The search begins

We are considering a two-day-a-week preschool program for the boys during the 08/09 school year. Demand far outweighs supply around here – with some parents registering their kids before they’re born – but I’m just now starting to think about it.

Last week I spoke with the director of a local preschool that we are considering. I wanted to put the boys on the waiting list and also find out if there was the possibility of them being in a Spanish-only class. She said that the vast majority of children speak only Spanish when they arrive on the first day of school and that the parents are sending them to preschool to learn English. There’s virtually no demand for the other way around.

That’s both positive and negative for us… positive because it means the boys will be around a lot of Spanish, especially in the beginning of the year. But negative because the goal of the teacher is to transition to only English after a few months. The director did mention, however, that Spanish is the predominant language of the playground all year long!

Currently this program offers two/three/five days a week as an option for two-year-olds. But once they turn three, the only option is 9am-2pm Monday-Friday. Again, this is due to demand. Most parents want their kids in preschool every day for as long as possible. We were hoping, however, to continue two - maybe three - days a week until kindergarten

But the director said it’s hard on kids to only go two days a week, even at age two. Three days a week is a little easier because it creates more of a routine. She also said that once they’re three they need sufficient time to master basic social and academic skills to prepare them for the curriculum presented the next year (age four): “There is so much demanded of kindergarteners these days. Three-year-olds need to have all the basic skills under their belts so that the next year we can focus on thoroughly preparing for kindergarten.”

Hmmm, I didn’t know how to respond to that. It’s so different than my thoughts about the preschool years. I’m not terribly concerned that they learn to read and write before kindergarten. Maybe this is because we’re planning to homeschool so I know they won’t slip through the cracks.

Anyway, I guess what I’m looking for is more of a Mother’s Day out program instead of preschool. But it would be ideal to find a situation that is somewhere between the two, where the boys could play with their peers and also have some structured group activities (e.g. storytime and organized games), but not spend their time doing worksheets and learning to read.

So if I’m going to spend $6K in tuition and various fees to have these boys in a program six hours a week, I want it to be more aligned with what I want for them at age 2-4.

The search continues...

Comments

[Mama Squirrel]

When our oldest was toddler and preschool age she attended classes two days a week at a local community centre. For us it was a perfect setup, because although there was a paid teacher, the moms also took it in turn (required!) to stay and help several times during the session; on the days you weren't scheduled, you were free to leave. So some mornings I got to keep tabs on what was going on in dd's preschool (and vacuum up the cracker crumbs), and other mornings I had a couple of hours of free time.

So you might want to look into something like that that is more parent-driven but also organized well enough that you can have a bit of "mom's morning out" if that's what you're looking for. Just an idea...

[Dolly Acosta]

Hi- Got the polo, Thanks!