to a new area. Haven't met anyone and my kid has no friends/playmates to form "pods".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

+1 Nanny and homeschool teacher here. I’ve seen the same. Kids who had previously been able to focus on a fun game (or their creation) for long periods gradually lost that ability due to so many forced changes in preschool. They also seemed to lose creative drive (more common in kids who attended Montessori).

Yes, just anecdotal (and slightly off-topic), but all three of the kids I know who go to Montessori preschool CANNOT entertain themselves at all. They are really whiny, have to bring around their own special toys with them, and are always coming up to their parents looking lost in an unstructured play situation.

Montessori gets it from both ends. Half the critics complain that Montessori schools lack discipline and structure because they just let the kids do whatever they want. And the other half say that they are too rigid and structured because poor Larlo can't do whatever he wants whenever he wants to. And with confirmation bias, they all have anecdotal examples.

[Anonymous]

I'm sending my 3 year old because her older sibling will be in the same school. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have.