Anonymous wrote:Full days in day care are fine. My kid started day care so I could go back to work. She was there from 9am until 5:30pm daily from age 15 months. Her transition to preschool has been easy and she's excited to go to school every day. Her social emotional learning and her basic academics are far ahead of those kids in her class that were kept at home.

This last sentence is not true. Daycare kids do not always do better socio emotionally and academically. You don’t have this data, you’re just making personal observations and judgments.

Two days a week 9-11

Full days in day care are fine. My kid started day care so I could go back to work. She was there from 9am until 5:30pm daily from age 15 months. Her transition to preschool has been easy and she's excited to go to school every day. Her social emotional learning and her basic academics are far ahead of those kids in her class that were kept at home.

Anonymous wrote:I’m a SAHP and have no need either way. Just wondering if those who did part-time at 3 increased at 4 or kept it the same.

I did 3 hour days at 3, and then again at 4, because it suited our budget. My kids did fine going into Kindergarten. Their school also had an option to stay till 3 or through aftercare. Their classmates who did that all did fine too.

I think it depends on the kid! My first started going full day his 4k year at his request and it was really good for him. My current 4yo will be half day all year and will honestly probably have a hard time with a full day even at 5 when he starts kindergarten.

Anonymous wrote:I’m a SAHP and have no need either way. Just wondering if those who did part-time at 3 increased at 4 or kept it the same.

We had the option of doing a few "lunch bunch" type programs where my child could stay until 2:30 one or two days a week. They wanted to do those programs when their friends signed up for them or there was a "fun" activity -- I remember cooking and Spanish being big hits.

Perhaps check with your child's friends to see which option they are choosing?

Only one of my kids went to preschool and that was only half day at 4 and they went to full day K and they were fine. All the Pre-K 4s in public schools by me are only 2.5 hours so I think he’ll be fine transitioning to K if you want to continue half days.

I’m a SAHP and have no need either way. Just wondering if those who did part-time at 3 increased at 4 or kept it the same.

Anonymous wrote:I would do what works best for your family. The kid will be fine either way.

I agree. You can’t predict how much adjustment time your kid will need, and there’s a summer break to lose any stamina anyway. If you want them home more to do more fun stuff with you then the shorter day! If you need more time for work etc then do the longer day.

—former preschool teacher, current elementary teacher

My 4 yo son goes 5 days a week 8 am - 3 PM, plus aftercare most days. Aftercare usually is 2 long days a week, 1-2 short days, and 1-2 pick ups right after school. He is a summer baby, so turned four before the school year started. He's in a Montessori Pre-K at a private school.

At 3.5 yo, he went 3 days a week from 9 am - 1 PM. (I added the 12-1 lunch bunch because of schedule issues.)

My schools 4s program is 9-2:30. For 2s, I did 3 mornings a week and for 3s my daughter is doing 5 mornings a week.

I would do what works best for your family. The kid will be fine either way.

Our kindergarten is half day. Our preschooler goes to school from 9 to 1, four days a week.

2-3 days a week full day at age 4 and a half (actually my kid was closer to 5 when the school year started). I say 2-3 bc DC rarely did all 3 days. Between long weekends/holidays and sick days, it ended up being 2 full days and 2 half days per week.

Some kids do have a hard time transitioning to full day K if they have never done anything but all half days, but you can't really predict which group your kid will be in.

My 3-year-old currently goes to preschool 5 days a week from 9-12pm. I have the option next year of doing 9-2:30 some or all days. Wondering whether I should be doing this as practice for kindergarten as I don’t know whether going from 3 hours a day to all-day is too big of a transition. For those who also had their 3-year-olds in a part-time preschool, what did you do at 4?