NP here but I set my kid in front of the Zoom session while she eats breakfast. It's the only way she will stay in place for it. It's super casual, though.

Op here - yes in DC area. And we are paying full price. And I job got laid off. It’s not a fun time in our house...

Update: Kid Downright refuses. We spoke to teacher and agreed on not doing them anymore.

Are you all in DC? I am in the Midwest and have heard nothing about this for my kid, who is three-and-a-half. But we’re also not paying during this time . . .

Anonymous wrote:I'm a Pre-K teacher and please know that we know that the Zoom sessions are not necessarily developmentally appropriate or effective. The administration at my school is pretty much forcing us to do them and also use other social media platforms we wouldn't necessarily use (WhatsApp, etc). We need to show evidence that we are trying to stay connected with your children. I for one don't love using Zoom but I will do it because I feel fortunate to still be getting paid.

It really depends on what you’re doing. I have 4-year-olds and their school has struck the right balance in my view. The Zoom sessions are daily, 20-25 minutes long. And they always involve a basic interactive element that allows every kid an opportunity to speak. They’ve been formatted to take advantage of the fact that the kids are home, not simply moving the classroom format to the screen. They involve lots of show-and-tell that don’t tax my time as a parent. Recent examples — pick your favorite stuffed animal and tell the class about it, pick an item that starts with the same letter as your name and tell us about it, open-ended chit-chat about what everyone did that morning, a bit of chaos is embraced, celebrate birthdays virtually, put stickers on calendars to mark the date, hand-washing demonstrations, which birds have you spotted in your backyard? etc. Most of the kids clearly look forward to these sessions. While the teachers would obviously prefer to be teaching in a classroom, I don’t get the sense that any of them feel that they are performing for the parents. Even with the prospect that school may not be fully back in session in the fall, we’re willing to pay to keep supporting the school because our kids are still benefitting from these interactions.

Anonymous wrote:My DDs preschool is offering daily Zoom sessions. It’s actual instruction. DD, age 4, is not into it at all. The other kids seem to participate but mine is over it. She was ok the first week but by end of week 2 - we have to chase after her to be near the screen.

I feel bad and guilty on so many levels. Keep at it or just let DD participate when she feels like it?

To be fair, DD never likes to Skype or FaceTime either.

This is my DS too.. he is 7 now and we kind of force him to do zoom classes and with schools closed for the year we don't want to lose instruction. At 4 your kid doesn't need this online stuff yet and no point comparing with other kids who are better at doing the zoom sessions. If you are feeling guilty about paying for classes, ask your preschool if they have an option to pay minimum to just hold spot and not do any classes?

My daycare wanted us to pay a huge price for zoom sessions. We withdrew and stopped paying until this is all sorted out.

My kid wants to see her friends, teachers, and show them what she's been doing. She has NO interest in the instruction and just walks away.

Anonymous wrote:I’m still so shocked this is even a thing. I’ve declined every single one. I don’t do zoom preschool play dates.

Good for you! You get a sugar-free, gluten free protein cookie!

I do my hair toss check my nails on zoom

I’m still so shocked this is even a thing. I’ve declined every single one. I don’t do zoom preschool play dates.

Our preschool does it 2-3 times a week, which I think is a good frequency. DS sometimes outright refuses to participate, but other times he happily engages and even looks forward to it before the sessions. I would say it's about half/half.

To all the teachers who do Zoom - thank you for your hard work. We know it's not easy and we appreciate it. It does light up the day for some kids (like half of the time for DS) when they get to connect with their teachers and friends.

Our preschool does small group sessions with just 3 or 4 children - and a few teachers - and the kids love it because nobody needs to be on mute and they can talk to their heart's content, which is the POINT of preschool - social development. Kids this age want to see their friends, and if Zoom can help with that, great.

Otherwise, kids don't need to use Zoom if it's just for "instruction."

Anonymous wrote:I'm a Pre-K teacher and please know that we know that the Zoom sessions are not necessarily developmentally appropriate or effective. The administration at my school is pretty much forcing us to do them and also use other social media platforms we wouldn't necessarily use (WhatsApp, etc). We need to show evidence that we are trying to stay connected with your children. I for one don't love using Zoom but I will do it because I feel fortunate to still be getting paid.

Thank you for this. I don't know why people don't understand that conducting these meetings are often not optional for the teacher.

I think it really depends on the child. My daughter (4 years old) is really engaged and the Zoom session is 45 minutes long every day. I can see from the gallery view, some kids are more engaged, some kids aren't. Not everyone shows either.

I'm a Pre-K teacher and please know that we know that the Zoom sessions are not necessarily developmentally appropriate or effective. The administration at my school is pretty much forcing us to do them and also use other social media platforms we wouldn't necessarily use (WhatsApp, etc). We need to show evidence that we are trying to stay connected with your children. I for one don't love using Zoom but I will do it because I feel fortunate to still be getting paid.