Go to great preschool but late every day, or less great preschool but on time?

[Anonymous]

My older son went to an amazing preschool, and I'd love for my younger son to go there also. The problem is that due to timing and location, I won't be able to get him there on time, ever. The drop-off for my older son will require that I be about 10-15 minutes late with the younger one for preschool every morning. Once he turns in the spring of next year, he could go to before care at the preschool, but he can't prior to that. I could enroll my older son in before care at his elementary school, but I don't particularly want to pay the money or have him be in school for an even longer day when he already comes home exhausted (tell me if you think I should just do this anyway!).

The preschool said we could bring my kid late, even though it might be a bit disruptive. They usually have free-play for a while at the beginning, so maybe it wouldn't be a huge deal? Alternatively, he could go to a different preschool that starts later and be on time. I don't love this school and have mixed feelings about it. It seems decent, and we know people who have liked it, but it's not exactly what we'd ideally like. It's a coop school for one thing, which means that there would be parents in the classroom who aren't trained teachers. My older kid actually did a coop preschool for a short bit when he was younger, so I'm not unfamiliar with the concept, but I found a huge difference between that and his later preschool where the teachers were very well trained and educated in early childhood ed.

Any thoughts? Go with the school we feel less enthusiastic about due to timing, or go with the great school despite timing issues?

[Anonymous]

That should say "once he turns 3 in the spring"

[Anonymous]

For a 2 year old, no question, I'd choose being there on time.

[Anonymous]

Your kid will be fine either way.

What do YOU want? Are you up for the rush in the AM every day and stress of being an extra minute late?

What are the communities like? More families from your elementary school at the mediocre preschool? Might be longer lasting friendships there.

[Anonymous]

At two he doesn't absolutely need preschool anyway, so I would go with the school I like better. On the other hand, a co-op school is great for building community and allowing you to get to know your child's friends and other parents. It sounds like you have two good choices, OP.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the thoughts. Neither school really feeds into our elementary. None of the kids from my preference school (where my older son went) go to elementary with him, and that's been fine. I think there may be a handful from the other school I'm considering, but not likely to be more than a few scattered throughout multiple classes at the preschool (and our elementary is big, too, so unlikely to be in the same class in kindergarten). I'd love to be in a neighborhood preschool, but there just aren't many options, sadly.

I agree that co-op schools allow for getting to know others better, and I liked that a lot about my older son's coop school experience when he was 2 (it was a different coop school than we're now considering). On the other hand, I liked the parents a lot in his other preschool, and frankly, I'm not really pining away to form a ton of additional friendships at this point because we're pretty settled already.

You're right about the AM rush being stressful. That's good to keep in mind! I also know that dropoff at age 2 can be stressful, so being on time and relaxed could be helpful.

[Anonymous]

I would go with the school you like even if it means being late everyday. He's 2 so it shouldn't be a big deal. As you mentioned they usually have some free play at the start of the day so it's not like he is missing much.

One caution is try not to give DS the impression you are late or rushed each morning (even though you are) as that may be unsettling for him. Just remain calm when dropping him off so he can ease quickly into the class as you transition out.

[Anonymous]

Our preschool starts at 9:30 but people routinely drop off any time between 9:30 and 10am. Makes no difference, as that time is free play anyway. I would go with the school you like.

[Anonymous]

I would hate dropping my kid off late every day.

[Anonymous]

Being late will throw your kid off every single morning. I wouldn’t do that.

I think you should put your other child in before care for the 15-20 minutes you need. I wouldn’t worry as much about paying for it bc it is a finite amount of time until the preschooler can go to before care.

Not what you wanted to hear, but it’s not possible to be in two places at the same time.

[Anonymous]

Go with the school where you can be on time. It shows respect for your child and his school. I am a preschool teacher and we have a few kids who are frequently late and have to keep the class in a holding pattern so those kids don’t “miss” anything. We often hold circle time u til everyone is there but even still those children have missed free play which may not seem like much but is when children really get to practice social skills, decision making, etc. Plus as a parent, I wouldn’t want the stress of being late all the time.

[Anonymous]

What is late in preschool for a 2 year old? The kid shouldn't have to worry about time. The teacher can do their thing and when your kid arrives fit them in. Do what works best for you and your family overall.

[Anonymous]

I would suck it up and pay for the before care for your older child. 15 more minutes is not that much more time, and you indicated that you'll be willing to pay for before care for the younger one when he's eligible, so it doesn't sound like the expense is really the issue. I agree with others that going late every day can be disruptive to the class and stressful for you and your child.

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I am living in Canada with my family. My 3 years old son went to Daycare Preschool Calgary it is very amazing daycare for kids.

My son learns lots of things from his school and he loves going there regularly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go with the school where you can be on time. It shows respect for your child and his school. I am a preschool teacher and we have a few kids who are frequently late and have to keep the class in a holding pattern so those kids don’t “miss” anything. We often hold circle time u til everyone is there but even still those children have missed free play which may not seem like much but is when children really get to practice social skills, decision making, etc. Plus as a parent, I wouldn’t want the stress of being late all the time.

+1, another preschool teacher