Pre-k - Langhorne,PA

children in a busy happy household where the parents are actively involved with their kids (which may but does not necessarily involve formal 'teaching') and where they have playtime on a regular basis with other kids in parks, families or playdates do not need to be institutionally socialized in a traditional educational setting.
this is a false dichotomy set up by a failing educational system.
sorry to sound harsh (i know pre-K is very popular with young mothers.) but kids can get everything they get at a pre-K in an involved interesting home.
khairete
S.

From your post, I would keep my son at home, possible do a little more for socialzation (playgroups, moms club). Enjoy your son when he is young, once they go to school you lose so much time with him. Have fun learning until K and then send him. No need to rush, hes just a kid and sounds like he will be academically ready for K.

There is such a pressure to have our kids in preschool. Why, I don't know. But don't feel like you have to keep up with the joneses on this one.

I say do it. The one thing you said is " I feel that he needs the socialization aspect that a program could offer" As you know it isn't only about the academics, especially in pre-school. I sent my son to pre-school and I'm very happy I did. He started at 3yo, 2 days a week for 2 1/2 hours. Mainly it was social, but emphasized learning through play. He is an only child, so I wanted to make sure he was well socialized, as he is somewhat shy.

He ended up being in pre-school for 3, 4 and pre-K due to having a minor issues with small motor skills (writing) and developement. He is now in Kindergarten (full day) and it is nothing like pre-school. It is school. He was well prepared. We had no seperation issues, no behavior issues and he is thriving and I cannot believe the leaps he has made since the fall academically and he has many friends. I attribute this to him having a good, safe and nurturing foundation at his pre-school. :)

I definitely think he should go to preschool. Do you have any other options? My son will be 5 in 2 months. I do feel that there is a big maturity difference between a 4 year old & 5 year old. Although your son may be as as smart or smarter than the 5 year olds, he may be socially or psychologically not mature enough to be in class with them. I will have the same problem with my daughter (who is 2 1/2). She has an Oct. birthday & will have to wait an addt'l year for kindergarten. However, she is very smart, very verbal & will be totally ready for kindergarten earlier...what to do?! She is in a 1 morning/week preschool now (yes, at 2 1/2) and will have 3 more years of preschool under her belt (2x/week) b/4 she starts kindergarten. Maybe there are other options for you...church programs or park district programs.

I am a fan of quality preschool. You already know why you want to send him -- for socialization; and if he learns a lot, that's a bonus.

Remember, by the time he's in K, he has to be able to listen to and follow directions from someone who is not mom or dad or a caregiver; he has to be able to move from one activity to another willingly as part of a group, without fussing, when it's time to stop one thing and move to another; he has to be able to listen attentively for at least a short time -- again, to someone who is not mom/dad/grandparent/familiar caregiver. And he has to be able to deal, as best he can for his age, with other kids who are not siblings or friends he's always been around. A good preschool environment will help him work on all of that and he will be readier for K. Once kids are in K these days, so much is expected of them (and their teachers) academically -- teachers are working so hard to fit in the learning they're required to fit in, sadly, due to standardized tests and teacher scoring -- that K teachers don't always have time to deal with these social aspects of school as much as I know they would like. So preschool helps get that under way.

A once-a-week gym class can't give him that or help him build the kind of relationship of trust he needs to be able to form with a teacher he would have for several hours at a time. You'll be glad you did preschool. Get to know his teachers, volunteer if you can and as they need it, and get to know other parents too.

I've seen it work both ways. Parents I know who put their kids in good daycares, pre schools, Pre K and then kindergarten and the kids loved all of the above and of course progressed nicely in all the steps, and I have lots of relatives who home schooled and didn't send the kids anywhere before 5 year old kindergarten and just took them to parks etc to be social. This also worked well and the kids adjusted fine and had all the same social and school skills form parents being diligent at home.

If you're a teacher and working with him at home, and you don't see any signs of alarming shyness when you're out with him, you can really take your pick based on budget and time. For my first, I worked PT and put her in daycare 2 days per week when she was 3, then I put her in K4 (the daycare would have kept her until age 5, but why when she could start the structured classes etc. She loves it and it has definitely been great prep for kindergarten, it will be no adjustment at all. Meanwhile, my youngest two are home with me and I haven't even thought of putting them anywhere, because we don't have the budget for more than one kid enrolling in stuff :-0.

My 3 year old son is great with his letters etc, and I teach him piano and talk to him A LOT. He's very comfortable in social settings, so who knows if I'll get around to preK for him. He sort of learns form the homework his sister brings home. :)

I think it would be great for him.
For the 4 year old program.

My son is 4 and recently started preschool. Which Pre-K is like.
He loves it.