For DS, we did 3 half days per week in prek3, 5 half days per week in prek4. For DD, we are doing 2 half days per week in prek3, and will do 5 half days in prek4. I would prefer that prek4 was 2 or 3x/week, but we like the school (older sibling attends too so it’s logistically easier) and that’s the only option there.

DD is in pre-k at a k-12 school. The school day runs from 8:15 - 2:45. She is very able to do the full day. Two days a week she stays at after care until 4:45 pm and is fine.

I remember reading that more than 20 hours a week in daycare until age 3 was bad for development. We kept group environments well less than thus and have a FT nanny. After age 3 socialization is really important so we ramped up between 3 and 5 years old from 3 half days to 5 full days at age 5. We still had ourbanny for the afternoons because we needed the help. Our nanny was like a grandma to them and 10 years later we're still close, although she moved to her home country.

My daughter went 5 half days a week starting at 2 until half way through 4s, I got a job that required us to switch to full time care at a daycare center. She was there most of the summer. She transitioned seamlessly to Kindergarten as the youngest in her class (turned 5 in Sept).

Anonymous wrote: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?

My 3 year old did 3 days 830-12. At 4 years old she did 5 days 9-230. Kindergarten was 815-230.

Anonymous wrote:My feeling is, it will always be a struggle to transition from lots of time at home with parents to lots of time at school in a structured environment regardless of the age you do it. I always assume the older the better in terms of cortisol and brain development for encountering major struggles. I see no advantage to have this struggle as a toddler instead of as a kindergartener.

We started our child at daycare at 5 months. We never had any trouble with drop offs although they did have some anxiety starting at age 2 which we worked on. Transitioned to K just fine. They goes into school happily.

Anonymous wrote:My feeling is, it will always be a struggle to transition from lots of time at home with parents to lots of time at school in a structured environment regardless of the age you do it. I always assume the older the better in terms of cortisol and brain development for encountering major struggles. I see no advantage to have this struggle as a toddler instead of as a kindergartener.

For some kids, it is not a struggle. My child genuinely likes structured environments and being around peers, and was this way by the time he was preschool age.

You don't need to practice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My feeling is, it will always be a struggle to transition from lots of time at home with parents to lots of time at school in a structured environment regardless of the age you do it. I always assume the older the better in terms of cortisol and brain development for encountering major struggles. I see no advantage to have this struggle as a toddler instead of as a kindergartener.

The advantage is the parents get more childcare. Childcare can be very helpful for families financially. And mountains of research say the impact on the child is minimal, with home life much, much more important than the number of hours in preschool/daycare.

Yes, true. I meant for parents who don’t need the childcare or who have one wanting to stay home for whatever reason.