Question for SAHP & Preschool?

[Dannielle_1]

For all those stay at home parents out there, have you sent your child to preschool or not? I'm currently debating this question for my DS4.

If I send him in the fall, he will have one year of Preschool before Kindergarten. I'm just not sure how much he will benefit out of it, plus it means we would have to cut most of his other activities.

Right now, DS participates in a library program on his own, an art class on his own, a tumbling class on his own, swimming on his own, and free play class where I stay. He's also participates in other misc. classes throughout the year including art, nature, basketball, tennis. Most of these are 6-8 week sessions/once per week. Pretty much everything but swimming would have to be dropped for both time (overscheduling and time offered) and money. If we skip preschool, I'd continue to search out these types of activities for DS to participate in.

I feel like DS gets lots of outside interaction, he's very social (maybe too much sometimes ), and as far as educationally I have no concerns. He is also in classes where he needs to follow the teacher and what the class is doing, but its not a school setting. So, my concerns are learning schoolroom "rules" and getting use to having the same thing 3 days a week in prep for K at 5 full days.

Anyone else skip preschool? How did your kids do in Kindergarten? Was if full day or 1/2 day?

Sorry so long, just wanted to give some background info on my situation.

 

[snorkelyn]

I think kids transition better into kindergarten if they attended preschool. It is one thing to be away from you for an hour for a park district class- but its quite another to follow a schedule at preschool for 2.5 hours.

I stay home with my 3 kids. They all have (or will have) 2 years of preschool. Kindergarten is quite different than it was when we were kids. My kindergartner is reading books. The expectations are quite high. Most kids in my area have at least 1 year of preschool.

Preschool gives the child an opportunity to develop relationships with peers that are more than 1 hour a week for 6 weeks. That's a big benefit too.

Good luck with whatever decision you make!

 

[mamaLori05]

I'm a SAHM, and my dd went to 3 yr old preschool two days a week for 2.5 hrs, and now 4 yr old preschool 3 days a week for 2.5 hrs. My Ds will start 3 yr old preschool in the fall. My dd is in dance class and my ds does classes at our local children's museum. I still would not skip preschool, it's totally different. Kindergarten is like first grade was for us. My dd is 4 and starting to read already. If they aren't starting to read (knowing 20 or so words) by the time they enter K around here, they are behind. Not only do they learn from the teachers, but they learn a lot from their peers as well.

I also made sure that I signed my kids up at a local preschool where most of the kids will be transfering over to the local elementary school.

I did have a neighbor that skipped preschool for her kids (who are know in first and k), and now she is regretting it. She thought her kids didn't need preschool because she thought she was teaching them all they needed to know. Now both of her kids are having trouble in school academically, as well as behaviorally. They have trouble sitting and paying attention to the teacher because they never had to do that before. They were in gymnastics classes for 2 years before they started school, but even she admits now that it wasn't the same as sitting in class.

 

[daisyduck123]

1st grade public school teacher chiming in here ....I recommend NOT skipping preschool. If it weren't so late, I'd go into detail, but I'm sure someone else will. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Swimalie]

My son is in his last year of preschool now and will start kindergarten this fall, also in VA. We've done the Mom's Day out of 1 day a week when he was 2, 2 days a week when he was 3 and now he's in 3 days a week. This is all in preparation for kindergarten. I've been told by moms with older kids that kindergarten now is what 1st grade used to be like and the kids now need that base that preschool gives them, the structure. What my son's class is doing now is slowly going over the placement testing he will have done in a few weeks for kindergarten. They know what will happen during that placement, I don't (okay, so I do from talking to other moms but not all do). So that is where preschool is helping kids a lot.

My son does preschool and still does tennis lessons once a week during the school year and will do some summer camps. I bet you could find some after school hours for your son to do some of the activities he likes and yet still get in to preschool.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Another vote for preschool. It just makes kindergarten SO much easier. You are giving him lots of wonderful experences right now but this one is also important. A good school will include many of these current activities.
Maybe let him help pick one or two things to keep. I truly believe kids also need a lot of unstructued time to just be kids!!

 

[stsomewhere]

My DD kindergarten teacher told us that she can tell who went to preschool and who did not. DD could read at the end of preschool. She developed great social and speaking skills.

My DD went 2 days a week at 3, and 3 days a week at 4. She loved it.
I sent her to a co-op preschool.

She is is 3rd grade now and is doing terrific.

DS-11 I did not send to preschool. He did community classes. He is doing fine.
He gets straight A's.

 

[tlh0726]

Both DD and DS will have 2 years of preschool.

They both go to the YMCA. At 3 they have/ are attending Gym and Learn 3 days a week Mon,Wed, & Fri for 3 hours a day.

At 4 they are/will be attending KInder Prep 5 days a week for 2.5 hours a day each day.

This is the last year that our school district will be having 1/2 day kindergarten. Next year all students will have full day classes.

 

[dizneechic]

My DD kindergarten teacher told us that she can tell who went to preschool and who did not.

Our K teachers say this as well... and as a classroom volunteer I believe I can tell the difference, especially in the beginning of the year!

I am a SAHM and my boys both attended preschool, 1/2 days (2.5 hours), 4 days a week. They both did wonderfully, although I wish my middle guy had gone for longer days, he could have used the structure. My dd last year went full day (9-2:30) 4 days a week and this year she is is full day 5 days a week PLUS 2 days extended until 4:30, at her request! She loves being in school, the activities, the teachers, her friends (and not hanging around her brothers ), and the exposure to things we might not get to do at home (theater, musicians coming in, messy stuff I don't want in my house, LOL!). She goes to the same school her brothers went to and gets to experience SO much more in the full day program vs the 1/2 day program that in hindsight I regret not having put my boys in for the longer days as well. It's not a matter of them not being exposed to these things outside of class, we're members of the YMCA, Audubon society, our local farm, they all did gymnastics and music classes, but it's just different in a school setting with the same kids and same teachers all year and the structure/expectations.

 

[frtchr]

DD3 has gone twice a week during last school year and this one. She'll go three times a week next year, and DS (currently 18 months) will go twice a week.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Just to mix it up a bit, I will add my $.02.

I was a SAHM to my 3 girls, this year is my first year working, only part time, as a pre-school teacher of all things.

My oldest went for 2 years. She needed it. Not acedemically, she was reading when she was 3, but socially she needed it.

My middle DD went to the same preschool for half a year at the age of 3, but the school had so many problems we pulled her and didn't put her back in. She did lots of activities without me, but did fine at school. She is my shy child, but I am not sure preschool would have helped that. Who knows? She did not go to kindergarten knowing how to read, as most kids don't, but learned fine in school.

My youngest went to no preschool at all, again, lots of activites without mom like dance class and stuff. She is the most outgoing kid, talks to everyone, and was reading before she went to kindergarten (though not at 3 like DD15.) Her teacher in kindergarten said she wished al her kids were so well behaved. Now, she is one of the oldest in her class, so that has something to do with it as well.

Anyway, I guess from what everyone is saying you should do it. But for my kids, it wasn't necessary. They got what they needed from all their activities. Financially we had to choose, all the activities or preschool and we went with all the activities and it was not the wrong choice for us.

ETA- Our school is half day kindergarten, if it was full day I would probably have reconsidered this.

 

[Hannathy]

As long as you aren't staying at all his classes and he has to listen to the teacher and behave appropriately and is away from you. He is getting pre-school. Do you cut and color and work on letters and sounds at home? Does he know his letters and numbers? Do you talk and show him money and how much change you are getting back, etc?

Neither of my kids went to formal pre-school. Neither could read entering kindergarten.They did exactly what you are describing and I did what I said above. Both my kids are advanced in school both read far, far above their levels (like 12th gr in third) Neither were ever a behavior problem, except my DD talked too much-but she still does that and her college Prof likes it. and she is still in HS but goes to College English classes.

So IMO you do not need "formal pre-school" if and that is a big if, you are taking him to lots of activities he has to function alone at and you are working on skills at home.

 

[sk!mom]

No preschool for DD13. She started full day Kindergarten at 5 and did great.

In your situation, I wouldn't give up so many activities that your child enjoys for preschool. I'd enjoy one more year of freedom with him.

 

[Zeebs]

As long as you aren't staying at all his classes and he has to listen to the teacher and behave appropriately and is away from you. He is getting pre-school. Do you cut and color and work on letters and sounds at home? Does he know his letters and numbers? Do you talk and show him money and how much change you are getting back, etc?

Neither of my kids went to formal pre-school. Neither could read entering kindergarten.They did exactly what you are describing and I did what I said above. Both my kids are advanced in school both read far, far above their levels (like 12th gr in third) Neither were ever a behavior problem, except my DD talked too much-but she still does that and her college Prof likes it. and she is still in HS but goes to College English classes.

So IMO you do not need "formal pre-school" if and that is a big if, you are taking him to lots of activities he has to function alone at and you are working on skills at home.

I agree with this poster, both my boys do go, the decision was made for us not for the educational side of it but for learning the skills, they will need for school. Like sitting on the mat, following the instruction of teachers etc.

Kirsten

 

[tzolkin]

My DD kindergarten teacher told us that she can tell who went to preschool and who did not.

My DD went 2 days a week at 3, and 3 days a week at 4. She loved it.
I sent her to a co-op preschool.

Both of my daughters' kindergarten teachers told me that the children that had attended pre-school were no better off socially or academically than they were. They really didn't do many "socializing" activities either. My middle DD and youngest DS had such severe motion sickness that we were basically home-bound until she started school.

Even the pricipal and other teachers when asking if my other kids were going to go to pre-K, said "oh good. It's so much better for them to have that extra one-on-one time with you" when I said we were not going to send them.


It's pre-K registration time now for DS, but we've pretty much decided that he'll stay home too. I think if pre-K was two or three days a week, I would definitely send him. Ours is through the elementary school and it's 1/2 day every day. My oldest will be starting at the high school next year, so I'll have one getting home at 12:00 (pre-K), one at 2:30 (HS), and one at 4:00 (elem.) every day. He also still gets carsick, so two bus rides every day with a puke bucket is something we can postpone for another year.

 

[mjkacmom]

I'm a SAHM to five, and they all attended preschool for 2 - 3 years (half day programs, ranging from twice a week to five times a week). They also had playgroups, gymnastics, swimming, art, etc. I am very friendly with the kindergarten teachers now (having five go through kindergarten), and they definitely feel that preschool is a good thing, they can tell who hasn't gone, and there are many times that the lessons gets held up by those who haven't attended preschool.

One aspect I really loved was having my children chose their own friends. Sure, I had 2 playgroups a week, with my friends and their kids, but in preschool, it was up to them to find kids they clicked with.

I personally don't know of anyone who didn't send their kids.

 

[ginnymack]

I am a SAHM and a big fan of preschool. I think it gave/will give my kids a big advantage when they started school. I do not think it is an academic advantage at all - unless you are a parent who does not get into doing shapes, colors, and letters with your child. But I think it is a HUGE advantage when it comes to knowing how to "do" school. Handling their own coats, dealing with their own lunch (opening, eating, cleaning up) walking in the halls, carpool line, listening to someone else besides me for an extended period of time, negotiating social situations on their own, being away from me, making great arts and crafts that are messier than I allow at home, even good old "show and tell" gets them used to communicating clearly in front of a group. None of those experiences can be reproduced as well at home or in an hour class here or there. We have a full day kindergarten (7:30 - 2:25) and it is a BIG day - even if they went to preschool. I can not imagine the SHOCK my kids would have had they not had a preschool experience.

Also, most preschool teachers are not glorified "babysitters" they have proper degrees in childhood development. So if there is a question about kindergarten readiness, or any delays or issues that your child may have they can get you going in the right direction to help your child. Even the littlest things can be helpful - my childs 3 y/o preschool teacher just pointed out that my child is stuggling with tossing a ball up in the air and catching it. While that is certainly not major news, it is nice to know that she has an area that needs improvement so that we can help her get to where she needs to be, and make sure she does not fall behind on any gross motor skills.

To me, a good preschool is worth its weight in gold. I know I am doing the right thing, on MW & F when I as my dd what she wants to do to day and she throws her hands up in the air and screams "GO TO SCHOOL!"

 

[KristiMc]

SAHM here and both of my boys did 2 years of preschool. One of the reasons I think it is good is to get the kids used to going to school for a few days a week before they go all week.

 

[Samar]

With DS, he went starting at age 3 to public pre-k since he had speech issues. It would've impaired him to keep him from school since we didn't know what kind of speech delay we were dealing with (and we still don't).

With DD #1, we put her in private pre-k since she was not in any other activities. I'd say to enroll him in the fall to get used to the school setting though. This way he gets used to the structure of having a teacher and doing different activities all within a short span instead of an entire hour devoted to one activity (from a 1/2 day POV). I think it has helped both of my children with learning to share and that they're not at the top of the pecking order DD #1 apparently thinks she's the queen

 

[LisaNJ25]

my oldest did not go to pre-school and we ended up keeping him back a few years later (not saying that was the issue)

My youngest is in pre-k 4 right now 5 days a week half day. Kindergarten here is all day. My other daughter is in Kindergarten this year and went to the same pre-school last year. I could not imagine sending any of them straight from being home all day to all day kindergarten. I really think they need that day of pre-school.

As far as scheduling all those activities for a child pre-school age.. that I couldn't imagine.