Trying to Decide Whether to Enroll 3 Year Old in Preschool Yet?

Go for it. It might help with the tantrums. But I wouldn't start her at 5 days a week, just start at 2 to 3 days a week. Chino has the YMCA that only does it a few days a week and doesn't push for the full learning yet, more of a fun time socially. (At least it use to be). Then next year you can advance her to a more learning Enviroment, You don't want her to hate school before she is actually in it. Good Luck! J.

Yes! I placed my kids in preschool at 3. I would try twice a week, on the same days from 8am-noon. or 9am-noon. Then when 4, 3 days a week at the same time zone. The year before Kindergarten, I placed them into a Pre-K program. Which was 5 days a week for 3 hrs. per day. Some schools provide a lunch program or eat lunch at home.
My kids are independent and outgoing.. they have tons of friends. The transition into Kindergarten was a snap and they were more than ready to move on. I volunteered in their classrooms on a limited basis. it was a nice reward to have mommy there to read to the class!

I placed my child in my church pre-school. Then moved on to Tutor Time for their Pre-K program. My child already knew people from church and most of the kids who attended.

I also attended Mommy and Me swim classes and Mommy and Me classes in Covina.
The classes were once a week and I met some life time friends. We potty trained together.
I am also a member of my local Moms Club. It's great!

Best of luck. Social skills are the key. Basic academics before kindergarten are good, but teaching that "Mommy always comes back" provides security.

When I leave my child, I always say... "Mommy... and my child says... "comes back".
Show her the clock and tell her what the clock will look like when her pre school day is over. It really helps to put the child in control of her situation and thrive with it.

Best of luck,
Shell

CoriV,

If her potty training is doing well, then I would definitely enroll her. You will be amazed with the amount of learning she will retain. I enrolled my daughter asap after training and she was a sponge with her lessons and speech improvment.
Communication with her got so much easier. her at-home comprehension skills & motor skills made it easier for me to concentrate towards. She made friends and learned how to deal and communicate with other children under trained supervision. There were days of tears and homesickness for me. sometimes over another student' verbal bullying and sometimes just missing me. She was in pre-school from 8 to 11:30 and had to carry a snack lunch, which she loved. I let her pick the lunch bag. she gained a sense of independance from it all. I do recommened to hang out a little at drop-off time and observe the conduct of the teachers. I was pleased with the affection offered to all of the students by teachers. they knew when someone needed a hug or a warm arm on the shoulders during those tears.

Hope this helps.

Teri

I have been doing day care/preschool for 12 years some kids start as young as 18 months other show no interest till 3. I go with the child what ever interest they show. Children that do the program with me for two full years know all the letters/sounds/words that start with the letter/start reading/counting past 30 up to 100. It might be a good idea to start your daughter so your mother in law gets a little break during the day and your daughter gets to play with other kids and starts doing school. If you have a good school it will be positve. Find something that works for her. Not every child fits into every school. Good luck

Hi, we decided to put our son at our church preschool when he was two. Just twice a week, half day. He loves it! He's now three and we'll continue to keep him in. I've worked with kids a long time and most of them do really well and are better off for having some preschool experience before kindergarten, especially when they're four. Our son by the time he was two, new his numbers, alphabet, colors and shapes. But, we really wanted him to have more of a learning/fun environment with a teacher and more chances for social development. He's great at school. In fact, his class this last year was so great that the teacher said this was the best class she's had in years and wanted to move up with them. Anyway, there is nothing wrong with having the kids experience a little bit of school. Not all kids do well, but the majority do. Do make sure that it's a fun learning environment and not strict that they cannot be kids. Also, that it's accredited.
About Montessori schools, unless you plan on keeping your child in that type of school through out her elementary years, I wouldn't put her in one. Kindergarten teachers hate having kids start out who were in a Montessori preschool. No structure and are not used to having a regular classroom environment where you sit for short whiles in circle time, etc...
I have a child in my Sunday School class that is in a Montessori preschool and he can't even handle the short time in the class and the 10 minutes of circle time. It's horrible most of the time.
You know your child best and what kind of school she would most benefit from. Good luck.

When My daughter was 2 I decided to work part time and put her into a Montessori pre-school/child care. She didn't like it very well at first but after a short time she began to LOVE going there. They worked on practical life skills like balance, threading a string through a hole, and transferring things from one bowl to another with a spoon. This was all in addition to the number and letter recognition. So it is not all work and no play. A good pre-school should also incorporate a lot of musical education as well.

I think it was a great move because her social skills and manners got a lot of reinforcement and practice. She still had the primary influence of home, but she was able to thrive in social situations as well (my friends daughter of the same age is still ultra clingy and scared of anything and anyone new.)

I am in education, a school counselor, and I work with kinder gardeners on a regular basis. I can definitely tell which ones have had the socialization skills and are used to the educational setting. They get off to a much earlier start and stay ahead well into the upper elementary grades.

The key is to interview schools and teachers thoroughly. Find a place that has a similar philosophy to yours on discipline, education, family, manners, potty training techniques, etc. I went to about 12 schools before I found my daughters. I was very happy with it and would recommend it any day. If you are near Yorba Linda I went to Ivy Crest Montessori!

I put my son in preschool when he was three and it was, I feel, a smart choice. Not only did it give him an academic advantage before starting kindergarten, but it also gave him some social interaction with kids his own age, gave him a safe place for a little parent-child separation, which will give him some independence. It also gave me a little breather and some time alone to run errands without him.

I did some looking around and decided the best choice for us was to go through the city program. I went through the city of Rancho Cucamonga since it's local for me and was very pleased with the program. They focused on letters, numbers, colors, shapes, motor skills and writing their names the first year. The second year the put even more attention in each of those categories and added patterns and so forth. It was also great because it was a fraction of the cost of other schools and you get to know others in the community.

We actually started a mommy & me program when my daughter turned 2 because of some developmental issues that arose & then sent her to a regular 1/2 day (8:30-11:30) preschool program when she turned 3. At first I was nervous because I thought she might be too young to go without me, but it has worked out great because she is an only child (so far) that is also very strong willed & it has been a wonderful learning experience for her. She is now 5 & will be starting in a regular kindergarten class in the Fall & I think she is really ready for the transition socially & academically because of the preparation that she received in preschool. This past year we went through the Rancho Cucamonga Lion's Center program which is city based & it was fantastic. The price was the best around & the teachers are top notch, many are actually former elementary teachers themselves. You don't even have to be a resident of Rancho to participate, though the price is slightly less if you are.

I would do preschool. The social is what it is all about. Does your school district have any preschools? We are in the Placentia-yorba linda district and they have a couple. Do you have neighbors that may have ideas? And at 3, probably 3 days or mornings will help her out. I sent my oldest to only 1 yr of preschool, and he is much worse socially than my 2nd that went 2 yrs. it could just be their personalities though...

I've worked in the preschool field for 10 + years. You are your child's best teacher-keep her home another year. It sounds like she is doing well and there is no need to rush her. Most of her life will be in school, give her time to be a kid. When she is 4, enroll her in a half day program to build kindergarten skills.

3 year olds still need the security of family and home. Every day I PRY little ones from their parents arms as they scream, it is heartbreaking. As far as social skills, do more playdates and perhaps a mommy and me program. I notice that children who are in daycare can pick up "bad habits from other children. Not too mention all the germs and sickness that goes along with daycare.

She is lucky to have a loving grandma to care for her while you are work. Let that continue.

Whenever you decide to place her in daycare, make sure you do a thorough check on several places. By law you are able to view all their licensing reports, both good and bad. Ask for referrals from parents enrolled in the center (also a state requirement that they offer this). go with your gut feeling and don't settle for the cheapest place.