Skip to main content

To Preschool or Not to Preschool

My Sweet Pea turned four years old this week. Unbelievable!

This year, I quit my job to spend more time at home with my kids. Or, more precisely, I took a leave of absence from my part-time teaching job that I actually worked at nearly full-time because my part-time teaching wages didn't cover full-time daycare for two children and working full-time was stressful for me and my family, even though I loved my job. (Precision is wordy.) I was hoping that I could net more income overall by subbing a few days a week, and I am so far! Last spring, even after I knew I wouldn't be working every day, I was researching preschools for Stella because age three is the year when children generally start preschool. I found some really great-looking schools and situations, but it seemed the more I liked the school, the more it cost (my preference was for Montessori or bilingual, of course). Since I was planning to be home most days, the more I thought about it, the less sense it made to me to pay hundreds of dollars a month to send my daughter somewhere else, since the main reasons I was staying home were to save money (yes - save money by not working: seems crazy doesn't it!), and spend time with my children. Preschool costs money and would mean more time apart... but I wanted to save money and spend time together. I wanted preschool, I thought, or did I?

What I finally decided, along with my husband, was that for this year at least, we did not need preschool. We are providing a positive, social, enriched, loving environment for our kids. Stella already had most of the skills (at a basic level at least) that I thought kids were supposed to learn at preschool, and we really couldn't afford it anyway. After two years going to daycare three or four days a week, she had strong social skills, a sense of independence, could count in English and Spanish, and could recognize letters. We have a group of friends with similar aged children that we play with at least once a week, and we go to library story times, on walks and hikes, to the park, and on lots of errands. So, the value of preschool seemed to diminish when I thought of all of the ways we were already meeting most of the goals of preschool. In addition, on days that I work as a substitute teacher or scoring essays, my kids are cared for by our neighbor who is a former preschool teacher, or by a friend or family member, most of whom also have young children. This Slate article, subtitled "If you are reading this article, your kid probably doesn't need preschool," affirmed my confidence in this choice. It points out research that shows that the more disadvantaged a child is, the more difference preschool can make in their lives, while the more education and resources a family has, the less important preschool becomes.

A couple of weeks ago, however, I started thinking again about preschool. Next year is a new year, and kindergarten comes the year after. Perhaps she would benefit from structured time with other kids, and to having a more routinized week, less dependent on my random days of subbing. Maybe Henry would benefit from some time with just me. Maybe I would benefit from a bit of a break from parenting all day. I sat at the computer and researched days and times, locations and fees for local preschools for a good hour or more. I made a new list. Maybe next year?

What's your opinion? How do you choose whether or not to preschool, and which one?

Comments

  1. Caden is in his second year of preschool at Grace Community Preschool (it is pretty close to your house). We absolutely love his preschool AND it is affordable (the 4-year-old class is $130.mo.). Caden is smart, but he has learned so much and will be better prepared for kindergarten in the fall.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment, Meredith! That is so great that you have found a good fit for you! I do think that preschool is usually good and was just sure that Stella would go this year, until I looked at our particular situation a little more closely. We are comfortable with no-preschool this year but are definitely considering it for next year and will check out Grace.

      Delete
  2. I totally understand. Grace actually goes through K, but we are choosing to send Caden to public school to save money. We are crossing our fingers for Buena Vista.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I found one successful example of this truth through this blog. I am going to use such information now. Child Care In Coral Gables

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Woollybottoms Giveaway

I am hosting my first giveaway! I have been wanting to do this for a while, and I'm so pleased to have it finally planned. The item I chose to give is a new pair of Woollybottoms - wool pants for babies. The retail value of these is $29.00. I have been really into the wool pants thing lately, as you may have noticed from my recent posts (about Nifty Knickers , and my baby blue longies ) so this seems like a good fit. Wool pants can be used as a cloth diaper cover, or just as snuggly warm pants for the winter or for bedtime. These ones are "footies" so they should keep your baby toasty! The pair I am giving to one lucky winner is light blue with fish fabric for the footie part. Maybe a little more boyish than girlie, but Stella would definitely wear these if we got to keep them. They are size medium, and have the following measurements: 8" waist (elastic) 9" rise 18" length Here they are: To enter, simply comment below and let me know why you wan

Summer 2020 - Life in a Pandemic

I'm in my final week of summer before work as a middle school teacher begins again. This time of year I'm always in a reflective mood.  I look back and feel so lucky to have had this time with my kids. We went camping, biking, boating, golfing, and hiking. We celebrated my sister's wedding, we did projects together, watched movies, and just hung out at home. It really was everything that summer is meant to be. There were many events and plans that we canceled due to Covid, but we did all the most important things. We missed friends, but I also reveled in the togetherness with my little family unit. Today, I spent time registering for fall childcare and activities. It's less than usual, but still I can see the pace of our lives picking up. As we move into a season of more busy-ness, more work, and likely more stress, this poem sums up the feelings I'm experiencing.... Vacation End by Leslie Pinckney Hill From the charm of radiant faces, From the days we took to dream

Review: Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! There's a Party in My City!

Attending a live show is always a treat. The Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! There's a Party in My City! show last Monday was no exception. We arrived only about ten minutes early, and it felt a little weird to walk into a venue where I normally attend serious plays and musical performances, full of children, toddlers, and babies, many in costume. I had been to see The Color Purple there two days before, and it was quite a different atmosphere! Unsure how Sweet Pea would react to the show before we went, I was a bit overwhelmed at first and so was she, but after the first few acts she settled in to enjoy it and danced along to the music at times. Overall, it was a fun experience for us all and a happy memory to look back on as our first live performance as a family. The show producers, or planners, or whatever they are, included a few extras for the audience that really added to the experience for the kids. There was confetti that shot out over the crowd, a huge balloon d