Looking for a Very Good Preschool

From the sounds of it, why do you hesitate putting her in kindergarten? I was one of the youngest in my class and was always ahead and in higher level classes when they became available.

My birthday is Sept. 3 and I started school early (the year I turned 5). If she seems ready and the school agrees...I wouldn't hesitate to send your daughter. I never regretted starting early. Sure I was the last one to get my driver's license, etc. But now I get to be the youngest mom:) Good luck with your decision.

Hi, I am the mother of a three year old girl who also has an August B-day. She is currently attending Country Day. We started her there through the summer camp program and continued through the fall. She attends three days a week. We have been very happy so far. We like the program overall but specifically it stands out because there is a large focus on science and nature. There is also an on site "Naturalist" who works with the kids at least once a week. It is located on a hobby farm so the kids get real life contact with the goats, llamas, ponies and chickens. They also get the kids outside every day for playtime, nature hikes, visits to the garden, barn etc. I have not looked into the curriculum for the kindergarten too closely but I would suggest you check them out. I know that they do fill up really fast in the winter for the coming year. We filled out our fall application right after the open house and were wait listed for one of our preferred days. I think that there are a lot great schools out there. It is just a matter of finding what will be the best fit for your individual child. Good luck in your hunt.

If you don't mind the drive, look into St. Andrew's Church in Mahtomedi.

Sending a child to kindergarten is more than just what a child knows academically. It's about maturity skills socialization etc. They need to have a well balance of everything before they are ready and then still sometimes they are not. I too have a child with a August birthday 8/29 and she also went through 2 years of preschool, and all sorts of extra curriculars. I regret sending her now that she's in first grade. She's had to try harder, worker harder, and is tiny compared to other's, the only one to not lose any teeth yet etc. When everyone started kindergarten the majority of the kids were about to turn 6 or enticipating turning 6 whereas my child just barely turned 5. That's just my opinion. There are many many children who go at 5 and are just fine. But waiting til 6 gives your child a huge advantage. My pediatrician says she wishes more parents would wait and let the kids go when they are older rather than younger. My daughter is doing fine, and my decision was my decision and I can't change it now but my daughter would have been better off waiting.

As far as a aggressive preschool the only thing I have in mind is a Montessori. Most other preschool's just concentrate on playing, sharing that sort of thing. Montessori's are awesome and will have your child more than ready.

My daughter just turned 5 in July - although she is very bright she is small. I felt uncomfortable sending her off to full-day Kindergarten. Jean Lyle, in the Merriam Park area of St Paul, has a great accredited Kindergarten. It is truly amazing- 3 Teachers and 16 children. The also work with Macalester College Early Childhood program so they usually have a student teacher there also. So far it has been when Kindergarten should be- They even baked their own apple pies last week after finishing their unit on apples! For the 2008-09 school year I can have her repeat Kindergarten or move on to first grade- undecided at this point. Let me know if you have more questions- the caliber of teachers will not disappoint you!

K.,

Are there reasons you wouldn't send her to kindergarten, other than the fact that she would be one of the youngest in the class? From what you've said about her abilities, she seems more than ready for kindergarten, at least in terms of her knowledge base and the curriculum that most kindergartens follow. If she's ready socially and emotionally, I would go ahead and send her to kindergarten.

My son also has a summer birthday (July) and we sent him to kindergarten last year with no problems. In fact, he was about your daughter's level at the same age (Bob books, music lessons, etc.), and he really would have been bored with another year of preschool and then kindergarten, no matter how exciting the preschool could have been. He's now in first grade and is doing great also. We have no regrets about sending him to kindergarten last year. Kids are all over the place in terms of their intellectual, social, and emotional development--some of the older kids in kindergarten were less socially developed, etc., so age isn't necessarily the only determinant. Would she really be happy with 2 more years of letters, shapes, numbers, pre-reading strategies, etc.?

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Hi K.,
Your daughter seems ready to advance from what the best preschools could offer her. From what you write she is more than ready to make the step to Kindergarten. As parents we try to make the tough decision on whether or not we should hold our children back for a variety of reasons, but sometimes, if we are lucky, it so obvious. My son turned 5 this May and if I kept him in preschool another year I feel that it would of been a huge detriment to him. His teacher and pediatrician strongly suggested full day kindergarten for a variety of reasons that are similiar to your daughters. That being said- if I lived closer to the Dodge Nature Center I would of been very interested when he was 4. Best of luck with your decision.

My son is at Dodge right now and he has never been happier. The teachers are amazing with him (he has some sensory issues that have a great effect on his socialization. They emphasize child led learning and are not pushing "letter of the day". Lots of science!! This is big part of why my son loves it so much. They spend at least an hour outside each day. I recommend having your daughter visit if she has not already. You will know quickly if it appeals to her. When we visited I couldn't get my son out of there...lol. We even spent more than an hour exploring the nature center on a cold January day.

We also are in the August birthday dilemna. Last year I could really see the difference between my son who had just turned three and the other preschoolers who were just turning 4. The gap is lessening now but there is still a noticable difference.

I looked at a lot of schools and chose the Dodge Nature Center. It is a very good school. Great teachers, varied activities, wonderful facililty. My daughter, however, never warmed up to it. So I moved her to the humble neighborhood school that cost much less and she was very happy.

I guess what I'm saying is kids are all different, and even if a school has a great reputation, it may not suit her at all.

HI K.!
I own the Primrose School of Woodbury. We are opening for the first time on October 20 with a grand opening party -- pony rides, bounce house, tours, food, music and more (it's open to anyone and everyone who can join us).

Primrose School is a nationally accredited preschool with curriculum that is certified by NCA CASI / CITA (the same organization that certifies the curriculum taught at Hill Murray High School, the Breck School and Universities world-wide). Primrose School began 25 years ago as the "Primrose Country Day School", with preschool programs that focus on teaching children in a safe, secure, and nurturing environment. We teach the Balanced Learning Curriculum (developed by, and available exclusively at our schools), it is a blend of the leading philosophies of early childhood education; child-initiated and teacher-directed activities. We incorporate Music, Ecology, Spanish, Technology, Physical Education, Character Development and more to the lessons every day.

In 2001-2003 we completed a study of our curriculum;it's implementation, and results. We found that 90% of all children tested through the study were achieving test scores above the national average after graduating from Primrose.

We offer full-day and 1/2 day programs; 2, 3 or 5 days per week for 4 year old Kindergarten (we also offer educational programs for Infants, Toddlers, 2 yr Preschool, & 3 yr Preschool). And, beginning in 2008 we'll offer one full-day Kindergarten class.

We are licensed to provide child care, as well, and are open from 6:30-6:30 Mon-Fri. Please visit my website at www.primrosewoodbury.com and you can learn more about us. Or, call me directly, ###-###-####. I'd love to tell you all about us and to give you a complete tour.

I hope you'll check us out.
Primrose School of Woodbury
10350 City Walk Drive
Woodbury, MN 55129
###-###-####

Kindly,
T. Holt