Disadvantage for 4Yo in Multi-age Pre-K 3/4 Class?

I'm sure some people with experience teaching preschool will post, but I was wondering about what you expect to find in Kindergarten (same school, different school?) I know that my son's (public) K class had (entering) kids who didn't know all their letters and kids who were reading simple books and everyone seemed to be OK in the end.

I was an early reader myself and my son was not - right in the middle average - and he is now a very strong reader (in his school's gifted program) at age 8. Early reading is nice, but reading-prep is just one part of the preschool experience.

I do think it's valid to wonder what the teachers plan to do with the mixed age groups and abilities, and I think you should ask for a meeting to discuss that. I know people who have been very happy with mixed-age classes, and other parents who felt their kids didn't get what they needed. I think a good teacher who is trained to work with mixed-age groups can make it a great experience, but you don't want your kid to be the one working alone in the corner because she's the only one who has already mastered all of the work.

Also, ask about the size of the class if they are combining two rooms. Just my take on it, but I think a low student-to-teacher ratio plus a mixed group might work out great, with lots of individualized help. In a bigger group with fewer teachers, maybe not.

My daughter went to two preschools last year as a 4 year old.. one was M-W-F mornings with just 4 year olds, and the other was a montessori school T & Th all day with a mixed age group preschool 3 and 4 year olds and also Kindergarten 5 year olds all in the same room. I think she got a lot out of both of them education-wise so I wouldn't be overly concerned. Probably the only "con" I saw to the Montessori school was she didn't have quite as many outside of school friends from that school..it seemed she got along more with kids her own age from the other school and just a handful from montessori who were her age or older. She viewed the younger ones in the same light as her younger sister. But really that could also have been because most of the parents at Montessori worked full-time and didn't have time for that vs. the part-time school had a lot of stay at home moms who wanted play dates and could have had nothing to do with the ages. And honestly they have plenty of time for friends so this really isn't terrible. I do think the Montessori school taught her a lot about patience with the younger ones (she really is great with her younger sisters) which is a great quality. The teacher was very good about keeping everyone engaged in everything at their own pace and I feel she learned a lot there. Make sure you express your concerns to the teacher/administrator and see how they answer your questions. If it is the right school for your daughter I'm sure they will alleviate your fears and show how they are prepared to teach everyone differently and age-appropriately.
I really think they teach the same concepts to 3 year olds as they do to 4 year olds, just elaborate more with the 4 year olds.

My son was in a classroom such as this last year. He had a great experience. Keep in mind that preschool's main purpose is to help socialize your child so she will be ready to go to Kindergarten next year. It sounds like she is well ahead of what Kindergarten entrance expectations are in reading, so focusing on cutting and other skills should certainly happen over an entire school year for her. If you are worried, have craft time at home to see her progress. Give her teachers a little credit and relax. She's still a baby in the grand scheme of things. She will have at least 12 years ahead of her to stress out about her studies. Your attitude will play a big part in how she responds to school.
I hope she has a fun year!

A.

Hello,
I am a multiage teacher myself. I teach a multiage class comprised of first and second graders. Our school preK also is a multiage 3/4 combination and always has been. I did my thesis on multiage education so I would be happy to give you more information if you like. I have found that all children thrive in a multiage environment, especially the bright ones. Parents often have concerns regarding the second year- how it will be taught, will the olders be bored, the youngers overwhelmed, etc etc. A good multiage teacher will teach using a differentiated instruction model. For example, the goals and objectives are the same. However, the process of getting there differs depending upon a child's readiness. This is really true of any classroom- not just a multiage one. You will find about the same mix of levels in a single grade classroom. Let's say the objective is learning set of sight words. The class may start together playing games reviewing past sight words and introducing new sight words that some children are ready for and others are not quite there yet. Then, the class may break apart into small differentiated groups. In a preschool classroom maybe one small group will work on learning centers forming the letters out of clay, string, etc Another group may practice writing the words on small lapboards. Maybe the teacher will guide the more advanced children to cut out the words they are able to find from magazines and make a collage together. The objective is the same, learning the new sight words, but one group is just forming the words to aid recognition, one group is practicing writing and spelling the words, while another group is reading and locating the words within a printed material. This group may be looking for ten new words instead of five. Therefore, a multiage classroom in the elementary years, is really not at all that different from a regular classroom when you consider the varying levels. Any trained qualified teacher will differentiate multiage or not. In addition, I have seen social gains as well. My olders are very patient with the youngers in the group and seem to accept differences more readily than children in the traditional classroom. I feel this is due to the fact that it is more acceptable to have different strengths and weaknesses in the multiage classroom because the children expect it. I am sure this is more than you were looking for- I am just very passionate about what I do! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Spend a little bit of time in the classroom or offer to help the teacher with projects. With the right teacher, multiage can be a wonderful experience!

Best of Luck!
S.

I would really try to confront the center you take her to with your concerns and ask them how they will be challenging her. You pay so you have a say in what should be done. If she is doing that well though I would say she may challenge herself. Much luck to you, we all just want the very best for our kids right.

I understand your concern but Every school does things different. I think you should talk to the school about how they will run the class.
Are they going to have an assistant in the class? Are they planning on spending 1/2 the day with advancement skills for the older children on just work on the same skills your daughter learned last year.

When my son attended Christian School 1st and 2nd were together, 3rd and 4th were together and 5th and 6th were together. They would teach 1/2 the class and then they other 1/2 while the first 1/2 did they work. But they never combined Pre-K and Kindergarten. They felt there was to much of a difference in there skills. But they also did not have an assistant in any of there classes.

You do have one option and that is not to send her to Pre-=School and teach her at home. the home environment is always great.

Good Luck,
S.