Quality of school for the under-five set...how important?

[Anonymous]

Now that my kid is pushing 3 years old, I'm really interested to hear how much the quality of school matters for the pre-school set. The kids at my daycare just seem to play all day. My friend has her almost-three yo in a program that teaches ballet and has more of a curriculum (though still play based). How important is it that I send my kid to a "top" pre-school vs my extremely average daycare center?

[Anonymous]

1. The "top" school is meaningless. It has to the right fit for your child.

2. Preschool is of supreme importance as are all school years. Your child will spend months with other people that will mold his character and expectations - they need to be up to the task!

3. Personally I prefer more academic preschools, but that may not be the most important criteria for you. However the people matter enormously. Are they intelligent? Are they genuinely interested in children?

[Anonymous]

I believe the quality of a preschool is critically important, but I don't think it has anything to do with cost or the "top" preschool.
A loving, nurturing program where your child is exposed to lots of exciting things (including numbers and letters) is what's important.
You say you're at a mediocre daycare. What makes it mediocre? What does the play look like? There are many fantastic play-based programs that set the children up quite well to succeed in school.

[Anonymous]

I think it's good for a daycare or preschool to start teaching the kids things at 3-5 so they're ready for kindergarten. Like shapes, numbers, letters, etc. But most of the day can and should be play. Why don't you ask the head of your daycare what they do to get kids ready for kindergarten? The answer may surprise you - your child may just not be in the age range for that programming yet.

The big centers often have activities like ballet available for an extra fee. Ours did, and we used it, but it wasn't like any amazing thing - it was just a fun thing my daughter did once a week instead of other stuff.

[Anonymous]

We have one natural experiment with a sample size of 2 (or 4 arguably). Our oldest attended a preschool that was awful. It was near to our house and it looked fine -- we didn't know any better. He had one friend in the class who also hated preschool. the kids didn't talk to each other for 12 years after that, until they found one another in the freshman class of a very selective college. We sent the next child to a different preschool -- much better. Loved the preschool. And that kid and another preschool friend also fell out of touch all through the rest of school, and again found each other in the same very selective college. So in my small sample size, preschool made no difference.

[Anonymous]

I am a hard core Montessori fan. It is a great balance of work and play. I think the preschool years are some of the most important because they set the tone for their school lives.

[Anonymous]

There have been studies on this. The academic rigor of the pre school only matters if the parents are under educated and under resourced.

But of course on here it's all about perception or what people geel

[Anonymous]

Our daughter attends what is considered a "top" preschool in DC. She was at a daycare prior to that and when I toured this school it was instantly clear to me why it was so highly regarded. I can't speak to every daycare out there, but there was absolutely no comparison between where she was and where she is now or any place that I toured when choosing a daycare initially. The caliber of teachers (not caregivers), the facilities, the creativity, the resources that parents contribute beyond tuition (most have serious wealth)... it all plays a part. Of course, where your child goes to preschool doesn't determine where they will go to college or who they will be, of course not. But the first five years are critical foundation years, so I wouldn't completely right off the importance of a good school right now. Again, that's just us.

[Anonymous]

We did Montessori and my kid ended up at Princeton. I really don't think kid would have done as well in school w/o Montessori. OP, many kids learn to read in Montessori very young. Sitting in daycare is not good. Try something else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There have been studies on this. The academic rigor of the pre school only matters if the parents are under educated and under resourced.

But of course on here it's all about perception or what people geel

Where did you get this info? What does under educated and under resourced equal?

[Anonymous]

I think the 22:50 poster means that a preschool makes more of a difference to kids whose parents are poorer and less educated. Wealthier, educated parents tend to make up the difference between what the kid is learning at preschool and what they'll need to know for K. A less educated, poorer parent might be stretched trying to pay the bills and not have as much time to spend on school preparedness.

[Anonymous]

You DO know that children 7 and under learn best through playing, right? Children learn through play. You WANT a preschool that involves playing in all sorts of different ways the entire time they're there.

[Anonymous]

Another believer in Montessori. I was a child in the 70s and attended Montessori too, so I know the value firsthand. The introduction to math through manipulatives is so valuable. And their approach to reading & writing sets kids up for success very early.

For me, Montessori was the only way. I was lucky to find one with an extended day option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You DO know that children 7 and under learn best through playing, right? Children learn through play. You WANT a preschool that involves playing in all sorts of different ways the entire time they're there.

We did that, and it was great, right up until he got to Fairfax County Kindergarten, where play is unheard of and kids were expected to read and write already. Those who couldn't read had a dreadful year. I blame Fairfax, not the preschool, but I still would have sent him somewhere else if I'd known. Or maybe done private for K instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's good for a daycare or preschool to start teaching the kids things at 3-5 so they're ready for kindergarten. Like shapes, numbers, letters, etc. But most of the day can and should be play. Why don't you ask the head of your daycare what they do to get kids ready for kindergarten? The answer may surprise you - your child may just not be in the age range for that programming yet.

The big centers often have activities like ballet available for an extra fee. Ours did, and we used it, but it wasn't like any amazing thing - it was just a fun thing my daughter did once a week instead of other stuff.

My kid's daycare is mostly play, which I think is appropriate, and I strongly oppose "academic" preschool. But in the threes and fours rooms, they have a play-based curriculum that included preliteracy skills, math skills (counting, sorting, patterns, etc.), social studies, etc. She's about to start kindergarten, and is actually ahead of the end-of-the-kindergarten year standards now.

Talk to parents who have older kids who went through the daycare. Ask them whether they thought their kids were ready for kindergarten.