"Real Preschools"

I don't have a school for you but i do have some advice. I had my daughter in a fun preschool. They did singing and dancing with a few fun science experiments. When she went to kindergarten last year she was lost. They expect a lot in kindergarten now. We had to really work to catch her up. So unfortunately i think you need a preschool that will prepare them for the next year. It really seems like the schools are expecting them to know what we learned 2 grades later. On the other hand all schools are different...

This year i am keeping my youngest home to teach her all the things she will need to know for kindergarten. (she is 4)

Take a look at the Waldorf School in Germantown. They are preK - 8th grade, with a philosophy of creative play. www.phillywaldorf.com

Try one affiliated with a church. If you can't find one in the city, all the surrounding suburbs have what you are looking for.

St. Stephens in Clifton Heights is just the type of school you described. They do work on the alphabet and numbers but there is arts and crafts and storytime and they even put on a little play during the year (very cute). The staff is great.
I don't know if this is to far for you but if you can you should look into it.

Hi K.,

I don't know of any so I'm curious about the responses myself, but I have to say I feel the SAME way. I share your frustration when talking to my family and friends. Good luck. I'll check your responses for my own information too.

J.

Hi K.

when I started looking at Preschools, they were 5 days a week and 1/2 days and really expensive. I sent my oldest to The Water Tower Rec Center in Chestnut Hill, it's simple affordable and fun! It's 3 days a week at max and they offer lunch bunch. My oldest (she's 5) loved it! When she was 4 she really started to show she knew her abc's and 123's. I'm about to send my 2nd oldest, my 3yr old there. I know it's a drive, but it has really been a wonderful experience for us. It'a also affordable, for 2 full days and 1 - 1/2 day it was $180 a month.

good luck

A. Martin

Kely,

I am dismayed that this is all you are finding. My kids went to an excellent, developmental-based (not academic-based) preschool, and they received a great foundation in life through play, etc. Academics will come. No need to do it early on. We live in a highly rated school district which is very competitive, yet one of the kindergarten teachers at our elem. school always was eager to get the kids from our preschool, feeling they were so ready for kindergarten. The "academics" these kids need to have before kindergarten these days really are the simple kind that come just through talking and interacting with your children. My kids received no academics at their wonderful preschool (taught by accredited teachers), yet they always have excelled, from the get go. It was not in any way a day care, with the hours being 9-12 or 9-3, not working hours.

My kids were at a synagogue-affiliated preschool, so I agree with the mom who wrote to look for a church-based preschool. I can't speak for others, but I know our experience was exceptional and could not have been any better!

Good luck!

K.,
I just had to respond to this because I've always felt the same way. We had a hard time finding a "Playschool" vs. a "Preschool"-- which I find is more daycare then for people who are just looking for their children to get some social time. I sent my kids to Society Hill Synagogue. It was exactly what we were looking for. They are really great and you don't have to be Jewish to attend. My kids learned SO much there, and have loved it so much. It is a half day program 8-12:30 PM with the option to have them do after school arts (12:30- 3 PM) on certain days. I felt that was the perfect amount of time. You also have to be 2 years old to attend so it isn't like a nursery either. They do not potty train but will help if it is an issue that you are working on.
I also believe that playschool is a great option if you want to teach your kids on your own the things they need when approaching Kindergarten, but in all actuality they just need to know thier letters and numbers and the rest they will usually learn in school. That being said, the Synagogue taught them so much that I didn't that I feel completely confident with my daughter entering Kindergarten.
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me.
A.

Hi K. - I know what you mean. I was very upset when my daughter was actually given "HOMEWORK" once in a while from pre-school!!! I know they played, because she loved going and made some great progress socially, so I accepted it ... But then, she entered Kindergarten and I was even MORE shocked when homework was given DAILY!!!! So I grew to appreciate the "education" aspect of her pre-school because it gave her a good foundation. It saddens me a bit that our kids are expected to grow up so much faster than what I remember. I try to look on the bright side however, she was much more prepared for school than some of the other kids that did not have that foundation.
I sent her to a pre-school out of our local church. We are not terribly religious people, but I found the prices to be the most reasonable and the "religious" aspect was not overly driven into them. Good Luck!

i would highly recommend the cooperative nursery school it mt. airy. it's fabulous! it sounds like it has what you're looking for. i would call in sept. for next year since they fill up quickly.

cooperativenurseryschool.org/

good luck!

it sounds like maybe you are looking for nursery school as opposed to preschool. these days the requirements for kids in kindergarten are so high that it is really necessary that kids go in with a solid foundation. kids are expected to have the beginnings of reading at the end of k, some expect kids to have mastered a couple hundred word sight word list, and that would be impossible if kids didn't go in with the basics we learned when we were in k.

is it fair? probably not. but if my dd didn't go to k with that stuff she would have been really behind. in fact, i know ds isn't as academically ready since we spent so much of preschool on emotional and behavioral issues as opposed to academic stuff.

despite the "rigors", our private preschool in south jersey managed to teach the stuff necessary for k, including some science, and still provide the kids with lots of play time.

also, congrats on yours being potty trained, but please try to remember that so many are not done at that age, especially boys.

I would suggest looking for a church based nursery school. I am from NJ and I was looking for a preschool for my daughter last year who had just turned 3. The only other preschools I was able to find were really more like daycares. She attends 2 days a week, 2 1/2 hours a day. Her preschool does not teach religion despite being held at a church. Good luck in your search.

As a Phila School teacher, I can tell you that the curriculum is SO cumbersome and rigorous that the children are talking about genres of literature and doing algebra and geometry in second grade.
I do not live in Phila to know about the preschools but I guess they are trying to prepare the kids for what is to come?!

Good Luck.

D.

Hello, I am a kindergarten teacher and mother of two. I do agree with you that preschools, and kindergarten have changed dramatically since I went. First thing is that kindergarten is no longer about play, they want the kids reading and writing, doing homework and projects. Therefore preschools are trying to prepare the children for that type of atmosphere. I do believe that children NEED play and try to incorporate it in my daily routine, but that is not the case school wide. All that being said...I have a 4 year old daughter. We did not need her to attend day care but wanted her to have socialization and some routine, that was hard to find. We found a preschool program at our nearby recreation center that I am pleased with. Last year she went for two days a week from 9 to 11:30 am. This year, since she is 4, she will be going 3 days a week from 8:30 to 11:30 am. They do work on shapes, colors, numbers, and letters, but they also do art projects, have snack and play in the playground, right outside. They do not potty train the children, they are supposed to be poty trained. I was also pleased with the cost; 2 day program is $60 a month and the 3 day program is $80 for the month. I know alot of recreation centers do have preschool programs but not all.
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