Hello All! I am having a difficult time deciding on sending my son to preschool. He turned 3 in March. He and I love his daycare where he is however I feel like he needs more. It seems in my area the only preschools are private Christian based. Is there such a place that is not? I have not finding very many if any. I have already visited 3 and so far the 1. dirty 2. really nice 3. too much going on. We like 2 but want to keep options open and find the right place with out speding a fortune either. Any thoughts or ideas would be great. Thank you!
I sent the kids to Head Start at 3. They did fine. I think that if you look at a school that is set up as a pre-school and not a child care you will see a difference too.
If you are happy at the child care center then I think you should leave him there. He has plenty of time before he starts kindergarten to do a whole year of pre-k that is offered free through the local public school system.
We have a similar situation here. I found that just because the Preschool was located in a church that didn't really mean they were offering a religious program. I sent my son to a church based preschool for a year and other than praying before snack, it was definately church "light". Some programs are very religious and they will most likely tell you that upfront.
You might check with your school district to see if they need peer models for the special education preschool, that is what my son did for his second year.
Good Luck.
M
I like preschools run by school districts. they want to prepare the kids for kindergarten and first grade -- so they cover all of the necessary material in preschool. I dont know your area.. but look for school based programs..
But really the things he needs to know at 3.. sharing.. playing with others.. self help skills.. (button zip tie.. as age appropriate..) starting of colors letters and numbers..
the first day of kindergarten starts with "this is the letter A" . they dont expect the kids to know much.. some kids know a lot before kinder..but soem do not so kinder starts at the beginning..
My son went to the preschool through the park district. Our YMCA used to have a preschool, as well. Also, Michelle is correct that many preschools are simply located in a church but not actually affiliated with the church.
Check out some more schools, ask around and try not to lose hope. I'm sure you'll find the right situation for you and your son.
My son just graduated from the preschool program at our city's recreation department :)
My kids attended 2-year-old preschool for the play, play, play. The experiences were wonderful! They were thrilled to paint masterpieces that at home would take about an hour clean-up, lol. Oh, the projects! The stories, the songs, other kids, outside time, etc. They loved it.
Your daycare might already be providing those experiences. So, it's really up to you. Sorry there are not a lot of options where you are.
Have you ruled out churches? A friend recommended those b/c turnover tended to be low and the teachers were very committed. I am sure it depends on the school.
The school districts, and city should have preschool programs. Also, don't count out home based preschools, either.
When we chose a preschool, they were all Christian based or Montessori. What mattered was the style of teaching, the size of the class, if the school was accredited with the state, and whether or not they included prayer, mass, or doctrine. Our church didn't offer preschool, only kindergarten through high school, so we didn't want any sort of religious teaching in their preschool outside of our own church. We did find a Christian based school with all our requirements and did NOT teach anything faith-based. It took a while to find, but we did find it. They turned out to be the best school in the area and a real gem of a fine. People came from other towns to use them, their program was so good.
My son goes to preschool at a Catholic School. The program truly prepares them for kindergarten and the teachers are phenomenal! My son is very bright and social--he learned that at home. He builds on it at school and learns "school" things--lining up outside, lining up at the water fountain, public speaking/class presentations, taking turns with classmates, teamwork, etc. He goes M-W-F from 8:30-11, so it's not too long.
The only non-religious preschools in our area are run through the school district. However, only at-risk children are eligible (low income, special needs, etc).
I really don't understand why we are sending 2 year olds to preschool. They have a long life of institutional living ahead of them, why rush it.
My kids play. That is all we do. When my oldest asks for school, we will do school, but I don't plan on introducing it ---- ever. She is 4.3 months and reads really well, btw.
Let your kid play and have fun, it is the most educational thing you can do. In fact, all the research shows this.
