3 year old and preschool

[momma of 2]

Anyone out there have a early 3 year old who just started preschool. My ds' birthday is august 11th and the cut off here in Michigan for kindergarten is December 1st. So the child has to be 5 before 12-1 or they can not go to kindergarten. So because my little boy will be starting school when he has just turned 5 we decided to send him to two years of preschool. I am a little nervous about him going. He still seems so much like a baby to me. Any one else in my shoes

 

[asoko]

I'm in Michigan too. My son's birthday is June 27 and he's super little for his age. I sent him to a part time preschool when he was 3. I thought it was a wonderful experience for him. I thought he learned a lot more in his 3 year old part time preschool than the preschool/daycare he was in when he was 4.
This year I'm sending my daughter to the same part time preschool. I'm hoping she gets a lot out of it too.

 

[marcyinPA]

I'm a pre-school teacher. I teach 2's. I have four classes: one class four mornings a week. The cut-off here is 2, 3, or 4 by Oct. 1. I have some very young 2's and some very old 2's in my class. It's an interesting mix!

It's normal to be nervous for the first school experience. We just had our back to school night on Tuesday evening, and I had a line of parents waiting to talk to me after our formal meeting. They were nervous about everything from bathroom accidents to biting incidents and everything in between. I always tell them that their child will be OK, and that we've really and truly seen it all. I've been hit, bitten, kicked, peed on, thrown up on, etc. It's all in the job. As far as your child adjusting, give him time. He may cry the first day, but you really need to give him a hug and a kiss, tell him you'll see him after school, and hand him over to the teacher and LEAVE. I know it's hard, but it's the best way for your child. If they see you are comfortable leaving them there, then they will figure it's a safe place. BUT, if they see you clinging to them, then they will sense that there is something wrong about staying at school.

Keep talking school up...tell him how much fun he'll have. Read books about school. Make play-dates with his classmates. And if he's unsure the first few days, give it time.

 

[marcyinPA]

I just wanted to add that since he is going to be a young 5 when he starts Kindergarten, there is nothing at all wrong with giving him the gift of another year of pre-school and starting him when he turns 6. My feeling as a teacher is that there is no benefit to being the youngest in the class, but there can be a lot of benefits to being one of the oldest. I know a lot of parents feel pressured to go with the cut-off dates, but the trend seems to be (in my area anyway) to send them late.

 

[momma of 2]

what part of mi are you from. Holly here it is about 10 minutes south of flint

 

[cerberus]

Hello! I am in Ohio. My DD just turned 3 Aug 29 and started preschool this week. So far my DD loves it. She goes for 2 1/2 hours twice a week. It is great for her because it gives her a chance to get around kids her own age more.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

My little guy is 3 and had his first day of preschool yesterday. He is M, W, and F, so his second day is tomorrow. He loved the first day, and I was very worried! He is very much a Mommy's boy. He will have two years of preschool, but his birthday is in November. Indiana's cut-off is Aug. 1. I can't imagine sending him to K next year! My DD is also older, and it has been great. My DS 9 is on the younger end with a spring birthday, and I can tell a difference.

 

[wlwilliams9]

I'm in MI too...Canton, but I grew up in Clarkston!! My DD turned 2 July 1st and is starting preschool in 2 weeks. Plymouth-Canton schools has a "stay and play" program where she attends 1 day a week for 2 hours and I get to go with her!! I'm hoping this will make it easier for her (mostly me) when she goes to preschool on her own next year. It's hard to let them go from baby/toddlers to big kids, isn't it.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I work in a preschool class. Our kids have special needs and we take them as early as their 3rd birthday. Most of our new parents are very nervous about sending their kids to school. But, our staff is very experienced and we've seen just about every situation that can possibly occur! Some kids take longer than others to get used to being away from mommy and following the classroom routine. But, we've never had a child that didn't integrate into the class within a few weeks. Even though most of them are pretty much non-verbal or have other difficulties, they catch on fast and quickly become comfortable going to school.

I know it's hard as a mom to see your young child go to school (I went through it twice!). But at 3, they really are ready to start school. And, as another poster said, don't feel pressured to send your child to kindergarten as a young 5 year old. I had a kindergarten teacher tell me that it's never a bad idea to hold a child back until 6 years old. That extra year in preschool can do wonders socially and emotionally. Both of my boys started at 6. One spent his 5 year old year in the special class where I now work and the extra year allowed him to mature enough to be mainstreamed. We put the younger one in a Jr. Kindergarten program at a private school before he started kindergarten and it was a great experience for him.

 

[karinbelle]

I just wanted to add that since he is going to be a young 5 when he starts Kindergarten, there is nothing at all wrong with giving him the gift of another year of pre-school and starting him when he turns 6. My feeling as a teacher is that there is no benefit to being the youngest in the class, but there can be a lot of benefits to being one of the oldest. I know a lot of parents feel pressured to go with the cut-off dates, but the trend seems to be (in my area anyway) to send them late.

My DS has a birthday in early May. Oh how I wish I had waited another year to send him to school! Now he's in 4th grade and it's too late. He too smart to keep back, but socially he struggled last year.

I also think forward and he'll be barely 18 when he graduates HS.

Well, I'll just keep brainwashing him that he is to live with his parents until he finishes the first two years of college LOL. When he buys a house, it has to be within 5 miles of ours! LOL.

And when we are older and he's married, he has to live next door. When we are really old, we're going to live with him!

Hope he lets me pick his wife. I already told him I have to approve her (just kidding - or am I?)

 

[momma of 2]

I grew up in Waterford. Graduated from Kettering in 97.

 

[Krischaser]

Hi my son was born in April and yesturday was his orientation for preschool. Normally he is a out going child but he just hid behind us most of the day. I am worried too. But the other side of me says he needs this exposure to other children (our neighbors are far and his older brother is in school all day). We talk school up and he is very receptive to it so I was surprised that he hid. Hopefully things go better on his first time--I'll bring the kleenex for me for afterwards. He goes two days a week for 2.5 hours. Oh I also live in Clarkston Michigan.

 

[marcyinPA]

My DS has a birthday in early May. Oh how I wish I had waited another year to send him to school! Now he's in 4th grade and it's too late. He too smart to keep back, but socially he struggled last year.

I also think forward and he'll be barely 18 when he graduates HS.

Well, I'll just keep brainwashing him that he is to live with his parents until he finishes the first two years of college LOL. When he buys a house, it has to be within 5 miles of ours! LOL.

And when we are older and he's married, he has to live next door. When we are really old, we're going to live with him!

Hope he lets me pick his wife. I already told him I have to approve her (just kidding - or am I?)

Both of my DS's are in May too (the 9th and the 17th), and I can totally relate to you! I regretted starting my DS13 at the age of 5 almost immediately. He had shaky fine motor skills, he was socially immature, and he was extremely sensitive (still is sometimes!). He's now in 8th grade, and is in the advanced academic classes, but he has to work very hard to be there. Let's just say it doesn't come naturally for him. I often wonder if I had given him an extra year, if he'd have an easier time of it?

My youngest also started school at 5, but he did better, although he is very small for his age. He is now in fourth grade, but is the smallest child in his class. Socially and academically he's fine, and he's not the youngest in the class, but still, sometimes I wonder if things would have been better for him had I started him at 6.

 

[momma of 2]

Such a small world. I used to work at the CVS by 75 and sashabaw and my husband used to be the pharmacist there

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Mostly everyone here sends their kids to pre-school at age 3. They do pre-school at 3 and pre-k at 4.

 

[momma of 2]

When is the kindergarten cutoff where you live? It is so different for me because my dd when to her first year of preschool when she was 3 but she turned 4 right after starting. I think it just seems so young to me because he does act alot younger than she did at this age. I know it is the whole boy-girl thing and they are two totally different people but she really is all I have to compare to.

 

[thegrimdwarf]

He may cry the first day, but you really need to give him a hug and a kiss, tell him you'll see him after school, and hand him over to the teacher and LEAVE. I know it's hard, but it's the best way for your child. If they see you are comfortable leaving them there, then they will figure it's a safe place. BUT, if they see you clinging to them, then they will sense that there is something wrong about staying at school.

Thank you for that advice. My 2.5 YO starts part time preschool on Tuesday, and I'm a WRECK! He's a very late/reluctant talker, which is why we're sending him, but it has me so fearful because I can't have a 2-way conversation about how he's going to school. What you've said has me feeling better about things.

 

[asoko]

I'm in MI too...Canton, but I grew up in Clarkston!! My DD turned 2 July 1st and is starting preschool in 2 weeks. Plymouth-Canton schools has a "stay and play" program where she attends 1 day a week for 2 hours and I get to go with her!! I'm hoping this will make it easier for her (mostly me) when she goes to preschool on her own next year. It's hard to let them go from baby/toddlers to big kids, isn't it.

I'm in Plymouth. I sent my son to the 3 yr program 2 yrs ago (now he's in Kindergarten) DD starts next week 4 yr program at Canton High. I thought the preschool program through PCCS was really good.

 

[jboysen]

My daughter will not be 3 until Oct 20th and she is starting 2days of preschool next week. Both of us are quite excited for it. We plan on having her start Kindergarten before she turns 5. I'm a stay at home mom so she hasn't much interaction with other kids, but when she does, she's in 7th heaven. My husband is a teacher and is half way through is doctorate in education and he is finding that the trend to hold kids back is changing to getting them started early. Although we both believe parents need to do what they feel is best for their child.

 

[caroline1851]

My dd is not going to be 3 until 11/2 and she started preschool. Its only 2 days a week for a few hours. She cries a little bit at the beginning and then she has fun!