Preschool Questions - Chicago,IL

Definitely not option 3. He'll be much better off in a stable, long term program at a real preschool. The consistency of having the same kids and teachers all year is really important at this age.

As for 1 or 2, that's really up to you. If you want to go back to work full time, do it. If not, send him 2-3 mornings a week and have the other couple of days plus afternoons to spend together.

My son went twice a week at age 3 and three times a week at age 4. Both programs were from 8:45 - 11:30. My daughter will do the same (though now the school offers 9:00 - 12:00... 15 more minutes for M. - yahoo!)

Find some Mother's Day Out Programs. They are as you want to attend and they offer half day and full day programs in some area's.

My son is in 1/2 day preschool. He was tested through the school district and it is 5 days a week.

Things to think about..
Your son has been home with you, so when you first go back his immune system might need to do some catch up. he might be sick often, until his system can catch up. This will happen when ever he is exposed to other kids on a regular basis. (if not pre school, then , kindergarten or 1st grade).
If you can send him to school and hold off going back to work, for at least 6 months to let his system get some work going or you may be off work at lot at the begining.

Do you have back up support, someone other than you that can take off and be with him when he is sick.?
Are you planning on more kids? do you want to have them before you start back at work? Is starting back at work part the need, before having more kids.

You have to see what the scoop is for you and your family and think about what is going to be the best. That might be you stying home, that might be you going back to work. But only you can decide that.

Good luck!

I like half-day programs for preschoolers, myself. I actually ran two different preschools; I felt our half-day program was more bang for the buck while the full-day... well, lets just say that kids do get very tired of being with each other after 4 hours or so, and then you have the rest time, slightly tired kids playing not-as-cooperatively after rest, etc. :)

Because your son IS GOING TO GET SICK AGAIN no matter where you send him, I'd also consider half-day. This way, it costs less and you will be home/available on those days he gets sick. Consider this a year or so of building up his immunities. You might look at doing something during the time he is in school which could add to your resume and also offer the flex you would want. And if you do decide to return to work full-time, consider a nanny for the afternoon (will cost less than full-day) or a nanny share with another family. (I actually did this job, too, picking up kids from preschool and taking them for care at my house when my son was four months-- we did this for two school years and it worked very well.)

I work full time and my son has been in daycare since he was 4 months old (he is almost 4 now). We live in Florida, and there are daycares/preschools that have various options. When my son was about 15 months old, we transferred him to a Montessori school/daycare, where they have a half day (9-12), full day (9-3), or extended day (7a-6p) options. He loves the school and we have been very happy with his school and all that he is learning there. I also like the fact that unlike other daycares/schools, each classroom in the MOntessori school has kids of various ages (1-2.5 yr old; 2.5 - 4 yr old, and 3.5 - 5 yr old). I think this is very beneficial because each child has the chance to be the youngest (and learn from older kids), as well as become the oldest and teach the younger ones, in each class.

If you have the option, enroll him part time and go back to work part time and see how it goes, and take it from there. The most important thing is to do your research and pick a high quality school with good teachers and management. Make sure you visit the daycare/school and observe the classroom in action.

Good luck!

1) Preschool programs, in my State, have full days or half days, full time or part time.

2) My kids went to preschool part time. They finished at 12:00. My daughter started preschool at 3 almost 4 years old. My son started at 4 years old. They LOVED it. I chose a school, that THEY liked and that I was pleased with.
My kids went to preschool 3 days a week. Then for my daughter, she segued to going everyday... because, SHE wanted to.

3) You can always, change, their schedule later if you go back to work full time.

4) At this age, they do need social interaction and per development, to learn other things, and being in a group of kids in "school" is a lot of fun. My kids loved it and it prepped them for Kindergarten.
It was not a "sad" time. My kids LOVED it.

5) Kids get sick, if it is preschool or Kindergarten etc. Especially if it is a new environment. You can't completely avoid that.

My kids went Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 to 12:30, it was a perfect schedule for all of us!
But if you want and/or need to go back to work, do it. Find a good program and don't feel guilty.

There's absolutely such a thing has half day preschool. Our school is 9-12:30 and there are others in my town that run 9-11. You can also put him in just a few days a week.

If you are not sure what you want to do, check out both standalone programs and those associated with a daycare. My DD's old daycare had the kids that were dropped off leave the daycare area, walk to the room where preschool was held, and then come back for after care at the end.

What I did (because DD was not potty trained and I had not realized the 3s program in our school would allow pull ups) was take DD to Meet Ups. We went to museums and parks and magicians and parks and rec programs and library events....there's a ton of stuff out there. My DD did not start preschool til she was 4 and she was fine. I was also home with her from 18 months.

DD's preschool is play based but that doesn't mean she doesn't learn. She's learned a TON, even if she doesn't realize all of it.

Decide on what u want to do for work first. U can't work with him in a typical 9-12 program.

Okay, wow, things must be different here, because there are very few "full time" preschools. Our preschools run for 2.5 hours. There are options for number of days/week, etc. but a lot of that is determined by age/birthday.

There are options as far as daycares that are also preschools that is different if you need all day care and most preschools have options for extended day programs, but the only "real" preschool schooling part comes in that 2.5 hour period.

So my advice would be to start him out at a max of half day. It can be overwhelming, so start small and build up as you need to, even if it takes a year to do it. He's got time before K.

Only you can decide whether you want full-time day care for your son so you can go back to work full-time. Some full-time day care centers offer part-time options. Others that offer preschool with 2,3, or 5 day morning or afternoon options (and yes, they definitely exist) include park districts, school districts (usually a fee-based option that serves as an inclusive preschool for children with disabilitities), and private schools. Good luck.

I recommend preschool 3-5 days/week. I would encourage you to stay home with him a little longer. Those afternoons together are treasured and you'll only have them once. I plan to go back to work when my now 3.5 yo is in 1st grade.

My son just turned 5. We never did any preschool (I was certain this was a disadvantage to him academically), we do a lot of playgroups and we do park district classes, one we picked up just before he turned 5 was a play school class that ran for 2 hour twice a week. That class did wonders for him socially but I don't know how much it helped him academically because he already knew most of the stuff they were teaching. The best thing he got from it was writing practice. He is VERY social.

Despite my feeling like I let him down by not having him in preschool of some sort since he was 2 or 3 like so many other city parents, my kid just got accepted to a really great gifted program for kindergarten. He took both tests (classical and gifted) and scored really well on both, he was offered a seat in our first choice regional gifted center school, which, if you know Chicago, you know this is a really big deal.

I only mention it because I know how it is in the city, I feel like my kid is the only kid we know that didn't go to some sort of preschool program for at least a few days per week.

So, academically, if you're playing at home (I never do "school time" at home, we just play and learn and talk about things), and if you're going to playgroups and taking park district classes (I'm a big fan - cheap and you can find some great ones), preschool isn't an absolute must.

My child will be starting Kindergarten this fall with no more experience than a $100 per session 2 day per week park district play school that he didn't even start until he was almost 5, and not only will he start kindergarten, he got one of a very few number of seats available because his test scores were ridiculous.

If you've got questions about park district classes or anything, you can message M.. It's a hard decision and if you're like M., the hardest part was feeling like you were disadvantaging your child if you didn't put him into a preschool, but at the same time you want control over his environment while he's still young and developing so you can correct problems and encourage good behavior as you see them happen.

I think it really depends on your child and what they're ready for. My daughter will be 4 in a couple of weeks and at the start of the school year I knew she wasn't ready to go every day. She's very shy and very nervous around strangers. So I sent her to a two-day per week program. She struggled with it in the beginning but it's been great for her. I've really seen her come out of her shell. Getting her feet wet with the idea of school was right for her starting out. Now next year I have her enrolled in a 5-day a week program (all half days). She's ready for that next step.

As far as any full day preschool, I am not aware that these exist. I think those options are truly considered daycare, which is fine, just know that's what it is. If you're ok with that or with daily preschool and you feel your child will thrive in such a program, then therein lies your answer. My older daughter was ready for that at that age. And as I've learned, all kids are not created equal.

I would only send him 2 days a week right now for the 2-3 hrs.
Let him get acclimated while still spending time home with you.
He'll be more mature & more apt to be ready when he is older & you HAVE to get a job.
Plus the economy may get a little better making finding a decent job better/easier.
This way you still get to spend time at home w/him during this crucial
time that does not come again.
Hope that helps!

My kid is in a full day day care 3 days a week from 9-4, and is with his grandparents the other two days. Grandma & Grandpa also provide before and aftercare taking him from us at 7:30 and we pick him up at 6:30.

Next year, when he turns three, we plan to enroll him in pre-school 5 days a week from 8:30-3. With grandparents providing the before and aftercare.

If your return to work will be M-F 9-5, you will likely need some form of care before and after pre-school, whether full day, half day, full time or part time. To allow for your own commute. Bear this in mind.

With so many households being two income households, its a wonder to M. that child care/ school hours aren't longer by default.

good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

My daughter is in MWF preschool and I have a very part time science writing job that I do while she is in school. So, I think this is perfect and recommend you do something like this! She LOVES her preschool and has such a great time there. I just feel like she is not ready to be in full time school yet. She is 3 and a half. Maybe next year I will increase her hours at preschool and work a little more. I don't know yet.