Preschool Questions: Best Age to Start and Type

Depends on a lot of things. Is her daycare provider doing crafts and outside play and stories with three yr olds or just watching them? would she be with kids her age or toddlers? I also recommend and NAEYC preschool when you start. Montessori would be good also and if you switch her to regular Kindergarten she will be find. KIds who do preschool and K in Montessori MAY have trouble transitioning to regular first grade.

My son was almost 3 and I now wish I would've started him closer to 2.5. Prior to that, he was in an in-home daycare like your DD. So maybe for your DD, at the start of next summer.

My son is a January baby, so almost 6 when he started Kinder.

He went to a NAEYC accredited preschool which has a play based philosophy. It's still structured, but they learn more with their hands than with worksheets. It was a perfect fit for his personality.

http://www.naeyc.org/

Your daughter doesn't actually need to go to a preschool but if you're wanting her to get used to being in a classroom setting then 3 or 4 would be a good age to start. My daughter goes to more an academic preschool - they still have lots of fun but they do follow a cirriculum. Lots of times when they're learning they're having so much fun that they don't even realize that they're learning. I don't have any experience with a Montessori school but I've heard good things about them too. We've been happy with my daughter's preschool but she may have done just as well at a Montessori school. Some kids will adjust no matter where they go and some may be better off at one type of preschool or another.

I think the best thing you could do is visit a few different preschools that you're considering and see what the kids do during the day and how your daughter would fit in. You could even ask about bringing your daughter with you to see how she likes it.

Preschool is really for kids 3 and older. Before that, it's structured daycare! To be considered "preschool age" most schools will require that your child be 3, so you may want to consider having her start that January after her birthday.

Go visit different preschools and see what you like. What draws you to Montessori? Do you know what it's all about or is it something you have read about? Do some research and call around.

We visited 5 different preschools before selecting one for our son. I'm not a fan on Montessori, but those who like it love it. We visited a parochial preschool, private "prep" preschools, and a community-based preschool. There were things about each that we liked and disliked, but in the end decided on one of the "prep" preschools b/c that's where my son was visibly most comfortable. He had fun and didn't want to leave! The other "prep" preschool felt like a "learning lab" and the director wouldn't allow our son to touch the toys. Needless to say, HE asked to leave!

You'll know which one you like when you see it!

My kids both went to Primrose for Pre-K and my oldest stayed for private kindergarten because he also missed the cutoff. They teach a full grade above for the curriculum of the district for example, our Pre-K (teacher had a teaching degree also) was teaching Keller ISD kindergarten curriculum and so on. They had a nice head start.

Good Luck,
E.

I don't know about Montessori. Usually preschool is started age age 3, or a year before the child starts K, although 2 years of preschool is not uncommon.

Both my girls attended programs that were run by our school district, they went for 1/2 day, 5 days a week. Both programs were very structured and were designed to include both learning, play and social development.

I think it's best to visit several different types so you can see which one feels like a good fit for both you and your daughter. The naeyc accredited schools have met certain standards and are generally considered better programs. My kids went to a play based school which followed the "high scope" curriculum (you can google the term for more info.) We loved it!
My kids started at age two, but they only went part time. If she's going to go full time it might be better to wait until she's three.

Personally, I think your daughter is the perfect age to start pre-school now. My kids blossomed at around age 2, in preschool (mine both attended since babies, but 2 is when it all connected and they started glowing about their friends and activities).

Good luck,
L.

I sent all three of my children to preschool when they were abotu 3 1/2 years old. Best thing I ever did -- they all loved it! My youngest is 4 1/2 and will be attending "transitional Kindergarten" this year at her preschool. Her preschool is great . . . it's not Montessori but does apply some Montessori concepts, but they also have a routine/structure so I know when she goes to Kindergarten next year it will be an easy transition. I wanted them in preschool not only to start them learning/thinking, but also for socialization which is so important.

My dd went last year in the 2 1/2 class for 2 days for 2 hours. It was mainly for social interaction. She will go next year Tues, Thurs, for 2 1/2 hours. I chose this instead of 3 days so she could do gymnastics on Wed. At 4 she will go to 3 days. There is a 5 day pre K option.---Knowing they will be in school the rest on their child hood, I like the least amount of time. Montessori always sounds good program, I just never wanted my kids gone for so many hours.

My daughter is almost 4, and goes to a Montessori school. I can guarantee you it's not anything like the one Gamma described. The class my daughter is in is always much calmer than I expect. Montessori is child-led learning, not anything goes learning. So my almost 4 year old can write her name (and mine, and her dad's), because writing is what she's interested in. But she can also name muscles in her body (obliques and gluteus maximus were the recent ones she came home talking about), and various names of dinosaurs because those were the focuses that week.

My daughter went to day care for the first year of her life, but I realized I wanted her to learn something during the day instead of just being babysat. I would recommend starting your child earlier rather than later, just to get in the routine or going to school and listening to teachers. You will have to check out a few "schools" before picking the right one. If I encountered one where kids were hanging from the rafters, I would walk right back out... not just because it wouldn't prepare my child for kindergarten, but because I would worry about the safety of my child in that classroom!

Our kids have been in Montessori since they were 18 months and I cannot say enough good things about it. It is total structure in the classroom. Our kids (6 and soon to be 4) need that structure for different reasons. One could easily be a follower and the other had potential to be defiant. This environment has helped both of them be their best. Our youngest has become the most pleasant child too, which is awesome from where she use to be. Our kids are receiving an outstanding education. Our daughter was reading and writing sentences in Kindergarten thanks to the prep in the pre-school classroom. Our youngest can write things like her name, mom, dad, numbers 1-10 and a lot of letters without any help or reminder how they go. They are taught respect for themselves, the classroom, teachers and their friends. One of them has a Peace Corner in the class…if someone does something you do not like, the 2 of you go to the peace corner and talk it out and explain how it made you feel. Love it. Disrespect to anyone is not accepted. They teach independence. They have soooo many activities that will make you wonder why they are doing it and they have the most impressive reasoning for it. They sew buttons on to burlap because holding the needle and moving it to a precise spot teaches them to hold a pencil properly and have good penmanship. Interesting huh? They use beads and chains and number boards for math. Montessori is practice, practice, practice. They will do a lot of the same work when they are 3 that they do at 4, 5 and 6. Each year they just add more to it making it more challenging. Our 3 year old can name all of the continents which is not something many at that age can do. Soooo not trying to brag if it sounds like that, just trying to throw out some examples as they hit me. If you hear my kids talk or see them in action at home, they are total normal, wild at times kids. But, at the end of the day, we know the foundation is there and no one can take that away. Our plan is to send both kids pre-school-1st (maybe even 3rd) grade as long as we can afford it. I would take a tour no matter what just to see how different it is. Good Luck!

I worked in a Motessori preschool/child care center and the kids that started kindergarten that had been there for the long haul had bahavior slips nearly every day. It took them hours to calm down after being at the center before school. It was pretty much a free for all after they ate breakfast, they could play, run around, basically swing from the rafters and when it came time to settle down and pay attention in a classroom setting the teachers at the public schools did not stand for their behaviors. Find a different type of preschool once she is 4. At 3 it won't matter too much but at 4 she will start developing her habits in the classroom.