Should you do PreK if you don't need the childcare?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would do some kind of organized preschool setting, yes. Playgroup is great for socialization but they are not necessarily learning the structure and patience skills they need for kindergarten. Playgroup with other nannies and kids in the park won't teach them to sit still, do circle time, line up for lunch, etc.

Note that I personally think preschool AND kindergarten should be more like it is in Scandinavia or Germany -- much more free play, outdoor time, less structure. But we have the system we have, and kids need to be prepared for it or they won't thrive.

+100

[Anonymous]

At the very least I would absolutely do one year of Pre-K before kindergarten, two if you can. - Early childhood professional

[Anonymous]

I waited until 4.5 to get my kid in preschool and he’s brought home every single disease known to man in about 2 months and now my youngest and I are experiencing these said diseases. No. You don’t need preschool, just keep those kiddos happy and healthy as long as you can or you too can enjoy a cough so intense it makes you throw up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I waited until 4.5 to get my kid in preschool and he’s brought home every single disease known to man in about 2 months and now my youngest and I are experiencing these said diseases. No. You don’t need preschool, just keep those kiddos happy and healthy as long as you can or you too can enjoy a cough so intense it makes you throw up.

This is inevitable, though. My nephew never went to any kind of school/daycare and is now having this experience in K

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I waited until 4.5 to get my kid in preschool and he’s brought home every single disease known to man in about 2 months and now my youngest and I are experiencing these said diseases. No. You don’t need preschool, just keep those kiddos happy and healthy as long as you can or you too can enjoy a cough so intense it makes you throw up.

This is inevitable, though. My nephew never went to any kind of school/daycare and is now having this experience in K

+1. Better to get it over with in preschool than miss half of kindergarten. Never understood why parents think it's beneficial to kick this particular can down the road.

[Anonymous]

Don't discount how hard it may be to get a free PK4 slot if you don't send for PK3. There are many fewer slots available for PK4 (all done through the lottery, unless you apply to a daycare based preschool that is still paid by DC), and you aren't guaranteed a space, because many kids from PK3 just keep going at the same school for PK4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, you need to do something to prepare them for kindergarten, being in a classroom setting with multiple other kids, etc.

kinder at the school my kids will go to is a full day and it isn't to prepare you for school, it is school and the kids are expected to be able to function in a large classroom, line up, etc.

Yes preschool is necessary to prep for K. Your kid needs to be ready to learn and socialized before K otherwise, they could be deemed as remedial.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely. It is so necessary for their socialization, to learn to take instruction from other adults, to be put in a new environment and learn how to manage new scenarios without you or a nanny nearby.

Others will jump in to say you don’t have to rush the learning side of things, but my daughter turned four just before pre-K began this year. She knew all of her letters and numbers, could write her name, and could count to 20 going into school. After barely 2 months she can now identify a couple dozen sight words, knows all of her phonics, and has learned to count to 100. Additionally, she is so incredibly happy, has made a lot of friends, has become much less shy and much more outgoing and independent. It has been an absolute win-win for us.

[Anonymous]

I'm similar to the other poster(s) who had a kid miss PK3 because of COVID and started in PK4, and is now in K. The hardest part of PK4 for my kid was the expectation that he stick to the routines in the classroom and transition activities along with the other kids. He learned a ton with our nanny and spent a lot of time around other kids, so he was great with the academics and socializing, but he was so used to being able to just pick what activities he wanted to focus on that day and how long he wanted to spend doing something that he really struggled when the teacher dictated what they were doing and for how long. I'm so, so glad he had the time in PK to adjust to that, because in our K classroom the teacher just kind of expects that the kids will already have that skill and it would be really tough if he was starting from scratch this year.

[Anonymous]

If you can choose, I would do private preschool for 3 hours per day next year. This is what we did with all 3 of our kids. Then they went full day (until 3) when they were 4/4.5.
If your only option is public, I might wait one more year, but definitely send her in PK4.

[Anonymous]

Our kid entered PreK3 this fall from a well regarded childcare center (St Albans). It was like night & day after two weeks in DCPS PreK3. Potty training success, vocabulary, interacting with older kids, outgoing interactions with strangers, etc.

Every metric and milestone shot up for our kid after a few weeks in PreK3. No way in hell will your child get the same development with a nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our kid entered PreK3 this fall from a well regarded childcare center (St Albans). It was like night & day after two weeks in DCPS PreK3. Potty training success, vocabulary, interacting with older kids, outgoing interactions with strangers, etc.

Every metric and milestone shot up for our kid after a few weeks in PreK3. No way in hell will your child get the same development with a nanny.

+1. They learn more from their peers than any of us adults can ever teach them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our kid entered PreK3 this fall from a well regarded childcare center (St Albans). It was like night & day after two weeks in DCPS PreK3. Potty training success, vocabulary, interacting with older kids, outgoing interactions with strangers, etc.

Every metric and milestone shot up for our kid after a few weeks in PreK3. No way in hell will your child get the same development with a nanny.

Which is why it’s so selfish when SAHMs keep their kids out of preschool so they can spend time with them. Kids need this interaction and separation from parents. A 20 week old doesn’t need this. A 4 year old does.

[Anonymous]

This is all so wrong. Anything beyond a half day three times a week (or thereabouts) is serving the parents, not the child.

School/ daycare is inherently stressful for children and your #1 priority at this age should be to build a steady, centered emotional life for your child so they bring that resilience to K and beyond. You do this through plenty of risky and outdoor play supervised by a well resourced, invested adult plus social time with peers and siblings. Napping and eating meals at home.

2 to 4 year olds do not need to spend the majority of their waking hours lining up, being told to “be careful” every time they look at a stick, and learning to moderate their personalities! There is plenty of time for that in K. And whatever academics one might care about can be done in a few hours per week. My suggestion for OP is to craft a great schedule of free play or find a Reggio , forest or play based program for prek that ends at noon or so. The summer before K, you can experiment with a camp that goes to 3 if you’re worried about the long day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is all so wrong. Anything beyond a half day three times a week (or thereabouts) is serving the parents, not the child.

School/ daycare is inherently stressful for children and your #1 priority at this age should be to build a steady, centered emotional life for your child so they bring that resilience to K and beyond. You do this through plenty of risky and outdoor play supervised by a well resourced, invested adult plus social time with peers and siblings. Napping and eating meals at home.

2 to 4 year olds do not need to spend the majority of their waking hours lining up, being told to “be careful” every time they look at a stick, and learning to moderate their personalities! There is plenty of time for that in K. And whatever academics one might care about can be done in a few hours per week. My suggestion for OP is to craft a great schedule of free play or find a Reggio , forest or play based program for prek that ends at noon or so. The summer before K, you can experiment with a camp that goes to 3 if you’re worried about the long day.

lmfao