Hi moms, hoping to get some opinions on childcare preferences. My daughter is at a in-home daycare with maybe 3 other children. Fiona is 20 months and the others are 3 1/2, 2 1/2 and 2 months . She likes the provider, as do I. My question is, should I start looking into a more sturctured atmoshphere with many more children in attendance? and if so at what age should I change her over? A friend of mine feels it would be more beneficial to have her with more kids with lots of structured activities. I feel that she gets more one-on-one attention where she is at and there will be plenty of time for structure in school, and think I should re-evaluate changing her care to "preshcool" around age 3. I know its for my husband and I to decide ultimately, but I would like some opinions on the matter, so if you have one please share. Thanks, M.
I didnt put my daughter in preschool until she was 4. I had kids here all the time, as I did emergency and random daycare along with regular daycare from my home. She is now 6 and in 1st grade. She adjusted just fine, and is a very smart, sociable kid!
I would recommend leaving her where she is happy and secure. She is still little and has a long time before she needs to do preschool. I put my kids in preschool the year before kindergarten and they both thrived. Don't rush things to much, she will have lots of structure for the rest of her life. Ultimately you need to go with what you thing is the best for your daughter and your lives. Good luck on whatever you choose.
Do you think a preschool setting would address an area she needs to work on better than where she is now? If not, I say no need to move her now.
HI M.,
It sounds like the daycare is a good fit for her now and I would let here stay there. Having had my kids in a daycare until a year ago and now having a daycare in my own home, I really see the benefits of having kids in a smaller environment when they are younger if you have a good provider.
I think you'll know when she's ready to transition out as she gets a little older. Usually what happens is that the kids in the daycare get "too young" for the older kids as the kids transition in and out and the older kids are no longer challenged in the same way as they were when their peer group was close to their age. Then there is great benefit to preschool. They interact with their same aged peers, do age appropriate activities and usually have more structured activities.
I would HIGHLY recommend looking at preschools now, however, and perhaps getting on a waiting list. We live in an area where preschools are impacted and there is a long waiting list ( 2 years for the a.m. program that my son will be attending in the fall). You want to be able to have options and if your daughter comes up on the wait list and you aren't ready to place her then you can decline. I would ask the preschools how long their wait list is and what their deposit cost and policy is. For some, if you decline the spot when it's offered, you don't get the deposit back, but it's better than your daughter being ready and not having an option for a program better suited for her.
If you are considering a half day preschool option, I would apply for an a.m. slot as your first option. In our situation our daughter was still napping at age 4 and it was a difficult transition for her to have to miss her nap. Some kids are ready to give it up by then, but she still (at now 5) is fried by the end of the week. But she is a busy girl also. So it depends on the child. My son, who is also very active, still naps at age 3.
Good luck~ hope this helps!
J.
I would personally keep her where she is at. If you are both happy with the situation then why change? I think a larger daycare setting will not give her the attention that she deserves right now. The smaller the number of children, the more attention and education they get. My son is 3.5 and I have him in the Tiny Tots program through the community center. There are only 13 children in the class and they have a blast. I am easing him into a larger preschool and kindergarten. They have plenty of years of structure ahead of them, so why not be relaxed now?
Hi M.
I know many parents often think their children need to constantly have STRUCTURE but what's more important than structure is CONSISTENCY in their lives. My son went to a home childcare (at about 3 1/2 until Kinder.) It was out of the woman's home, but she did all kinds of activities with the children, art, fieldtrips , she did have structure but it wasn't the same thing each day. The kids ages varied from about 1 1/2 years to almost 5 yrs.
The teacher also taught writing, shapes, drawing, they made crafts and she often read to the children. It was more like a preschool and I do think to this day he got so much out of it. It truly depends on the caregiver. IF you do think your child is getting something out of it, then I would keep them in the present care situation. After all, what matters most is that the child feels loved and again has consistency.. You drop them off, you pick them up.. They begin to learn trust. You can teach structure at home like we eat at this time, we go to bed at this time. As for my son who is now in second grade, he adapted very well to school and is doing great. I attributed part of this to his having gone to a childcare where he felt comfortable in addition, we always maintained a consistent and somewhat structured life at home (but never went overboard) example, the first thing he does when he gets home is homework, then once that is done, he gets free time.. then it's on to dinner but before that.. he must wash his hands.. so it's the little things that add up..
best of luck to you.. :)
