Preschool

sanravi_1970 · Jul 15, 2010

Ladies

I have been thinking for a while to put my son in preschool,but as usual lots of questions comes to my mind. I hope I get answer here..

1.At what age did you put your kids in preschool.
2. Did you opt for regular(private) preschool or Montessori. I heard Montessori are costly compared to regular preschool and even some regular preschool charge sooo much.
3. What is your opinion about church preschools(i know its little bit affordable )
4. What are the things to see during tour to preschool?
5. Another main thing that is bothering me is My son's Birthdate - Dec 19, which is over the cut off date of our county,Dec1. They say those who are born on or before Dec1 are allowed to Kinder garden(public school right?) when they are age 5. So in my son's case,they say that he will be allowed in Kindergarden at the age of 6.
Do they have any relaxation to admit the child, as my son is just 19 days from their cut off date.. Will they be flexible enough to admit him, otherwise he has to waste/wait 1 full year again in pre school! Anybody has had any experience?

Thanks in advance

sunitha · Jul 15, 2010

I will try and answer are much as I know.

sanravi_1970 said: ↑

1.At what age did you put your kids in preschool.

I put T in preschool at 3 1/2 yrs,for V too I intend doing the same-next yr.

2. Did you opt for regular preschool or Montessori. I heard Montessori are costly compared to regular preschool and even some regular preschool charge sooo much.

For T,Montessori,since that was the closest to our home at that time.Do you mean public preschool by regular preschool? If yes,I am not sure if public schools have preschool option,in our place,we don't have.Most preschools are private only,whether montessori or Christian.
3. What is your opinion about church preschools(i know its little bit affordable )
I don't have any opinion,I found that most christian schools don't prefer taking children who are not christians,atleast here and they clearly told me that other children will find it difficult to come under their wing when it comes to regular school ,that is KG onwards.:hide:
4. What are the things to see during tour to preschool?

Check how the teachers are during class hours,whether they are friendly,how they will handle lunch time,potty training etc.
5. Another main thing that is bothering me is My son's Birthdate - Dec 19, which is over the cut off date of our county,Dec1. They say those who are born on or before Dec1 are allowed to Kinder garden(public school right?) when they are age 5. So in my son's case,they say that he will be allowed in Kindergarden at the age of 6.
Do they have any relaxation to admit the child, as my son is just 19 days from their cut off date.. Will they be flexible enough to admit him, otherwise he has to waste/wait 1 full year again in pre school! Anybody has had any experience?

T's birthday is Nov 1st,our state cut-off is Sep 30th,so all public schools clearly said no to admit in KG,so instead of wasting/waiting another yr,since he already completed preschool by then,we put him in a private school and are still continuing there,this yr he goes to 3rd grade.I don't think there is any relaxation there since for public school the only two main criteria are-home in school district and age.
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Srama · Jul 15, 2010

1.At what age did you put your kids in preschool.
My DS started preschool when he was 3 1/2 and same with DD - this is becos both of them got into the preschool program offered by our school district.

2. Did you opt for regular preschool or Montessori. I heard Montessori are costly compared to regular preschool and even some regular preschool charge sooo much.
I preferred regular pre school because I wanted them to fit in the school system as quickly and as easily they could. I have heard good things about montessori and you can consider it an option if you wish.

3. What is your opinion about church preschools(i know its little bit affordable )
They are good. Pre school is basically to introduce the children to routines and to help them follow instructions and to get them socially used to other kids. Very little learning as academics happen. So church schools are a good option. The only down side, some church schools are for just a couple of days a week, which may not get a child used to 5/days school in KG.

4. What are the things to see during tour to preschool?
Student/teacher ratio, a look at what is covered for pre school, cost of course and what do you expect from a child when he comes out of pre school.

5. Another main thing that is bothering me is My son's Birthdate - Dec 19, which is over the cut off date of our county,Dec1. They say those who are born on or before Dec1 are allowed to Kinder garden.
This is quite common and both my children missed the cut off dates by a 3-4 months in our state. Apparently in some states, it is a state law for a child to be 5 to be admitted to KG. Some states/schools do KG ready testing and take children if they appear ready. Best to find out from yoru district. In our state this test is given only if the child is born before the end of the year (dec), for ex.my DS is born in Jan and hence he is not eligible to take the test even if I wished One way to come around as Sunitha suggested is private schooling. I have known parents who have held back their kids as well. It really depends on how you feel as a parent and how reayd your child is, mostly socially. If you are confident, you can talk with the school district and find out.

Young@heart · Jul 15, 2010

sanravi_1970 said: ↑

1.At what age did you put your kids in preschool.
My daughter started her preschool at 2 years 8 months.

2. Did you opt for regular preschool or Montessori. I heard Montessori are costly compared to regular preschool and even some regular preschool charge sooo much.
She is going to a regular preschool moreso because my elder son is in the same school - primary section.

3. What is your opinion about church preschools(i know its little bit affordable )
No idea.

4. What are the things to see during tour to preschool?
Teacher - Student Ration, Facilities/ Activities available at the school.
I would also look at the kind of other kids & parents which are there in the school.

5. Another main thing that is bothering me is My son's Birthdate - Dec 19, which is over the cut off date of our county,Dec1. They say those who are born on or before Dec1 are allowed to Kinder garden(public school right?) when they are age 5. So in my son's case,they say that he will be allowed in Kindergarden at the age of 6.
Do they have any relaxation to admit the child, as my son is just 19 days from their cut off date.. Will they be flexible enough to admit him, otherwise he has to waste/wait 1 full year again in pre school! Anybody has had any experience?
In my kids' school, the entry is calender year wise and no relaxation. so my daughter has a classmate who is 2nd jan born and also one who is 24th dec born (which effectively makes it as a one year diff). But no relaxation/ option was given to the 2nd jan born child's mother though she tried hard for it.
You will have to decide whether you really want him to be in a higher class than his counterparts...
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Hope it helps,
Regards,
Payal

sanravi_1970 · Jul 15, 2010

Thanks Sunitha for your info..

The regular preschool, i meant private pre school only. I dont think there are any Public schools that allow very young kids!All public schools admit kids at the age of 5 to Kindergarden right?

How about the fees for Montessori Preschools?

sanravi_1970 · Jul 15, 2010

Sunitha

T's birthday is Nov 1st,our state cut-off is Sep 30th,so all public schools clearly said no to admit in KG,so instead of wasting/waiting another yr,since he already completed preschool by then,we put him in a private school and are still continuing there,this yr he goes to 3rd grade.

So after his preschool you joined him in private school in kindergarden grade and next year U joined him in 1st grade, Am i right? Have i understood it right?

Pavarun · Jul 18, 2010

Sanravi,

I think you've got answers to most questions here so I will not repeat, but just wanted to add these:

2. Did you opt for regular(private) preschool or Montessori. I heard Montessori are costly compared to regular preschool and even some regular preschool charge sooo much.

I sent my older one to a regular preschool (non-Montessori). With all due respect to Montessori and its methods sometimes I think it has become almost "cult-ish" now with people almost looking down on you if the child does not go to Montessori. Another big factor for me was the cost since I need full time care. Montessori + full time daycare is ridiculously expensive.

3. What is your opinion about church preschools(i know its little bit affordable )

My son used to go to a church-based preschool for about a year. We did not have any issues. It also depends on how comfortable you are with the religious activities participation. For my son, they used to have weekly chapel time but I believe that was about it.

5. Another main thing that is bothering me is My son's Birthdate - Dec 19, which is over the cut off date of our county,Dec1.

It all depends on your school district's policies. As Srama said, some states have a law that the child has to turn 5 before entering kindergarten. In my school district the cutoff date is Sept 30. But if the child is 6 between Oct 1 and Dec 31, and the child has been in public or private KG then the child can be considered for 1st grade. So if your school district won't allow your son to join public KG there may be a way to do private KG and then join the public school system for 1st grade if the school district allows this.

sanravi_1970 · Jul 19, 2010

Thanks Pavarun..

My doubt.....Considering the age in my case, if my son continues to be in preschool till age 6, will he be allowed to join 1st grade directly in public school? Do i need to enquire the school?

Yes as u mentioned i have to expect all those religious activities in church school..that didnt strike me :hide:

sanravi_1970 · Jul 19, 2010

Thanks Srama and young@heart for ur input..

Yes Srama, as u said, i have this idea of enquiring in the school, but just when is the right time to ask them! Anytime? Even now?
Pls suggest..

Srama · Jul 19, 2010

Sanravi, first go through the school district website. Try and understand as much as you can about what the district says. In almost all districts, you can locate the principal's email id. So you can write to her/him and ask for an appointment.

Now about the time frame, say for example, for the school year this september our school district asked for applications in January and we knew about admissions in March. So it is a good idea to contact the school once the christmas break is over (for the year you want admission). I just want to offer some unsolicited advise here though - speak with the school like you are seeking their opinion. Most schools/principals are wary of parents who come across as pushy - while we are thinking of just our child, they have to deal with some 100s of parents, so be patient. Listen to what they have to say and then you will some time to think about it and after that you can go further. Coming across as a parent who is open to suggestions and is just exploring options will get you better response from school than as a parent who has already decided what they want to do with the child. The schools here do emphasise a lot on social development and I bellieve with reason. Hope this helps.