Sending Your Own Children To Preschool

[spud912]

So my current ages are this:
5 yo dcg
4 yo dcb
4 yo dcb
4 yo daughter
2 yo dcb
2 yo daughter

All 3 of my oldest daycare children are leaving for school . I run a full preschool program here but my replacements are all so young! Here is what I have so far:
4 yo daughter
2 yo dcb
2 yo daughter
18 month dcg
17 month dcg

I still have one vacancy I'm trying to fill with an older child, but I keep getting inquiries for the under 3 crowd.

I'm starting to feel really bad for my older daughter because all of her "friends" are going to school and now she will be the oldest by almost 2 years. I told my husband that maybe we should consider enrolling her very part time for a preschool with children her own age and he thought I was absurd and that it is good for her to learn how to be the big kid. In a year, she will have plenty of opportunities to "socialize." Please someone talk some sense into me that this is good for her and she doesn't need children her own age .

[JoseyJo]

So my current ages are this:
5 yo dcg
4 yo dcb
4 yo dcb
4 yo daughter
2 yo dcb
2 yo daughter

All 3 of my oldest daycare children are leaving for school . I run a full preschool program here but my replacements are all so young! Here is what I have so far:
4 yo daughter
2 yo dcb
2 yo daughter
18 month dcg
17 month dcg

I still have one vacancy I'm trying to fill with an older child, but I keep getting inquiries for the under 3 crowd.

I'm starting to feel really bad for my older daughter because all of her "friends" are going to school and now she will be the oldest by almost 2 years. I told my husband that maybe we should consider enrolling her very part time for a preschool with children her own age and he thought I was absurd and that it is good for her to learn how to be the big kid. In a year, she will have plenty of opportunities to "socialize." Please someone talk some sense into me that this is good for her and she doesn't need children her own age .

If it was me and I could afford it I think I would hold out for a 3-4 yo child to fill your last spot (only advertising for that age group). That way she can still have someone close to her age and instead of paying out for preschool you would be getting in an extra income.

[Familycare71]

Ummm... Lol
I did do this for my middle child. He needed (IMO) to be taught by someone else before going to kind for a full day. I did two days a week (the program was 5). It worked well. The only thing I would suggest is to see if they have a "field trip day"... I ended up sending him a bunch of extra days so he could participate in those.

[Crazy8]

probably not the right person to answer because I sent all 3 of my own kids to preschool for 2 years before kindy. First year was 2 days a week, 2nd year 3 days a week. While I do work with the older ones on preschool activities I definitely don't run a full preschool program and I really felt my children needed to make the adjustment to someone other than mommy being the teacher.

[spud912]

I just feel so bad for her, but at the same time I don't want to spend anytime away from her either! I only have one more year before she's gone to school .

[Familycare71]

I just feel so bad for her, but at the same time I don't want to spend anytime away from her either! I only have one more year before she's gone to school .

I totally understand!! That's why I did two days @ 2.5 hours per day

[daycarediva]

Ummm... Lol
I did do this for my middle child. He needed (IMO) to be taught by someone else before going to kind for a full day. I did two days a week (the program was 5). It worked well. The only thing I would suggest is to see if they have a "field trip day"... I ended up sending him a bunch of extra days so he could participate in those.

This is what I did. My youngest is STUBBORN and hard headed and quite a PITB. It didn't matter that there were other kids here his age, so for me socialization and friends had nothing to do with it.

I started sending him to prek 2 1/2 days per week, and then he went full days because he loved it soooo much. He was the BEST behaved child there, and here he was the worst. stinker.

[NeedaVaca]

For me it would depend on if she is really good for you at home or like some threads say... your own kids can be the hardest to deal with. If she is doing well at home my decision would be to keep her home that last year She might love being your helper.

[Familycare71]

This is what I did. My youngest is STUBBORN and hard headed and quite a PITB. It didn't matter that there were other kids here his age, so for me socialization and friends had nothing to do with it.

I started sending him to prek 2 1/2 days per week, and then he went full days because he loved it soooo much. He was the BEST behaved child there, and here he was the worst. stinker.

My son was too!!!! Lol.

[bunnyslippers]

I had this same situation, and I chose to send my 4 year old to preschool M-F, from 9-12:00 each day. I was fortunate that my husband had the flexibility to drive him to and from each day, since his work was right up the road.

I am sending my own 3 year old this coming school year, from 8:00-2:00 each day. He is ready, and I think he needs the time in a preschool before kindergarten!

[spud912]

Ah man....you all made it so much harder!

She was a terror child when she was young but is getting soooooo much better as she ages. She also recently showed a great love to help out AND play with younger children. So, I think she will be fine at home.

On the other hand, I think she can really benefit from going somewhere else too! Right now a lot of her learning is from her desire to compete with all the older children and master what they know. I worry that with everyone leaving, she will become more complacent with learning things. The school I plan to send her to in a year is accelerated and she has to test into it. She is smart but super stubborn and frustrates easily. I feel like if someone else was teaching her other than me, she will be more open to instruction and less likely to get frustrated. Plus, the elementary school I want to send her to has an on-site preschool. I definitely do not want to pay for preschool services when I DO THAT ALREADY, but I know we can work it into our budget (it's $65 per week for 5 half-days and includes one meal each day). There is a 10% discount for prepaying.

I guess my biggest obstacle is convincing my dh AND personally letting her go . My dh is more money savvy than me and does not like paying for something that we already have.

[CrackerJacks]

My daughter started preschool when she was 2yo. The first year it was 2 days/wk for 1.5hrs, second year 2 days/week 2.5 hrs, third/fourth year (because of her bday she did 1more year) was 3 days/week for 3.25hrs.

My sole reason for enrolling her was not necessarily for the education or the socialization, as she got all of that here during the day with me. It was because I wanted to be sure she would be able to adapt to situations when I was not around.

One of the things children who attend Childcare learn is how to seperate themselves from their parents. I wanted to be sure she would be able to be okay to go to kinder with the ability and confidence in herself knowing she would be "okay" without me.

She is now going into 2nd grade and is able to adapt to situations when I am not around wonderfully.

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[DaisyMamma]

I say send her.
Won't it be a shock when she goes to kindy and has to leave you all day, 5 days a week? Having friends her own age in a classroom environment a couple days a week would be good.

[Play Care]

Ummm... Lol
I did do this for my middle child. He needed (IMO) to be taught by someone else before going to kind for a full day. I did two days a week (the program was 5). It worked well. The only thing I would suggest is to see if they have a "field trip day"... I ended up sending him a bunch of extra days so he could participate in those.

I did it for both my kids. We have full day K here and I know my kids needed a transition from being home with mom all day to being in school. Ill admit that I was not sent to preschool and kindergarten was a disaster so that colored my opinion.

I LOVED that my kids the opportunity to meet kids outside of daycare - at the time I had some clients who seemed to think my kids were here for their kids entertainment and were shocked, SHOCKED (and perhaps jealous?) that my kids got to go to a "real" preschool three mornings a week away from their kids.... Bonus, IMO.