Thinking about preschool next year? Why?
My daughter went to preschool and it was overall, a wonderful experience for her. However, I did think hard about the whole endeavor before we decided to embark upon it. I remember sitting around agonizing about it, actually. As it stands, we had amazing preschool teachers who were wonderful advocates for children and my daughter had a great time playing.
Here are some of the factors that led to us choosing preschool:
We needed child care. If you need to work part time or you simply need a break from one of the children, preschool is a good option. It’s not all day, so it’s an easy transition from home to child care.
Does your child want the social interaction? Now, I am not a great believer that preschoolers must go to school to socialize. However, if your preschooler is an extrovert or you don’t have many friends who live around your home, preschool is a good way for your child to connect with other children. This is more about playing in the moment, though. Don’t expect profound, deep friendships!
How well does the preschool connect with your values? Our preschool connected well with our values. If the only option had been an academic preschool, we would not have gone. My daughter was singularly uninterested in anything remotely connected with academics, and in my mind that was right on target. I believe that preschoolers should have a lot of time to play, and that at preschool they should play with outrageously messy things like glitter and sand. This gives them new experiences (no way am I letting glitter into the house) and gives them a rich environment to play in.
The teachers at our preschool were all about parent participation and gentle discipline. If I had not been allowed to stay when my daughter was having separation anxiety, we would have left the preschool. If the school had used anything but redirection to address most incidents between kids, we would not have gone. The preschool is not you, but it needs to be a good fit for your values.
How did you choose a preschool?