Daycare to preschool transition

[Deleted]

I know this seems early because B isn't even close to 2 yet but next month he starts the classroom at day care where he'll be until he turns 3.

I *think* I know where we want to send him for preschool at 3 but there are still a ton of variables (second child, money, etc). 

My day care has a preschool that starts at 3 but I don't know if they start in September like the other schools I am considering or if you kid turns three and they just get transferred over to that side of the building.  What was your experience?  I guess I need to clarify if we are going to be kicked out of the toddler room on his birthday or will they give us a two month moratorium until we transfer to the other school.

Also, how much of your preschool placement decision was based on where you wanted your child to be for prekindergarten and kindergarten?  We are planning on putting B in the public pre-k lottery just to see what he gets and one of the free options we may get is the same facility he attends now.  If we go that route I'm less inclined to move him at 3 just to move him back a year later.  But right now my preferences for pre-k are:

1. Neighborhood Spanish Immersion Montessori 3-5 $
2. Magnet public Montessori at 4
3. Magnet public Spanish Immersion at 4
4. Prep school pre-k $
5. Day care public pre-k
6. Neighborhood public pre-k

OMG typing that out is stressing me out.  I'm reading about option #3 and it sounds really cool but there are only 9 English speaking spots.  This is so hard.

I was really interested in private schools for a long time but now investigating the public schools it seems like they have some awesome programs.  A kid brought a gun to the high school last week so of course my DH is freaking out.  Talk me down.

[karinothing]

My center moves on the birthday (or on DS case 2 weeks after due to schedule issues).

There is technicnally public pre-K here, but it largely income based. There are only a few sports open on a non-need base. They are also only for the school year so I would need to find care for the summer, which seems annoying. So I would double check to see if they are year round.

DS will stay at his current center for pre-school and pre-K. his pre-K at his daycare has a program comparable to any private pre-school place.

I want to send DS to immersion elementary school, so those would be my options.

Oh, and kids bring guns to private school too, kids are just idiots.

[hocus2]

I'm not really sure I follow of this. It seems like you want to enroll your son into stuff when he is 4, so I wouldn't transfer him at 3 to then transfer him again at 4. I sure it would be fine if you did (we ended up doing this even though it isn't optimal) but it seems unnecessary.

I would look into your true chances of getting into some these programs. I had a 0% change of getting into the pre-k at our local public school because siblings get preference and they had more siblings that space available.

I also think you that you should not think about getting into the BEST schools. List out schools that you consider to be good enough and that meet your other needs (financial, times they open and close, number of days open over the year, summer hours etc) and do your best to get into a school that is good enough.

[Deleted]

Oct 24, 2014 9:36:11 GMT -5 hocus2 said:

I'm not really sure I follow of this. It seems like you want to enroll your son into stuff when he is 4, so I wouldn't transfer him at 3 to then transfer him again at 4. I sure it would be fine if you did (we ended up doing this even though it isn't optimal) but it seems unnecessary.

Oh I guess I should clarify.  We are currently leaning on sending him to a private school that he can start at age 3.

BUT pre-k is free for everyone in my city so we want to see if he gets into one of the magnets in which case we would go for it and maybe keep him in said magnet for elementary school.  Our neighborhood public school is not great so if we don't get into a magnet we will likely enter private.

I see what you mean about keeping him where he is so he won't move twice in two years but if we don't get one of the 40 magnet spots he'll likely be in private school so I figured we should start him at 3 instead of 4 so he's not behind.

ETA.  If he gets into public magnet he can stay there until 6th grade.

[hocus2]

It will not matter academically if you child starts private school at 3 or 4. I would highly suspicious of a program that was doing something so very complicated with 3 year olds that is created an significant "achievement gap" compared to a standard daycare. I was just in the K class today and kids from all backgrounds (no prek, 2 years prek, etc) where participating and doing fine.

[dcrunnergirl52]

Oct 24, 2014 9:44:10 GMT -5 @lcap said:

I would do the prek where you want him to go to elementary school so he is with the kids he will be with throughout his school career.

I agree with this. I also wouldn't worry about getting him into the fanciest, nicest preschool/pre-K if it doesn't meet your other needs. My kids don't go to the fanciest pre-K with the latest technologies or teaching languages, but they love their teachers and they have so much fun, and now they love to learn and can't wait to go to school each day, which IMHO is really what preschool/pre-K is all about.