Is preschool really necessary?
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Anonymous
Oh she'll have a year of preK? She'll TOTALLY be fine. Kid don't need preK for academics, they need it just for the basics like learning how to stand in line, follow directions, not be the center of attention when there are other kids around. With a year of PreK, she'll get everything she needs. No worries at all!! |
Anonymous
Dp I also hate the word thrive! So grating. Like nails on a chalkboard and doesn't really answer anything. " I spank my child...but....he's THRIVING!" |
Anonymous
| Op here. Thank you for all the responses. Most of you reassured me that she'll be ok with just one year of prek. If it was just me, I will be ok with sending her this fall, however my husband is not ok with it yet. He does not want to take any risk at all.. Tbh it was making me lose sleep. I will try to get him to at least agree to signing her up for some classes in the summer or fall. In the meanwhile, we will do frequent playdates with our neighbor's daughter who is the same age. Also, we will work more on her independence at home too. |
Anonymous
That is all good... one thing to think about is the fact that in preschool they learn how to manage some interpersonal conflict and stress with different personalities. Bobby chased me and I didn’t want him to, Sarah wanted to play with Lou instead of me, Becca says she is my friend but she won’t play my game so I don’t want to be friends with her any more, Theo distracts me during lunch so I can’t eat anything. It’s all those skills of managing oneself with different personalities. There is some evidence that the more you do that early on the more confidence it builds. Structured classes in music or soccer can teach her classroom skills like sitting quietly, transitioning activities at a teacher’s initiation, or waiting her turn. But it’s the unstructured interaction that really builds socioemotional skills, like self-regulation, assertiveness, conflict resolution, teamwork, etc. |
Anonymous
I don't disagree that HeadStart kids need and benefit but a lot of families under socialize their children. I think prek is fine for this purpose or else some other activity that is a decent chunk of time with other kids is needed if you aren't doing prek. It can be a class but free play is really important at this age. Too many kids don't understand how to function in a group or outside of their immediate family, especially in unstructured settings. |
Anonymous
You mention that your job is flexible/manageable but I hope your husband’s is equally so. Otherwise it sounds like you’ll be the primary one juggling a new baby, a bored under stimulated preschooler, and a job all because your husband is “not ok with” the minute risk of sending a 4 year old to preschool in the Fall of 2021 (when most adults will have been vaccinated). |
Anonymous
Well I plan to be taking 5 to 6 months of maternity leave after giving birth and having my mom over in the early months as well, so I don't have any concerns about caring for both kids. Honestly, having to wake my DD up early and rushing her out the door to attend preschool while having a new baby sounds more chaotic to me. I technically won't have to return to work until April/May, so it does not makes sense to put her in preschool towards the end of the school year. So then we figured we would just wait til Sept. Also, the preschool she was in is a full time program at my federal job 30 mins from home. I don't think she needs a full time program at this point but we would like for her to attend prek full time at the preschool because we really like the place. I don't want to put her in somewhere else part time now and then have to transition her back to her old school next year. |
Anonymous
This all makes sense to me. |
Anonymous
| I think going to pre-K a year before K is quite enough. We are in a similar situation as you but my DD just makes the cutoff and will be going to K in Fall 2022. So we kept her home this year (2020-2021), but will be sending her in the fall. |
Anonymous
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OP, if you are working full time and taking care of a baby and toddler full-time, it seems you will be overwhelmed. Even the most flexible job surely expects you to show up on occasion?
I'm a preschool teacher for 3's. I don't think you need preschool if you are doing art activities at home, or through a class, to learn fine motor skills, and having play dates for socialization. Part-time preschool really is just a nice-to-have for stay at home parents or parents with nannies. It can give self-confidence to a child who might not adapt easily to new situations. It's socialization for outgoing kids who love to play with other kids. You can get these same benefits taking other classes, or arranging playdates. But if you are working full-time, how will you manage this? |
Anonymous
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I am sending my almost 2 year old to preschool in September when he will be 2.5. Does he NEED to go? No, but I believe it will be better for him. Before Covid, my older kids attended some kind of class since they were babies (6 months or so). My son has not been in any type of school environment at all. I think it’s what is best now even if it won’t make a big difference in what he learns. Character and intelligence grow with stimulation and he will get much more of that in school than at home with our wonderful nanny. My son is going 3 hours a day so we are keeping our nanny.
As per Covid exposure, I think a preschool is much better than random classes where adults and children attend on and off. Our preschool (like most private schools) has protocols to follow and it’s always the same people the whole year. I am pretty sure that 3 hours a day with the same 10 kids is much safer than 3 hours a week with several random adults (nannies, parents, grandparents) + kids. Will your daughter be fine? Absolutely. Would she be better off going to school? Absolutely. Are you limiting your covid exposure by taking her to a couple of classes per week? No (unless you plan to avoid indoor classes all together) |
Anonymous
| Depends. I was home, but my only child was very social and craved socialization. DC was also pretty great at following rules and having a structured day. We had him in a part-time thing for a while and he kept on asking for staying longer and on asked about it on weekends. That was enough information for us that a full-time preschool would work for him. He really liked enjoyed it (pre-covid). |
Anonymous
| I don't know where you get "like all the other parents..." We didn't send our DD to preschool when covid happened because they were closed by the state, but as soon as they reopened in June, she went back. There was a substantial difference in her behavior from the three months she was out. Her handwriting, socialization and temperament are so much better when she's in school. She has improved a lot over the past year, I would go nuts if I had to stay home with her and "work". |
Anonymous
| I think it's more necessary than ever with COVID. |
Anonymous
Off topic but another word that is being overused is trauma. |