Are Any of Your Children Starting a Developmental Preschool?

Hi G.,
I have a son that will be three on Nov. 3rd. He is speech delayed and has just started preschool. It is really helping his speech. I got lucky and didn;t have to look for a school, because of his speech delay, he qualified for a program through the Gilbert school district. He goes to Neely Elementary. He absolutely loves it. He is such an active kid and is easily bored at home, so this is great for him. I also have a 1 1/2 yr old daughter, so it is nice that they can have a bit of a break from eachother. We are new to the area, and we are looking for playmates for my son. You can email, if you'd like to get together sometime. We are in West Gilbert. ____@____.com Brandy

My son went to more of a playschool last year when he was 2-3 and this year he is going to a Montessori school. The difference has been amazing, I am so impressed with our new school and my son is flourishing there. Last year was nice, he learned how to interact with other kids and teachers, and they did do a lot of art, yoga kids and of course abc's, etc. But the skills he's developed in the past couple months this year have really affected him as a whole. He's becoming very independent and takes a lot of pride in his work. He's quite focused and is more respectful of the other kids, his things, etc. I really can't say enough good things about it.

As far as questions to ask? I would ask just the basics, like what the daily schedule is, how is discipline handled, how secure is the building, etc, but then be sure to observe for an hour or two to see how the kids/teachers interact. Just make sure you have a good feeling for the school and are comfortable with the teachers and aides. Good luck!

Hello G.,
My little one started preschool in August. I did walk in visits to the preschools in my area. I went with the one that was clean and organized. A lot of it depends on what your priorities are and what is important to you. I was looking for a little of everything, however was surprised by the smell in several of the care facilities. I also felt, if the toys indoors and outdoor were scattered across the grounds, that is what they are teaching the children. I found a facility that was clean, smelled clean, organized, all toys were in their containers, the children were napping and the floors had just been sanitized while they were napping, and their were displays of the childrens work everywhere. I was very comfortable with this choice and that is where she is at now.

As of Monday, she turned 2. Two year olds sit on the toilet and she is already going potty. We notice she knows what everything is, from wild animals to all her body parts and clothing. Last night, I played a matching game with her using alphabet cards, to my amazement, she knew how to do this already and had no problem matching the letter on the cards to the letters on the game board.

I chose Litl Scholar acadamy.

Just be really happy and overly positive with your ds. My daughter started preschool in Sept. and my dh and I talked it up how wonderful it is to learn and how many great friend to play and learn with she will meet. Said these things everyday for a month. Had her pick out clothes and shoes for school. And she didn't and never has shed one tear. Its been a wonderful experience for us and her. We also never ask negative questions such as: Were the kids or teachers nice to you? More on the lines of what are your new friend names? Hope that help alittle. P.S. I hope its NOT a Creative Kids Learning Center just beware of them!!!!!!!!!! Especially at the Lakes!!!!

My 3 year old is in a dual language Montessori and I can't say enough about Montessori in general. My husband doesn't agree but the strives she has made are great. She has fun interacting with her peers and teachers and loves the 3 hours a day she is there.
Questions to ask, ratio, what is the ratio child to teacher? Thats important. Training, what training do they have? I feel that's important too. Good luck and I know preschool at three is a great thing for your child to experience. I think they will be ahead of any child who doesn't have the experience when starting kindergarden

My DS started at 3 and was being seen before that out of school.
The whole experience has been a positive one for him we believe because we started early enough to make a difference. Each child is different and their rate of change so it's hard to compare over time really how well he's done as he's been in a few preschools. (we're a Military family)and his specific learning needs.
Remember to compare your child from where he was to where he is as well as his peer group.
What I've found was to be fully involved School is only a few hours we are not :) reinforcing what goes on in school needs great communication between schools and parents. Some schools are better at this than others. Find out how they do this.
Visit the school before you choose ( if you have a choice)
Sit in on some classes or drop by- try to be unannounced if allowed.
Think partnerships and not dictatorships ( on both sides)
Be your child's advocate but have a keen listening ear.they are trying to help. As a parent remember Balance and research.
Find out the fun games the OT, SlP, Pt etc do and see if you can do it too. Most would love to see the parents and give them guidance more than just the IEP meeting. They can point you to specific resources online, instore and in your home. Learning goes on after the 2.5 hrs at school and the activities are a lot of fun :) why miss out on the fun stuff.
Be proactive rather than reactive to situations.
Ask the other parents questions but remember things always get back to the teacher.
Find out what he does during the day and see how you'll know about it when he comes home. DS had speech and understanding problems so one school supplemented the daily routine with a praise book that briefly mentioned 2-3 positive things that happened each day. It meant I could ask him about specific things and engage in better conversations.
Find the systems they use at school and use them at home. if your child likes them. Mine both love the routine ( what kid doesn't) We have a photochart of the morning routine and the evening routine. Just like preschool. Not so many tantrums and misunderstanding = peaceful time for all of us.
See if there's a way you can help in the classroom ( writing a newsletter, collecting box tops, cutting crafts for future projects, displaying work, donating books etc)

Ask about ongoing training? as new teachers and assistants come through ask often do they get trained in the new techniques etc. Ask about turnover of staff.

I'm sure things will work out just great.

Hi G.,
Both of my children have been through the developmental preschools. My son went on to regular school and is now in second grade and doing very well. My daughter is still in it, her birthday is in Nov so this is her third year at the dev preschool.
I have mixed reviews of it for my son. My son's first year was fabulous, because his teachers and therapists were. He spoke very little prior to it and so in his first year he blossomed. His second year left a lot to be desired. I dropped by the class quite a bit and I'm sure I was an unwelcome sight, but I got a lot of things changed because of it.
My daughter's first two years were wonderful. She had the same teacher and aides and even the same bus drivers. The whole experience for her was excellent and her speech improved a thousand percent. This year she has been transitioned to the community preschool in Peoria Unified School district because that will let her have the socialization she needs for mainstream kindergarten. She will still receive speech and OT. Her teacher has been her advocate throughout all of this and I can't say enough nice things about the Peoria Unified School District. R.

G.,

Define developmental preschool... My son is in the special needs preschool program with the school district. He's in a self-contained autism program. If that is the type of program you are starting, I think I could help you a lot. My son is 4 so we are in our second year with the program. I've met a lot of parents, talked to a lot of advocates, etc...Obviously I know more about the autism programs but I'm at least familiar with the other programs. If this is the type of thing you are looking for, email me directly ____@____.com

My daughter is three and currently attending a Deveolpmental Preschool. She still has wet feet but I believe it's a good experience for her. When researching the school I would decided on what type of program you are looking for. Ask how many children are in the class, what the max and ratio are. Ask what the structure is like and what they do if your child does not follow instruction. Ask to make sure they will give direction if needed and ask if they have other children in the class that do need direction. I think structure is great but if your child needs assistance they should get it or the structure may not allow them to thrive in such an environment.

My son is 3 years 10 months old. He's been in developmental preschool since January in Chandler. I love the 1 teacher to 14 kids ratio. There's 2 teacher assistants as well and right now there's only 6 kids (they're waiting for more kids to turn 3). He seems to learn more in the 2.5 hrs 3x/week with also speech and OT. I haven't replaced an external OT yet because the School's OT is fabulous. His current speech therapist is also his previous schools' speech therapist. HTH

My son is 3 years old and we just transferred him to Primrose School for preschool. I love this school. They have taught him so much. He got potty trained in just two months, it was taking me a year to do with by myself and with the help of other daycares. Plus, my son comes home singing all sorts of songs, he can count to 6 in spanish all ready, knows his right foot from his left, plus many more things. Putting my son at this school has been the best thing for him.