At What Age Should My Son Start School?

3 is usually the best age to start them in preschool. At this age they are learning to communicate better and are ready for more peer interaction than they were at 2. My son just started going to preschool and it has been soooooo good for him. He loves going and never wants to leave when I pick him up. As soon as my kiddos were talking well enough, I sent them to preschool and they have been just fine.

Most preschools start kids when they are either 2 1/2 or 3 and potty trained depending on the school. Some schools (especially any affiliated with a school district or elementary school) require the child to be 3 before July 31st to start in Aug/Sept.

Children can start preschool at age 3 usually but there isn't any law saying they have to or need to. You could plan to send your son starting in fall 2009. It's a personal choice if you want to send your child to preschool for 1 or 2 years or not at all prior to kindergarten. For kindergarten, they usually have to be 5 by August but check with your school district about their policies.

I just figure my kids have at least 16 years of school to go through (Kindergarten - 12th grade plus 4 yrs. of college) so why rush them off so fast when they're still so little. If you are needing more alone time then maybe check in to a one day a week Mother's Day Out program at an area church or preschool. And, if you're just wanting more socialization for your child then enroll in a class with him or make more playdates with friends. If you do choose preschool make sure and research them first because not all are created equal. I specifically looked for ones with an NAEYC accredidation so that way I could be assured they would be required to meet certain standards regarding cleanliness through student/teacher ratio. If your son is currently in daycare then I would think transitioning him to a structured day at a preschool would depend upon the tempermant and personality of your child in addition to the potty trained issue.

Kids grow up too fast anyway. I'm for just enjoying them while you can!

I think the thing that always confuses me is why are people in such a hurry to send their kids off to school? Shouldn't children be allowed to be children before being sent off to school? Less structure is better for little ones. They need lots of play time with their families, not just with strangers. I'm sure Headstart has some wonderful programs in place; but these programs cannot take the place of time with family!

K.

I thnk 3 is a great age to start them, in that year of school they are learning more about social skills than academics, and it truly gets them ready for school. Headstart is an excellent program, and they will make sure you son is ready for kindergarten. I understand the parents saying that want the kids to be able to be kids for as long as they can, that they have enough school ahead of them, but preschool is so fun that I don't think you need to worry about him not feeling like he can just be a kid anymore. My son's daycare transitioned into pre-school (they also have k-12 private school there, but I opted for public school, mainly for the socialization aspect), when the school year started when they were 3, and at that age they are practicing colors, and shapes, and recognizing numbers, and playing games, making aweseme crafts, running with their friends, and having a grand time. My son's daycare/preschool was at a church, so they also got wonderful Bible lessons, and I really think that it made my son confident to pray in front of other kids, as they took turns at lunch every day. They didn't have to be potty-trained until they went into the 4 year class at his school, but I think for Headstart they have to be trained, at least around here.

My oldest started preschool when he was 3 1/2. He went to a half-day program that was a part of the district we live in. It was a great experience for him and he loved going. My youngest is now 3 and I'm on the fence about whether or not he's ready. See what your district has to offer for preschool. District programs are cheaper than private and sometimes offer bussing.

R. - I would start him the year before he starts Kindergarten. So he can have a year of head start and that will have him ready to start "big" school. My girls went to a daycare/preschool and at 4 years old or the year before they started kindergarten is when they would move the kids up to the preschool.

Good luck and enjoy your little guy!!

I would put off school as long as possible. He has his whole life to be going to school, work, etc. I had to work part time when my first child was little, so I know it's not always possible to be there 24/7, but I think a relative or home daycare is a much better alternative at this age. You might want to check out these ideas:

http://www.consideringhomeschooling.com/post/2004/08/Why-...

It actually depends on how bright the individual child is and how well/quickly they catch on to things. Some go to school uber early some start a little behind and catch up in time. It's really up to you and your childs father (I'm guessing he's an involved parent that only wants the best). My oldest niece is starting kindergarten early (she just turned 4 in February) Good luck to you and your little one.

1st step would be: is your son potty-trained? Most facilities require this for the age 3 group.

2nd step: do you want socialization skills or academic or both? Look for licensed/accredited providers, or good/reputable in-home providers. (I fall into the latter category: I am unlicensed, & only take 4 children at a time. We thoroughly cover all KG prep material. Currently I have 2 four y.o. girls, & they both are quite adept at the basic KG skills already....with one of the girls able to spell more than 20 words!)

3rd step: if you are comfortable with teaching your son, contact your school district & request info on skills required for KG (all a part of the KG screening process)...this gives you a guideline of "what" your son needs to know. & the kicker is: KG students are required to know so much more than children from even 5 years ago. I use the internet daily to jumpstart my idea process!

& jumping on a different subject: both of my sons began KG at age 6, one because of the bd cut-off date & one because he simply could not stay focused/on task. He was academically ready, but not focused enough to start. He entered the school district's KG Bridges program, & that allowed him to "settle" down before KG the next year. This decision was made at the recommendation of several teachers whom I know, with 2 of them making the choice to wait until age 6 for their own sons. & 7 years later, my son loves being one of the oldest in his class....rather than being the "baby"!! Something to think about!

I would say 3 is a good age to start them, some schools wont take them until they are fully potty trained. Something you can look into, possibly call the school in your area that he would be going to, you can always go and check out the school, they could give you a tour of the building.

I teach pre-school and we start them at 2, but 3 in the actual pre-school program. I would recommend a two or three day program when he's 3 and then when he's older like 4 or 5 (before kindergarten) a 3 or 4 day program to get him ready for kindergarten. Most kids don't understand why they are going 5 days a week in kindergarten when they've only been going for 2 in preschool and they go thru a period of shock. So prepare him the year before, even if it's only a half day program, it is something. Good luck and God Bless.

Hi R.,

My son turned 3 in May so techincally he could go to our local elementary school's PreK program but I decided to wait until next year. Even though I think he's ready I liked the idea of just having that time with him for one more year. A nice thing too is that our town's library has a one day a week program they call library school (it's more like story hour) that is structured like school and I am going to send him to that to kind of prepare him for preschool. Also, I had very good experiences with church preschools for my older two sons which were very affordable and credible. I hope that helps and good luck!

E.

Call Head Start, they accept kids 3 or 4 before aug. 31. and if under 2 1/2 call early head start! It will do wonders for your child, and if over 3 they may offer a bus for you depending on where you live! call them... ###-###-####

R....I have 3 children and they all went through Head Start. They loved it. They all started when they turned 3, they had a few issues with seperation, but there are 2 teachers in the classroom and they really seem to help. Good luck!

You can start him next yr. some preschool centers strongly advise that children age 3 and up be completly potty trained they do understand the occasional accident.If you are wanting to look into it further call the places you would like to attend and get all the info you can on them such as their expensises,able to use potty themselves, learning schedule, feeplay ,snacks, naps and of course their discipline tactics.Sending a child early in life beofore kindergarten is a hard decison to make somethimes I wanted to with my lil guy he has nobody to play with and I wanted him to have a good experience with others so for when he does go into kindergarten he is prepared as much as he can be and so will I.Sahm of 2 and 1 on the way

R.
You are the Mom and you know your son the best. Visit the class your son will be in,no son, and watch. Spend about a 1/2 hour sitting in the room. Do you like the way the adults interact with the children? Do you see a point to the activites the children are doing? Is the room clean and in order? What is the volume in the room? To loud or quite?
Then go with your feelings. Is your son ready to work in this room? You know what is best.
Now for my information. I love Montessori for all children. Montessori begins at age 3 with hands on lessons. The child builds their concentration working with lessons with few steps and moves to lessons with many steps. If you can go watch a Montessori class in action.
I know you will make a good choice for your son. Best of luck.