Mommy dilemma - what would you do?

CollinsMom

CollinsMom

Cathlete
First of, thanks for reading this and for any advice you can give. I'm stuck!

My son Collin is 4 years old, and will not go to kindergarten until next year (august 2010). For several years, he has been in a daycare that also has a preschool program. He was recently moved to the preschool class meant for kids who will go to "big school" in one year.

He loves the preschool teacher and the other kids in his class (they've been together for several years), but my problem is this... Lots of children have been dropping out of the daycare (I assume because their parents are losing their jobs), so the daycare is cutting staff and programs as a result. My son's preschool teacher is only there 4/5 days a week now, and gets send home early from time to time as well. Also, they used to have lots of great programs like an exercise class for the kids once a week, etc., and those programs have been cut due to funding as well.

I'm just concerned because he needs to be ready for school in a year. I don't feel like he is getting the academic stuff that he needs from the program he is in now. His teacher does a good job when she is there (and he adores her), but it seems as though she is only there about 25 hours/week.

On the other hand, I know it is important for him to socialize with other children his age and he gets plenty of that in this program - these kids have all been together for years and play together well.

So what should I do - leave him in the program he is in, and try to make up the slack at home with the academic stuff? Or look into switching him into a new program?

Thanks again!
 
Katie, here are my thoughts...

If you do NOTHING with Collin, he will be ready for Kindergarten - I promise. They learn shapes, numbers, letters, colors, etc. - not reading and addition and such. I'm sure that if he went now, he'd be fine.

On the other hand, if you feel like he needs the stimulation and would do better somewhere else, I would look into new programs.

School is all about socialization for the first few years so if he's getting that, you're in good shape!

Don't fret little mama! :)
 
Hi Katie,

I agree that Collin will be ready for Kindergarten anyway, but it does not hurt to keep your eyes open for other programs. My DDs have done Montessori for pre-K with excellent results, but no matter how prepared they are for school I am always supplementing at home with workbooks, reading, etc. You can always get some Kindergarten curriculum workbooks (I get mine from Barnes & Noble) and have him do a few pages a day at home anyway. HTH
 
katie, ditto what angie said. kids learn thru play so much more than we realize. play IS their learning. they do need to go into kgarten knowing everything theyre supposed to learn - they learn it there.

youre a great mom! keep up the good work!:)
 
Katie, I agree with the others on this one n that he'll be fine. Keep him where he is; His 'job' right now IS just being a kid. And again, as the others said, he's learning TONS just be being a KID! He'll be fine.....we promise! He'll be going to school for the next 13 YEARS!!! I think that's plenty of time to learn what he needs to become a well-adjusted, independent and productive adult. :)

Gayle
 
If you feel that he is neing well cared for and he is generally happy, then leave him in his current daycare. He will learn what he needs when he gets to school.

Depending on the state you live in the curriculum has changed from when we were kids for kindergarten. In Michigan, the kids are reading by the end of the year (or on the verge of it), but they still come to school not knowing letters or numbers or colors.

Preschool for my kids was 4 mornings a week and then daycare the rest of the day. Your child, at 25 hours or so a week, is getting plenty of teaching time (which I would bet is still learning through play...songs, games, etc.).

So, ultimately, if you feel comfortable and he is happy, stay put! :)

Jenn
 
No pre-k, no K...

It amazes me that when I started school I went to the first grade having never been in pre-school, pre-K, K, etc. How did I do it??????????? I managed to graduate from High School with a high GPA in spite of it, all without the benefit of computers, the internet, etc. Is all this early formal education really needed?
 
Katie,

My son IS going to Kindergarten this fall!!!:eek::eek::eek:

I agree with all the above, kids learn through play and socializing. Academics are really such a small part at this age. I think moving him might cause unneccessary stress. If he is happy where he is, let him be.

You'll be surprised at how much he really does know!!!

Don't fret, he is happy and having fun, at age 4 that's what life is all about!!

ellie
 
cakebaker said:
It amazes me that when I started school I went to the first grade having never been in pre-school, pre-K, K, etc. How did I do it??????????? I managed to graduate from High School with a high GPA in spite of it, all without the benefit of computers, the internet, etc. Is all this early formal education really needed?
Click to expand...

Same here! I went to first grade at 5 years old, having never been to any sort of pre-school or kindergarten. They didn't even have kindergarten back then. I have a college degree and also earned a high grades throughout my schooling.

It always amazes me that people worry about academics for kids at 4 years old!! Wow! Believe me, there's plenty of time for him to learn what he needs to learn. Let him be a little kid for now!

Good luck to the little guy. I am sure he will do just fine!
 
My daughter went to a daycare that had preschool hours during the day, but that was because I was in school. IMO, preschool's purpose for preparing children for school is not necessarily to have them learn everything, it is to have them learn how to function and behave in a classroom setting, listen to a teacher, and learn how to get along with other children outside of play time. I helped out in my daughter's kindergarten class and saw that there were children of all abilities there...some had been to preschool, some had not. But now that they are going into 5th grade, they're all doing just fine!

If you are happy where your son is going and he enjoys it there, please do not fret that he is missing out on things because they have cut the budget. He is 4 after all, and like Gayle said, his job is being a kid. They learn so much through play and interacting with others and even though kids have the capacity to learn so much when they are younger, it boggles my mind that people will try to cram as much knowledge in there as they can as early as they can. Kids need to be kids and they are not preparing for college when they are in preschool!
 
Strong 'ditto' to all of the above!! :D

Staying in a stable, caring environment where he can grow and explore is the most important background your son needs for Kindergarten. I think, especially since he only has one more year, pulling him out at this point would be the worst thing to do. At that age, I think academics (reading, writing, math, etc.) are secondary to emotional growth and security.

Kids absorb so much from playing and just interacting with the world. Just being in a strutured environment will help prepare your son for what he needs to know to be successful in school: rules, social boundaries, organization, being able to sit still and listen, etc.

If you feel you need to supplement, there are a lot of wonderful tools out there, but, really, it's probably more for your reassurance than for him (and I mean this kindly!!) It sounds like he's already going to be fine based on what he has and your level of concern. Kids need love and security more than anything, and I think you have that covered :)
 
Hi, Katie,
I, too, agree with all of the above. Plus, change can be hard on kiddos that age, and he'll have a lot of change next year when he goes to kindergarten. Kindergarten is a funny anomaly in that kids are coming into it with all sorts of different "educational" backgrounds -- some have been in intensive preschool settings and some have done nothing but watch TV for 5 years and everything in between -- so I don't think you should worry too much about him being "academically" ready.

HOWEVER, all of that said, I will admit that it is based on hindsight b/c I have 16 year old twins. When they were 4, I was quite uptight about them being "ready" for school, and they were in an awesome preschool. One thing we used with great success at home (on the recommendation of their preschool teacher) to prepare them for reading was "Bob books" -- http://www.bobbooks.com/

Good luck!
Kristi
 
I should follow-up on my previous post since after re-reading it seems that I may be a little obsessive about educating my girls. While I do have curriculum workbooks and other educational tools at home, my girls actually choose to work in those books - it may be due to their Montessori experience. I wholeheartedly agree to allow your children to just be children and their social experience is their primary source of learning at this age. However, I am one that believes in supplying them with whatever educational tools I can and if they choose those tools then it is just an added bonus. Collin will do great!! No worries, Katie :D
 
Having taught pre-school for a number of years, I think your son will be fine. We had AM and PM classes that met for 2.5 hr. 3 days a week. We touched on numbers, letters, and shapes and colors. I had a few parents that were concerned their child would not be ready for Kindergarten. I told them to go to the Elementary school and talk w/ the Principle and voice their concerns. They all reported back that their child would be more than ready for school. They will learn all they need to know in Elementary school, don't worry, let them be kids and the rest will fall into place. My oldest DD is starting college in August, enjoy them while they're young:):):)
 
Not much to add to what everyone else has said. I am another one who agrees that if your son is happy where he is, has friends, likes the teachers, etc., that is much more important at his age than what he is actually being taught. If he is with the instructor about 25 hours/week, that is pretty good. If you look at the hours kids are actually in school/in class, it isn't much more than that and many kindergartens are less. As other posters have said, if you feel there are any areas lacking, you can always supplement with Pre-K or K workbooks at home. They make some that are fun and don't feel like "homework." Good luck to you in whatever decision you make.

Carrie
 
HaveFun said:
I should follow-up on my previous post since after re-reading it seems that I may be a little obsessive about educating my girls. While I do have curriculum workbooks and other educational tools at home, my girls actually choose to work in those books - it may be due to their Montessori experience. I wholeheartedly agree to allow your children to just be children and their social experience is their primary source of learning at this age. However, I am one that believes in supplying them with whatever educational tools I can and if they choose those tools then it is just an added bonus. Collin will do great!! No worries, Katie :D
Click to expand...

"it boggles my mind that people will try to cram as much knowledge in there as they can as early as they can" is what I said in my post, but PLEASE don't think it was directed towards you! I'm not saying you did, but just wanted to make that clear ;). We worked at home with our daughter during her preschool years, helping her learn to read, etc and I think a lot of parents do that. I think that is fantastic. I think she may have even had a few workbooks that sometimes she used, most times she ignored.

For the OP, as several people have stated, if you feel that your child is lacking in certain areas with the preschool go ahead and feel free to work on things at home. The most important aspect of preschool, IMO, is getting them ready to be in a classroom setting, interacting with teachers and other kids. You're the parent, and you know what is best for your child.
 
coloradomama said:
"it boggles my mind that people will try to cram as much knowledge in there as they can as early as they can" is what I said in my post, but PLEASE don't think it was directed towards you! I'm not saying you did, but just wanted to make that clear ;)
Click to expand...

I was just trying to clear up my original post, too. Sometimes I write a post and I do not realize how it can be taken until I see other posters' responses and I think "hmmm, I can see how it can be taken that way". I'm just OCD that way, unfortunately :D When I re-read my original post I was thinking someone imagining me at home with my hair in a bun & glasses with my chalkboard & ruler giving lessons - LOL!! :eek: Yep, I have an overactive imagination as well :D:D
 
I gotta agree with all the other mama's out there. I think when it is your first child we over think the whole, . . is my kid going to do well in kindergarden, . . and why is my kid not potty trained when all the other kids are potty trained. You've been given some really great advice from some really great mommies. Kindergarden is a time when they are introduced to the academic stuff. If they come in knowing everything already they'll be bored. You'd be surprised some kids come into Kindergarden that don't speak english or have never in their life picked up a crayon. Kindergarden is a fun time when the kids get to learn through playing and socializing. Pre-K is supposed to be fun, . . and learning from each other, . .eating paste, . .well maybe not eating paste, . . . and playing in the mud. If your little guy is having fun I wouldn't worry about it.
 
janie1234 said:
If they come in knowing everything already they'll be bored.
Click to expand...

I will admit that this happened to my older DD who is now about to enter the 2nd grade. She ended up being one of the brightest students in her Kindergarten class, but due to Florida's "No Child Gets Left Behind Act" the teacher only focused on the students who had never held a pencil in their life and offered no stimulating work to the students, like my DD, who could already read and write. I took the liberty of supplementing her schoolwork since she would arrive home at the end of the day and ask if she could work in her workbooks :eek:
 
One thing coming to mind (I read through most of the posts but my workout room is calling my name . . . ;)) is that kinder is only half a day and it sounds like that is what he is experiencing when his teacher is there. The remainder of the day just being social.

Remember there is a limit for a young child's attention span and thus the limit on the hours a kinder is in school.

ITA that if he wishes to learn his #'s, colors, letters, etc prior to kinder then definitely keep him stimulated. Otherwise preschool is good enough to learn dealing with others, learning from someone other than his parents and to learn structure and routine for the future.

It is great you are concerned and I have no doubt Collin will do well because you care !
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top