case closed.

thanks mamas!

Preschool is pretty pointless IMO as long as you're working with her at home and making sure she gets some socialization like sports or dance, etc. My son never went to anything until he started kindergarten in September and he was and still is way ahead of the rest of the class.

Here preschool is from age 3 till 5. It's like daycare but more prep for school, so crowd control and obedience training. I don't think private necessarily makes it any better, but different types of school can do. I like some elements of Waldorf, forest school and Montessori. They have a focus on free play, not preaching, providing guidance and going with the child's developmental pace, rather than pushing them all to be the same.

Well where I live, in order to do your first year of preschool you have to turn 4 during the school year or else during the summer after school is out. And the second year of preschool you have to turn 5 during or after in the summer.
My son will be 4 in March and he is on his first year.
He LOVESSSS IT!!!!
he goes 4 days a week for 4 hours a day! Its basically like daycare to me because he just goes and he loves playing with all the kids. They give him lunch and a snack. They have actually taught him a lot. Manners, sharing, all kinds of stuff. its really changed his attitude and calmed his crazy self down!

Quoting Mama*AtoZ:" Here preschool is from age 3 till 5. It's like daycare but more prep for school, so crowd control and ... [snip!] ... not preaching, providing guidance and going with the child's developmental pace, rather than pushing them all to be the same."

I haven't visited yet, but I'm hoping that with the hefty price tag comes a better environment than 90% of the daycares/preschools in the area. Even the headstart programs here rub me the wrong way. There is a montessori program but the waiting list is super long, and the grants I could get for it mean she'd have to be attending for at least 4 full days a week.

I think preschool did alot for my daughter. She started in a half day program last year at three year old. She picked up so much more in the class setting than she ever did with me. She goes to a preschool/daycare this year and I think she enjoys the socialization.

What happened with daycare? Every center is different so the one you went to might not have been the right fit.

My daughter is 3 and half and in preschool. She absolutely loves it! There is a 3 year old program, and a 4 year old program. The 3 year old one is tues/thurs only half a day, she goes from 12:30-3:30, the 4 yr old program is mon/wed/fri half days as well. I did it with my oldest to. its not that she cant learn the stuff at home with me, its more for her...she doesnt need to be sitting at home all day with me. She loves preschool they go on outings, play outside, she has little friends, they get them ready for kindergarten by teaching them to dress themselves to go outside and come back in kindergarten they need to be able to do that stuff on their own... They do parties for all occasions. She is also in dance as well. But i dont feel one day a week, in a dance class is much interaction with other children. I think its good for them! WIth that being said im not against people that dont put theirs in it. I questioned it for a long time too with my first. I was going to just do one year of preschool. But decided to start at 3 and do 2 years then kindergarten. And im glad i did.

Here you have to be 3 by sept 1.

Emma's been in pre school for 2 years now and loves it!

I would highly recommend putting your kid in it!
My sister in law is an elem teacher and she can't notice a difference in kids who haven't gone to pre school

Quoting Monica♥YASDYARDFR:" I think preschool did alot for my daughter. She started in a half day program last year at three year ... [snip!] ... What happened with daycare? Every center is different so the one you went to might not have been the right fit."

Where she went, her last few days there, toddlers were eating the smurf in the bottom of the guinea pigs cage, they lied to me about diaper changes, and, finally, after dealing with those issues, LO came home with a bruise on her arm the shape and place a thumb print would be if you were jerking a kid around. That day, I walked in early and the women in her room were yelling at kids for not napping... talk about friggin' counter productive.

Almost everywhere else has super long waiting lists, or is worse with one look.

My kids never did preschool, they started kindergarten 5 days a week full days at 4 yrs old. I started at 3.

I would do preschool, myslef if it was an option here, but we dont have preschool, its daycare then kindergarten at 4 yrs old.

My son is 2 1/2.. I'm doing homeschooling with him until he starts head start in the fall. So far he's doing great though we've only been doing it for a short while. I think he'd be much better off in a classroom setting, however. He's more prone to listen to other adults than me. I just recently learned that Head Start (not sure about pre-school) is 2 years available before kindergarten. In my state anyway, they have to be 5 for K, not 4. I want my son to go to Head Start this year, but I'm also afraid of how much he really will be learning, since he is already ahead of his age group -I think..

Quoting anonymom + 1.5:" Where she went, her last few days there, toddlers were eating the smurf in the bottom of the guinea ... [snip!] ... talk about friggin' counter productive. Almost everywhere else has super long waiting lists, or is worse with one look."

OMFG that is horrid!!! I am so sorry you went through that. You are not allowed to have pets in daycare centers in Texas according to the Minimum Standards. Did you report them to child care licesning?

Quoting anonymom + 1.5:" Where she went, her last few days there, toddlers were eating the smurf in the bottom of the guinea ... [snip!] ... talk about friggin' counter productive. Almost everywhere else has super long waiting lists, or is worse with one look."

That's awful   Did you report them?

Quoting Monica♥YASDYARDFR:" OMFG that is horrid!!! I am so sorry you went through that. You are not allowed to have pets in daycare ... [snip!] ... to have pets in daycare centers in Texas according to the Minimum Standards. Did you report them to child care licesning?"

I told the woman who processed my grant, but I'm not sure what she did. I was so shocked and horrified that I really didn't know what to do but pull LO and run far, far away.

Pre-K here starts at 4 and at first i wasnt going to put my son in but i am so glad i did! Hes used to being around kids his age, he LOVES his teacher, and hes learned so much. He is also used to how the school day goes so it wont be such a shock in kindergarden. He loves it.