@lizzieb90 My kids went to preschool but it was a couple mornings a week in a church sort of preschool, not a daycare-with-classes that is sometimes described as preschool. I think it was a good experience and worth looking into at 3 or 4.
If cost is a concern you can look into co-op preschools. Also many school districts offer preschool for 4-year-olds that's free for lower income families (it's called Pre-K here in Pennsylvania, in Michigan it was Great Start to Readiness)
I don't think it's a terrible thing to skip preschool but it will tend to make kindergarten a bit more difficult. Parent-child activities just don't have the same sort of structure.
@lizzieb90 My toddler is going to preschool three half-days a week when he turns three. My reasoning is that he can have experiences there that he can’t at home (socializing with a group of peers routinely, feeding farm animals, playing outside for several hours without any involvement from me, and a space of his own to exist away from family.)
Right now we just do mommy and me playgroups like storytime and Spanish class.
I don’t say this out loud or in any other groups, but I feel like the 1:1 attention is helpful for him right now.
@lizzieb90 First of all, my comment is certainly not intended as a judgement on you or your decisions.
I can see how your cousin might have found your response a bit surprising - not sure about "silly" - in that it sounded like your decision was based on what you desired just for your own benefit. And people may be expecting a more conventional answer that focuses more on your kid/family and what you think is best for them in some way.
Your reasoning obviously is driven by what you think is best for your family, but if that's not something you feel like sharing with others, you could say something general like "we've just decided that's what's best for our family at this point". And just leave it at that.
@lizzieb90 I have a 2&4 year old. I wanted to send the 4 year old this year BUT covid dried up a lot of our options and we ended up doing homeschool preschool. I got playing preschool from busy toddler and it’s been fun. We have something to do during the 2 year old naps and a lot of stuff is things I already have. We are planning on her going next year to a 3 day a week 3 hour a day preschool so 9 hours. I can’t wait to have some 1 on 1 time with the two year old and also for the 4 year old to get some socialization away from mom. I always wanted a 2 or 3 day half day and this is perfect. Co-ops are also a good choice because you usually have to go in a few days and help but they still have a few days on their own or other mom groups that get together in your area.
@lizzieb90 I chose a preschool that was only 2 days a week (for three hours) when my kids were two. It was a “co-op” so I was still with them a good percentage of the time as a classroom volunteer. The kids got to socialize and more importantly I got to socialize. I’m still friends with the families I met through that preschool 10 years later. They got to practice being away from me a bit and I would also get time for appointments for myself. I also was able to go work-out/meditate/deep clean when they where at school. At 3 years old the preschool upped the time to 3 days a week (still 3 hours a day). Then at 4 years old they upped it to four days a week. I chose a co-op morning only kindergarten, so at 5 they did 3 hours a day 5 days a week.
The slow easing into to school was absolute perfection for us. As they matured and developed we expected more and more from them. They are doing REALLY well academically now and are not showing signs of burnout.
Preschool isn’t for everyone but our small, play based, gentle preschool with a strong community was a great experience for our family and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
@lizzieb90 I'm trying to start my almost 4 year old in mother's day out this month. It's 10 hours a week and $200 a month during the school year. Pretty affordable compared to daycare and I think he could benefit from the structure and socialization at this age. But if you don't want to do preschool at all that's totally your call! If someone isn't paying for it they don't get a say, if you ask me.
@lizzieb90 My daughter stayed home until she was 4 then did a 3 day a week 1/2 day pre k program before kindergarten. I plan to do the same with my son who just turned 2
@lizzieb90 We did co-op preschool. It’s inexpensive compared to traditional preschools, and the parent involvement allowed us to spend more time together while practicing being away from one another for small increments of time.
@lizzieb90 My siblings and I never did preschool and I don’t intend to send any of my kids to preschool. It doesn’t give them an incredible jump on their education and like you stated it’s an expensive hassle.
@lizzieb90 SAHM here, my son is 2.5, and I'm basically riding beside you in the same boat. I remember a time (wow, that makes me sound old) when there was no such thing as 3K and 4K. As an alternative to paying to send a kid to daycare if both parents need to work, I'm all for it. You/we are in the fortunate position that we can choose to do that...or not. If it doesn't feel right for you (and I hear you there!) then don't. Kids that young are meant to be exploring their worlds, not stuck in a classroom. I certainly see the benefit to some of these programs (again, as an alternative to daycare, also for socialization, and some learning) but I'd rather enjoy this time with my son and give him the freedom to be a kid while he can. I mean, he's going to spend the next how many years in class already. Why all the pressure to start soooo young?
@lizzieb90 My 3yo goes one morning a week for an hour and a half. I don’t understand how it works for anyone who’s NOT a SAHP. Next year she’s eligible for 3 days/week, 2 hours/day but we haven’t decided yet if we’re doing it.
@lizzieb90 We put my first in school for half days at 2.5 when I had a 6 month old at home. It was the right choice. He hates people, especially kids, so I think a small class with a low ratio is helping him learn how to interact with other kids.
My second is almost 1 now and she'll have absolutely no problem making friends when she gets older, so I may keep her out longer/entirely because she'll be able to make friends anywhere.
My first avoids kids on the playground like the plague and while I low key love him for it lol, it's probably going to make things a little trickier for him socially long term, so even just him being able to observe other kids at school has been huge.
@lizzieb90 Australian here. Preschool was only for the year before Prep/ kindergarten. It’s quite important educationally here, not just child care. I will say that it’s free here, so I guess there’s that. Have a talk to preschools near you about what they offer, and what their aims are. Also do a bit of a search on google Since your little one is not yet one you have some time to think
