1/2 Day K'garten Vs. Full

Hello...

I taught before school care and preschool in Birmingham, so I am very familiar with their programs. The before and after school great is great! I also helped in the extended kindergarten program which was wonderful. It was taught by a certified teacher and the program included activities that were developmentally appropriate for an extended day in a kindergarten classroom. The children attended lunch, had outdoor time, activities and a rest time. Some of the children that attended the extended day, also went to both before and after care. This makes for a very long day for a kindergarten age child, which is why you should make the best decision based on your family needs. It would be nice for your child to attend school close to your home. Maybe that would make the transitions easier in the morning. Plus then you could just pick them up and head straight home. Overall I just wanted to tell you that the programs at Birmingham are great and I think the families there were very happy.

Have you thought about sending him to a school close by your work. There is a really good charter school in Detroit with all day k'garten. It's located by 8 Mile Rd and Berg. The school is on Chippewa, Weston Prepatory Academy. My daughter is going to school and my son starts this fall. I know the teacher and she is an excellent teacher. If you would like any more information feel free to contact me! Take care and hope you find something soon! (It's tuition free and they offer after school latchkey $10 a week)

F.-

As a FT working Mom, I hear you!!!

We have been taking our son who is 2.5 yrs to Tutor Time for full time child care since he was 3 months old. We are 100% satisfied with the quality of care and education he is getting there. They have an accredited Kindergarten program, which we are highly considering when the time comes. You should definately check into it because Tutor Time is open from 6:30a.m. - to 6:30 p.m. so your Kindergartener would be able to stay at school until you are able to pick him up. Also, if you wish, you could put your two younger kids in daycare at Tutor Time, and all three would be in the same place.

Good luck!

A.

Dear F.,

In the Bloomfield Hills School District there is extended day tuition based kindergarten, and at my kid's school, it is excellent. It is not like a day care. There is also day care at some of the schools for the younger ones. Consolidating your children's day care & schooling into one location could be a big help. I don't know if West Bloomfield has school based pre-school care but it might be worth looking into. You can contact me privately if you want to know which schools I'm talking about. I hope this helps.

My son just finished his kindergarten year at WB schools - full day. We are also school of choice. I LOVE and highly Rec. WB schools . They are great. We attend Gretchko and love it.

Have you checked on a latch-key program your school may provide. We attend Way Elementry at Long lake and Telegraph (Bloomfield Hills Schools) I did full day k'garten and latch-key they are open 7:00am-6:00pm at the school. Had a wonderful experience at this school. The education was great.