how is pre-k going?

[Anonymous]

if you have a child in dcps or dcpcs, i'd love to hear how pre-k is going for you. for me, it has seemed like a big culture change because prior preschool was play-based. this one is way more structured. not sure how i feel about that....

[Anonymous]

Just remember: Preschool doesn't = Pre-Kindergarten. Pre-K *IS* "school", complete with report cards, schedules, specials, and transcripts.

[Anonymous]

Ask this question again in a week, its only the second day.

[Anonymous]

My child said half way through her year at DCPS preK, I wanted to go to preK at my old school (a play based preschool) where you can do what you want (meaning pick which center to start your day at), where all my friends are, and where teachers love the children.

It was a heart breaking transition.

Her DCPS preK was very structured

[Anonymous]

It's DCPS....did you not know this?

[Anonymous]

Hi 22:13 and OP -

NP here. I am feeling the same thing right now - sadness and a bit of regret that my child isn't loved at pre-K the way she was at preschool. But there are other benefits for her that I think will make that 'buyer's remorse' fade in time.

She's my first in DCPS, so, no, I didn't see it coming.

We'll all make it through!

[Anonymous]

op here. 22:13 confirmed my worst fears. ugh. that is exactly the vibe i am getting so far. i know it is early, but, still, the overall philosophy is clear. i think part of it is that we just drew kind of a cold prickly for a teacher. she seems very professional and competent. but not warm. haven't seen her smile yet or affectionately pat a child on the head. that sort of thing.

i suppose i should stop torturing myself. we just couldn't afford to keep her in her private preschool.

[Anonymous]

My son loved preK at Murch- and he went to a very loving preschool. Just to give another view.

[Anonymous]

OP... it's only Day 3. You said you haven't seen the teacher be warm to a child yet... How much of the school day are you sitting in the classroom observing?

Remember, it is SCHOOL, and at the pre-K level, it is completel voluntary. If you don't like, you don't have to stay.

[Anonymous]

After the third day, my child who just made the birthday cutoff by seven days, is in danger of being kicked out. They are giving him one week. This is not a joke....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After the third day, my child who just made the birthday cutoff by seven days, is in danger of being kicked out. They are giving him one week. This is not a joke....

What is it they expect from him that is a problem?

[Anonymous]

I'm pretty sure that a child can't be kicked out of public school, even in a prek program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP... it's only Day 3. You said you haven't seen the teacher be warm to a child yet... How much of the school day are you sitting in the classroom observing?

Remember, it is SCHOOL, and at the pre-K level, it is completel voluntary. If you don't like, you don't have to stay.

New poster here. You're right about it being a voluntary program. But I still think that parents have a right to complain about the nature of this publicly-funded program. I personally think any teacher of children this age should be warm to the children, and obviously so. A more strict third-grade teacher? OK, I can imagine that working, as long as there is affection behind that facade. But pre-K kids are still little kids who need affection and warmth from their teachers, even if the goals of the program are more academic than those of a preschool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP... it's only Day 3. You said you haven't seen the teacher be warm to a child yet... How much of the school day are you sitting in the classroom observing?

Remember, it is SCHOOL, and at the pre-K level, it is completel voluntary. If you don't like, you don't have to stay.

New poster here. You're right about it being a voluntary program. But I still think that parents have a right to complain about the nature of this publicly-funded program. I personally think any teacher of children this age should be warm to the children, and obviously so. A more strict third-grade teacher? OK, I can imagine that working, as long as there is affection behind that facade. But pre-K kids are still little kids who need affection and warmth from their teachers, even if the goals of the program are more academic than those of a preschool.

Parents have a right to a high-quality program and should insist upon it, but honestly, a four-year-old's statement of distress about a transition on the second day does not mean that the teacher is bad not loving. It could mean that she misses the teacher who knew her for a year, and who, in her most recent memory, was bonded with her and loved her. There would obviously be a stark transition between a teacher of a larger class on the second day and the teacher of a smaller class at the end of the school year. It could mean that the child was not confident and secure enough in the school yet to interact meaningfully with the teacher, and felt the loss of a trusted and familiar ally. A kid saying that the teachers don't love the kids on the second day does not necessarily mean that they don't, or that they won't be as good. It can mean that the transition is a tough one, as it is for many.

The parent's first order of business should be to work on soothing the child and smoothing the transition, which would involve approaching the teacher and finding out for herself whether a connection can and will form.

Yes, DCPS programs are larger than some of the private preschools our kids go to. My kid is making the transition from a very close-knit private preschool to DCPS kindergarten. She's doing great, some others are nervous but like it. It's fundamentally different than what they had, and neither my child nor I have a relationship with any teacher yet, but we are realistic about the timeline to make that happen.

[Anonymous]

The PP has it right. You REALLY have to go in with an open mind, but if you think that you are going to get that close personal attention that you had before...well, you are in for a long year. Give it time, for you AND the kid AND the teacher.