Pre-School 5 Times a Week?

My older kids went to preschool at 4 yrs old. They went from being at home with each other and dad to all day (8 to 2:30) 5 days a week. I really wanted them involved with other kids, which they had no contact other than occassional cousin visits. There was a transition period but they did great and really did well socially and with what academics there were.

When we lived in Georgia, my son started preschool 5 days a week, from 9-2 when he was 4. He's a very type A, go-getter personality (not to mention social), so, it was a great fit. However, I wouldn't have done the same with my second son, MAYBE my daughter........we moved so it wasn't an issue with them. You could always start him to see how it goes. Remember that the first few weeks will be an adjustment. Give it at least a month to see if he's ready or not, unless he truly hates it. You already said that it depends on the kid, so you will be the best to determine that. If he has a hard time or says he really doesn't like it, it's not like there's a law that mandates he be there. But, he may absolutely love the social interaction and make some friends, etc. Good luck!

honestly I think preschool is a by product of the working mom. If you work, full time, then this makes sense, if not, consider teaching early reading yourself at home. I'm not a believer in preschool. I think its a way of dressing up day care. Nothing wrong with socializing your kids, but come on, at this age they need their moms.

In my area, 3 year olds only attend 2 or 3 times a week for 2 1/2 hours. The 4 year olds can attend 3 or 5 day a week program.

It really depends on your child. Has he been in daycare? Otherwise, 5 days a week might be a little excessive. However, this is free preschool! If this is your only choice, just see how he does the first month. You could always pull him out of the school if necessary.

I have a son who has asperger's syndrome (high functioning autism), and he started 5 day a week preschool a couple weeks after turning 3. He did great! He would have actually gone 5 days a week 5 hours a day if I chose a different classroom (the amount of time is not why I didn't chose it). If you think about it, many kids are in day care 5 days a week for 8 hours a day.

I was concerned at first about how he would do, but he loves it!

Send him. Lots of kids go to Preschool for the whole entire day at that age. I think he needs the socialization and he will love it.

Our co-op preschool was 3 days a week for two hours a day. My friend's drop off preschool was 4 days a week for age three, and I think head start is five days a week, because many kids who go there have one parent or parents who work full time.

I remember being in 1st grade and learning to read. That's not the way it is anymore.... Most kindergarteners start with introductory reading taught in preschool. My daughter attends a preschool with an acreditted curriculum. It's 5 days a week--but I'm also a working mom and need 5 days a week.

For example, her early age 3 class was focused on number and letter recognition, beginning writing her name, some science (insects/critters in the backyard, underwater ocean life, space and planets, modes of travel); her older age 3/4 class was geared for number and letterwriting (besides her name), more depth to her previous science topics, beginning addition and subtraction (from numbers 0-10), computer/mouse use. And then there are always the weekly themes about community service, charitable actions, patriotism, etc. And there is always art...

Her current class, early 4, will start her putting letters together and sounding out words and progress into reading. When she starts kindergarten, she will already have basic reading and math.

Hi I also live in Chicago and have a daughter who just turned three, I thought five days a week for her was way to much so I decided to send her to a school in Oak Park it offers two days. Good Luck

Our son's old preschool was five days a week for 4 1/4 hours. Our daughter starts in a couple months. I thought it was ideal and our son did great. It worked with my morning work hours and it prepped him well for kindergarten. At just 2 1/2 hours a day, you're going to feel like you just dropped off your son when you pick him up. Your son's school has an extremely short session, so I wouldn't have any reservations at all about it. Five days a week will be great for developing a routine and consistency in daily plans, which most kids thrive on.

I don't think 5 days a week for a couple hours each day is too much. It will be good for him to have a bit of a set schedule/routine. I would check with your preschool to see if you can even stay with him until he is ready for you to leave. Ive been a stay at home mom for four years now. My daughter began preschool at 3 too. I was very unsure about her going but she was very excited to meet new friends and go to school. Her very first day of school she almost made me cry by telling me that she's a big girl and for me to leave! The preschool I have her in is through our school district in the elementary schools. She goes 4 days a week for 3 hours each day. All the teachers have at least a masters degree and are certified teachers. They also all have a daily schedule that they stick by that is similar to what they will be doing when they enter kindergarten. The preschool even allows us mothers to volunteer with the class and to stay and observe/help your child to adjust to the classroom. With it being summer now she is asking me every week when she gets to go back to school to see her friends and make new friends! Good Luck :)

Hi,
As a preschool teacher in a small Christian preschool I would have no problem with my 3 yr old in a 5 day a week pgm if it is only 2 1/2 hrs / day and is a quality program. Be sure you ck out the preschool in advance and bring your child along so he/she is more comfortable when they start if they offer this opportunity, If u can meet the teachers too b4 the start date to help ease your child into the routine of going to preschool. I think he or she will enjoy preschool, the socialization part in a more structured environment is good for a young child. If you see after a few wks into preschool it is too much for your child, see if you have the option to cut bk to 3-4 days a week.
Good Luck.

Our preschools 2 1/2 hours, 2 days for 3 yo- 3 days for the 4 oy, and the kinders are 5 days. The neighbors montessori preschool was 5 days 9 to 1. He will have fun going and it will be a daily routine. You might be the one missing him, that's my problem anyway. It's not like it is a daycare or he will fall behind in school if doesn't go, if his not up to one day you can always keep him home.

This seems to be the norm now, even though I think it is all too much. Let the little ones be little for a while. Society is really changing that though. Children today have to be more prepared for kindegarten than in the past and combined with the huge amount of working mothers and households where both parents work, this is the norm for preschool now. However, there are many options out there. One school here offers a 5 day,3 day and 2 day program. Have you checked into church preschools? They often have more relaxed schedules. A couple hours in the morning 2 or 3 days a week. Good luck.

I have been the SAHM from day one, and my son will be entering full day preschool in the fall. He will be four in January. I am cautiously optimistic about the transition from home to school, especially so early in his schooling career. The structured aspect of school will be six hours (1-1.5 hour nap included), and he will participate in the after-school program (play daycare) for an hour a day. The school's reading program focuses on the fine motor skills for writing letters, rhyming, and letter/sound correspondence. Math is writing numbers, counting and comparisons. The class has calendar, story time and a lot of play time. We do all of these at home, so I want to make it clear that we aren't sending him to preschool so he can get the edge up on the competition. I felt that this school would continue the pace and concepts that I have with him. I can admit how we had selfish reasons for sending him so early. I student teach this fall and finish my teaching cert in December. We are fortunate that our son is social, bright and excited about the school opportunity. Additionally, we met the teachers, and I picked the one that seemed to reflect my style the most.

The structure is going to be the biggest adjustment for him, I believe. He seemed to do well two weeks ago at my friend's in-home daycare, while I recovered from surgery. He napped at her home (he never napped away from me, daddy or grandma). He followed her rules and directions. He had a little trouble with the food schedule since he's used to eating snacks whenever he's hungry, but he and I talked about what to do about that after the first day (i.e. ask her for something to eat).

Another concern that I had related to communicating our values. We want our son to have manners, be honest, tolerate differences, etc. If I'm not there, how can I know that he's getting the appropriate coaching? Now that he's able to talk with us about things, we know that he will tell us what happened. He knows how we feel about certain things. A hot spot for us is that our friends are gay parents. We talk about this sometimes, and I wanted to know how the teacher/school would react to my son saying that two girls can get married. I found out and was pleased with the response.

It's a personal decision and requires you to inventory your child's strengths and weaknesses with this kind of transition. Good luck!

My daughter went to preK at age 3 in CPS. We did not need it for day care but more as a socialization tool for our only child. It worked out quite well for us. Once per week, they had gym class, once per week was an art class, and once per week, upper grade children would sit with them individually and read-they called this "reading buddy". The class went outside each day (weather permitting) to play in the play ground and when the weather did not permit, the teacher would walk them around the school for exercise, including up and down the 3 flights of stairs. They had 'library time' complete with their own library card & the ability to check out books. They could not check out another until they returned the first, but could bring them home to read w/Mom & Dad. There was free time to play, story time, talking about their day on the reading rug, etc. Each day, the teacher provided a sign-in sheet with their name printed out and they were expected to find it, and then print their name to the best of their ability next to it. You could see the improvement from the beginning to the end of the year. At the beginning of the year, each child had name tags on "their things" (lockers, library cards, seats, etc) which had their name printed along with a cartoon-like photo. For example, my daughter's name tags had a duck on them. They were all different. It allowed them to find their character even if they didn't recognize their names and soon, they recognized their names from seeing it each day. They learned the days of the week, months of the year, numbers, shapes, computer use, how to tie shoes, put on their own coat & info on all holidays-not just the commercial aspects. Overall, I was impressed with it and thought it was just the right amount of time each day.