Skipping pre-k?

[Anonymous]

My dd is in a fantastic play-based nursery school. I would like to keep her there another year and then have her go directly to kindergarten. Would she be missing anything important? I could also choose to hold her back and do pre-k after the second year of nursery school, but DH is pretty against that, absent a compelling reason.

[Anonymous]

A number of students in DC's K class came directly from such programs. We would have too but we got in as OOB in pre-K. Call your neighborhood or target school and inquire!

[Anonymous]

I think you should visit the pre-K at your elementary school and see what they're doing--sometimes there are open house days.

I visited our DC pre-K and realized that our child was already doing the things they were teaching, so switching to the pre-K wouldn't have been that beneficial.

[Anonymous]

Depends what you want - I was leery of the academics in my child's NW pre-K initially (and wished she were in a play based program) but then she learned how to read! And loved it so...

Some of my friends' kids entered K from outside programs and were surprised at how academic the setting was. They worried about their kids having to 'catch up.'

Regardless your child will be fine - both options are nurturing and beneficial, just in different ways. In my heart of hearts I still think little kids learn through play and there's enough time for academics later. But the reading was and is so wonderful for my DC.

[Anonymous]

What I find interesting is that you assume your child will get into DCPS pre-K. I do not know your neighborhood school, but I can tell you that not everyone gets in through the lottery, even when they live in bounds. My DD is actually doing the kindergarten year of montessori and then will start K next year as there are different cut-offs.

In many ways I was happy that we did not win the lottery because I think it is a better environment (plenty of academics but lots of flexibility and still very nuturing) and it would have been a more difficult decision as DCPS pre-K is a good option and free.

I am sure that if your preschool is as fantastic as you say your child will do just fine in K.

[Anonymous]

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/66758.page

See this previous thread on DCPS preK programs. If I could have easily afforded to keep my kids in private preschool, more play based, I would have. As it was, I got in OOB lottery, money was tight, and I wasn't sure there would be a place come K.

Part of the preK decision depends on whether you are content with your in boundary school. Will you be applying to charters? Then do it for preK when there are generally more slots available. As a PP mentioned, preK classes, even in in boundary schools, are filled by lottery. If there are more inboundary kids than slots, then there is no guarantee of admission. Generally, more inboundary kids apply than available slots for Mann, Janney, Murch, Lafayette. (among others)