Can I get your opinions?!? Is the age of 2 too young for preschool??? My kiddos will be 2 in Sept and I'm considering enrolling them in a one-day-a-week preschool starting in the fall. (The one I like is filling up fast so I have to make a decision this week.) On one hand, I think it will be good for them to interact with other kids (and honestly, I could really use a little break from them). On the other hand, I'm afraid they may be a bit too young (maybe we should wait until they're three) and afraid they'll get sick all the time. And of coures, I feel guilty admitting I need a break sometimes.

Just looking for some insight from some moms who have "been there". Thanks for any opinions you can give!

Katy
mom to Libby, Kara, Drew
born 9/10/02 at 33w3d

http://lilypie.com>

Katy,
I think, as with most things, it really depends on the children.
That said, I didn't send any of mine to preschool until they were 4. There are some other options you could try.
At 2 we went to a play group at our church. Now I did stay with the kids but at least I was with other mothers and felt more in touch with other adults. This group was very informal. We didn't do lots of crafts, didn't have speakers etc. The kids played while we sat on the floor and talked.
At 3 they went to "library school" or story time. They went in by themselves and tho' I couldn't leave the library it was a 1/2 hour I could sit and read quietly. (A great feeling when you have 4 children under 5)
At 4 they started preschool twice a week, at 5 3 times a week and at 6 they went to 1/2 day kindergarden. I mention those just to show I was reluctant to let them grow up (and away) too fast.
Now that all 4 are in school all day I am working in a preschool. We start taking children at 3. Most do very well but some spend the first 10-15 minutes crying (sometimes this can last for the first several months of school.) Obviously many children enter daycare at 6weeks for 8-10 hours 5 days a week and blossem into beautiful children.
If you do decide to try preschool at 2 be open to changing your mind and look for one that doesn't last more than 3 hours.
Good luck,

Judie and Victor
lucky parents to
Frankie 3/95
Maggie 7/96
Rose 7/96
Elizabeth 7/96

Judie and Victor
lucky parents to
Frankie 3/95
Maggie 7/96
Rose 7/96
Elizabeth 7/96

Our triplets started preschool at the age of 3. They turned 3 Aug 31, still were not potty trained but the school allowed them to start anyway. They cried and carried on for the first few weeks. They even tried to escape, but then they settled down and realized how much fun it was. They went 2 days a week for 2.5 hours. I loved it and so did they.

My goal was to get them around other children their age. It worked for us.

Because of their late summer birthday and our school cut off date of Sept. 1, my boys attended preschool for three years before starting Kindergarten

mom to:
Ryan 32 The Lawyer
Jason 30 The Chief Meteorologist
Chris 30 The College Student
Tim 30 The college grad

I love hearing their versions of their childhood memories!!

Around here, you can't go into a preschool until the minimum age of 2 years 9 month AND potty trained. The standard is also two years of preschool.

My boys have a Jan. birthday so they didn't start preschool until they were 3 years, 8 months old. They went two mornings a week for 3 hours each. When they were 4 years old, 8 months, they went three mornings a week plus they stayed for lunch and a pre-k program two days a week. They thrived in it!

When my boys were two, we did lots of classes. A mommy and me class through the school district, story time, various sports classes (peewee basketball, tumbling, swim lessons). We also went to a weekly playgroup one morning a week.

Personally, it took my boys a little bit to get used to the preschool schedule. At age 2, a once-a-week program might not be worth it since it could take them so long to get used to it that the separation stress might be too great. It really depends on the kids.

When they are in any organized class, they do get sick. Just a fact of life. My kids caught everything when they were younger but are now very healthy 7 year olds that rarely get sick.

Best wishes on your decision.

Sharon

My 1st question was at 2, can they go to pre-school, but since you are asking I'm assuming they can. Generally, "pre-school" is ages 2 to 5 (or very close to 3). If you aren't sure about preschool just yet, are there any academic based daycares around you that you can test out? Do you feel your children are old enough? Have they been "evaluated" by the teacher(s) and how do the teachers feel about how well your children would fit in?

Like another poster, I've worked in a preschool and some children had a slightly rougher time with drop off in the morning, and NOT TO DETER you, but (in my PERSONAL experience) the children who only attended one day a week had a slightly harder time the some other children. One day a week is good, but they can easily "forget" about a school and prolong a harder drop off/seperation from mom. Would it be possible for you to do 2 half days back to back or something?

Elizabeth
AABC Mommy to:
Adriana 4-14-01
Brittan 4-14-01
Cameron 4-14-01
Abbey 3-14-02

I sent my girls to 'preschool' when they were two. There was a daycare in the little town we lived in that ran a preschool program. I also dropped off DD #4 as a baby to the same place, in order to get grocery shopping done. They loved going to school, and they loved the games and the children. I did not have any problems with crying or fussing - except from the baby!

The next year we moved to the U.P. - and I found out that there was a pre-school program for 3 year olds. A little bus picked them up from my house, they were fed a snack and lunch, and they were dropped off at home 3 hours later. This program was 2 days a week. The 4 year old program was 4 days a week. They did not need to be P.T. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! The girls loved it, and all I heard from DD #4 is 'I want to go on the bus, too', which she did the next year.

As far as the feeling guilty part, I've had that feeling. It went away when I saw how much my girls loved to go to pre-school and daycare. They made friends at these places that they still have today. We all got a little time to do something we thought was fun. (At least it was more fun to do grocery shopping by myself.) I could put in my earphones, let the other moms with kids go ahead of me in line, read the ingredients (LOL) - I treat it as a mini-vacation. When we get home, we are all happy. I learned that my kids enjoy their freedom as much as (sometimes more than) I do, and sometimes my job is just to get them into the action and let them go....

Love'em all!!
B,E,S g/g/g 12/96 @32 weeks
R g 6/98
T b 8/00
D b 1/04

Love'em all!!
B,E,S g/g/g 12/96 @32 weeks
R g 6/98
T b 8/00
D b 1/04