A little birdie (Thanks, Lisa!) told me that there may be some questions that arose from a previous blog I wrote about picking a preschool. If you haven’t had a chance to read it, you can do so here. Preschool isn’t something that you must choose for your child to attend, it is optional. What if you are a first time parent and really have no idea how this preschool thing works?
Let’s see if I can clear up some of the questions people may have concerning preschool and their child. Typically children attend preschool for the first time at the age of three. Remember however, if your child turns three after the school year has already started, then you will most likely need to wait to enroll him until the following school year. My oldest son was born in May, so he was considered a younger preschooler, having just turned three shortly before starting school, while some of his classmates were turning four as early as September or October, right after school started.
I started thinking about preschool the February before my son even turned three, meaning he was only two and barely potty-trained when I had to start calling around for openings. Let me tell you, it was crazy having to call places and get placed on a waiting list. Yes, a waiting list for preschool. We actually were living in South Carolina at the time, and every preschool I called, with the exception of one place, were already full for the following school year.
I was placed on a waiting list at every school I contacted. The only school without a waiting list was enrolling by using a lottery system for those who wanted in. Basically I was told to show up at a certain time, then I would be given a number. If my number were drawn, my son would be able to be enrolled in that preschool for the upcoming school year.
I decided to pass on that school because, 1. I had no one to watch my children as the lottery was held in the morning and my husband had to work. No way was I dragging a two-year old and an infant to wait for an hour just to see if my number would come up. 2. Are you kidding me? It was only preschool after all, and I decided that I would rather not jump through hoops, if needed my son could go without preschool for a year.
I know that some cities start the waiting list process much sooner, children as young as one are being put on waiting lists for preschool that will occur two years in the future. A good idea to check on the demand in your area would be to call around to local preschools, in my case we were only picking Christian preschools located in churches, and see when they start enrolling for preschool, check how long the waiting lists are and what they recommend you do.
Preschool: who knew that trying to enroll your child in one could be so time-consuming? Check back with my future blogs for the different types of preschools available to your child. Hopefully I can clear up any other questions you may have about preschool and your child!