That's always so insane to me. I thought that wasn't real life other than in like Manhattan and on TV.
Yes, just like that. Even down to the preschools all having their admission decisions timed to come out on the same day and making a big deal of delivering welcome packages to the families' homes or the parents' offices with balloons and "I'm an * INSERT ELITE PRESCHOOL NAME * Kid!" t-shirts - it's obnoxious. And almost everyone I am close with, socially or at work, who has preschool-aged kids in the city, sends their kid to one - I am totally the anomaly that my poor kid goes to just a regular daycare. Too bad I don't care about his future.
Also are waitlists for preschools crazy like daycares? I don't know when I need to actually start genuinely looking.
I'm not sure what part of Pittsburgh you're in, but my BFF was able to send her son part time to the Goddard in Peters with no problems. No crazy interviews. She & her son loved it.
My kids went to Goddard for pre-k only and we loved it. Definitely annoying we had to pack lunch (they provide snacks) and they don't do any field trips or anything like Primrose (the other school I considered) does.
Also are waitlists for preschools crazy like daycares? I don't know when I need to actually start genuinely looking.
I'm not sure what part of Pittsburgh you're in, but my BFF was able to send her son part time to the Goddard in Peters with no problems. No crazy interviews. She & her son loved it.
Post by picksthemusic on May 16, 2019 12:21:44 GMT -5
We did PT Montessori for both kids at that age, and I would highly recommend it for children that age. It is play-based, with a high focus on self-care and being self-sufficient. I love our Montessori school and both our kids went there (DS still attends and will through August before he goes to PS K).
We did PT Montessori for both kids at that age, and I would highly recommend it for children that age. It is play-based, with a high focus on self-care and being self-sufficient. I love our Montessori school and both our kids went there (DS still attends and will through August before he goes to PS K).
I know almost NOTHING about Montessori, so this might be a stupid question - is it as unstructured as I think it is? Like, they can truly just do whatever they want? Cause other kids are going to learn and my kid will sit there and play with the same truck toy for the whole 3 hours he's there.
I know almost NOTHING about Montessori, so this might be a stupid question - is it as unstructured as I think it is? Like, they can truly just do whatever they want? Cause other kids are going to learn and my kid will sit there and play with the same truck toy for the whole 3 hours he's there.
You really have to visit a Montessori school and see that actual place in action. They’re all a little different. I was shocked at how different my oldest was at school vs at home! He was a WILD man at home. Very loud and never sat still. The second that he walked through the door, something crazy happened and he was a totally different child. (Though his comment to my mom of “We don’t have fun at school, we work at school” at 3/4 was enough to lead me to choose a different PS for DS2.)
The PS programs my two boys went to couldn’t have possibly been any different, and yet it appears that they’re both going to turn out alright.
We did PT Montessori for both kids at that age, and I would highly recommend it for children that age. It is play-based, with a high focus on self-care and being self-sufficient. I love our Montessori school and both our kids went there (DS still attends and will through August before he goes to PS K).
I know almost NOTHING about Montessori, so this might be a stupid question - is it as unstructured as I think it is? Like, they can truly just do whatever they want? Cause other kids are going to learn and my kid will sit there and play with the same truck toy for the whole 3 hours he's there.
Also, I have two friends with kids at the Western PA Monessori in Allison Park, and they're both really happy with it. Their kids go full time, so I can't speak to part time.
My kids both go to the public montessori in the city, and I've been really, really happy with it. It's play based, but they have specific "works" they learn, and the lessons build once they master the different works. The child based learning has been fabulous for my kids.
One thing to consider about a Montessori school versus a place like Goddard, is that you’re going to need to either figure out something for the summer, or be ok with him staying home with you, as they follow a school calendar. (Also something to consider when looking at the cost.)
I didn't read everything. This is soooo regional. We didn't have Goddard or Montessori. We have a wonderful gem of a local co-op preschool with terrific teachers. All of my kids have gone there and I absolutely love it. It's 2 mornings/week for 3K. 4K recently changed from 3 mornings to 4, but they will allow you to just do 3 mornings if you want to. I am totally in the minority on this board but am generally for less school for these little kids. I love not having mine go every day. I'm a SAHM now but we sent my oldest as well and had a nanny then. It has a strong family feeling and it's a great mix of play and learning.
There are other preschools here with similar schedules, mostly church-affiliated. Many of the 4K options are 5 mornings/week or similar, but I love that ours is less.
Just call around your area and definitely tour your options. Touring will tell you a lot.
We have none of this crazy wait-list for preschool, interviews, etc situation where I am, thank goodness. That's so crazy.
My DD just graduated from a church preschool last night. She went last year when she was 3 for 2 half days a week. This year she went 3 half days a week. The "lesson" portion of the day was over at 12, and the rest of the day was play based.
Check school districts and churches. They are the ones with half day programs in my area (well, most are typically 2.5-3 hours which I guess is half day compared to a regular school day).
Btw, if money were no object I'd send my kid to the Y. They have a preschool program that has a lot of physical activity. They even do swimming! And they can start at 2.5!
Ours is full day I believe, but you can do just a few days per week.
DS will be starting at a Reggio Model preschool this September. We considered Montessori but were contemplating between the Montessori vs nanny share and by the time we decided on the Montessori our spot had been taken. We ended up really love the Reggio program and centre and I am glad it worked out the way it did. DS will go going full time starting September, we are hoping for #2 next summer and if things work out I’ll be on maternity leave again so will be sending DS part time mostly for cost reasons. We don’t have Goddard here but I think Reggio is similar.
Most centres here have the option for full time or part time (2 or 3 days). Waitlist are crazy here. I put DS on waitlists when I was 4 months pregnant with him and I knew I wouldn’t need the spot nearly 2 years later.
The Montessori program is a lot of self direction but anyone I know who has sent their kid to a good Montessori has absolutely loved it and said their children had learned and developed so much.
I toured both the local Goddard and a Montessori when making the decision for my older daughter. We(/I) picked the Montessori. On the Goddard tour I remember it being stressed that all the kids are taught to count to 100 so they are “kindergarten ready.” It’s a little hard to articulate, and this is specific to how I felt from the two tours I took, but it felt like Goddard taught more to primarily hit standards (which is fine!) than to instill the love of learning, which I sensed more at the Montessori. (Montessori kids are counting to 100, too.)
I did Montessori as a child and believe it served me well. I remain a curious, constantly learning adult and I honestly credit at least some of that to doing Montessori as a preschooler.
In truth, here either would have been a great pick. Tons of my daughter’s peers come out of Goddard and they are doing really well.
Post by humpforfree on May 17, 2019 6:38:14 GMT -5
We may have found a unicorn, but my kids go to a preschool program run through our county park & rec program. It’s soooooo much more affordable than a true preschool (which is a big deal for us bc I SAH and never thought we would need/be able to send them to a preschool program). It’s all play based, you can choose two days a week or four. 9:30-1 and they eat lunch there. The teachers are AMAZING and the program is play based, but for my super hesitant kid to come out of his shell and he is ready for K next year. Oh! And it’s in a county community center that is also the senior center- the seniors are so amazing with the kids when they interact in the halls and gym. I love that they get that exposure too.
Maybe someone here can answer a question I have about Montessori. I was researching them a bit & came across a pros and cons list. I plan to ask for clarification on this when we do tours, but one of the things in the con list was that while they are play based, there is also a right & a wrong way to play with things. Ex: Blocks are for building. My kid regularly picks up pieces of a rainbow puzzle and (rather than doing the puzzle), pretends the piece is a seat belt. And if she’s playing with blocks and pretends one is a rocket ship and flies it around the room, I am not okay with someone telling her “that’s not the way we play with blocks.” Of course I will ask for an explanation, because there is a definite chance I am reading this criticism the wrong way.
Maybe someone here can answer a question I have about Montessori. I was researching them a bit & came across a pros and cons list. I plan to ask for clarification on this when we do tours, but one of the things in the con list was that while they are play based, there is also a right & a wrong way to play with things. Ex: Blocks are for building. My kid regularly picks up pieces of a rainbow puzzle and (rather than doing the puzzle), pretends the piece is a seat belt. And if she’s playing with blocks and pretends one is a rocket ship and flies it around the room, I am not okay with someone telling her “that’s not the way we play with blocks.” Of course I will ask for an explanation, because there is a definite chance I am reading this criticism the wrong way.
Oh I hope someone can answer this. This would be really important to me and my son, to whom everything is a hat if you put it on your head.
Maybe someone here can answer a question I have about Montessori. I was researching them a bit & came across a pros and cons list. I plan to ask for clarification on this when we do tours, but one of the things in the con list was that while they are play based, there is also a right & a wrong way to play with things. Ex: Blocks are for building. My kid regularly picks up pieces of a rainbow puzzle and (rather than doing the puzzle), pretends the piece is a seat belt. And if she’s playing with blocks and pretends one is a rocket ship and flies it around the room, I am not okay with someone telling her “that’s not the way we play with blocks.” Of course I will ask for an explanation, because there is a definite chance I am reading this criticism the wrong way.
The materials are definitely designed to be used in a certain way, and teaching them how to appropriately do the work and be respectful of the room is a big part of Montessori. A Montessori classroom won’t have a bin of blocks for open-ended play, but will have blocks for the Pink Tower where they learn how to put 10 blocks of increasing size in the correct order, for example. I know from observing at my son’s school they don’t step in to correct if they are being respectful of the materials, but they are mostly (all?) self-correcting. I think they would probably intervene if they were flying pink tower blocks around the room, though, because 1) they are supposed to complete a work once it’s chosen and 2) it would be disruptive to other students. I really think it’s hard to understand Montessori from reading about it, you really need to observe to understand.
We did PT Montessori for both kids at that age, and I would highly recommend it for children that age. It is play-based, with a high focus on self-care and being self-sufficient. I love our Montessori school and both our kids went there (DS still attends and will through August before he goes to PS K).
I know almost NOTHING about Montessori, so this might be a stupid question - is it as unstructured as I think it is? Like, they can truly just do whatever they want? Cause other kids are going to learn and my kid will sit there and play with the same truck toy for the whole 3 hours he's there.
I hear form others that Montessori is both too structured and too instructed! Yes, they can do what they want but their directress will guide and encourage them. The kids really want to master works so they can progress to the next level. There’s an order to learning the work, and the kids see others doing harder work and want to do it, too. They wouldn’t let him avoid work all day, but would say something like “you may choose something from this shelf to work on now.” For example, they have snack available whenever they want it. However, they either need to bake it themselves (there is a simple recipe posted and they work with an older kid to complete), or they wash/dry/cut a fruit or vegetable for themselves. Then they have to clean up whatever they used. They aren’t eating all day just because it’s available because their is a process they follow to prepare.
Maybe someone here can answer a question I have about Montessori. I was researching them a bit & came across a pros and cons list. I plan to ask for clarification on this when we do tours, but one of the things in the con list was that while they are play based, there is also a right & a wrong way to play with things. Ex: Blocks are for building. My kid regularly picks up pieces of a rainbow puzzle and (rather than doing the puzzle), pretends the piece is a seat belt. And if she’s playing with blocks and pretends one is a rocket ship and flies it around the room, I am not okay with someone telling her “that’s not the way we play with blocks.” Of course I will ask for an explanation, because there is a definite chance I am reading this criticism the wrong way.
Hmm. I could see my daughter’s Montessori teacher not being thrilled about a child zooming a toy all around the room, not because it’s using the material wrong but because it could be disruptive to some of the other kids. Perhaps by “the wrong way to play with things” you’re touching on the idea that some of the materials are self-correcting. Like if you want to build the pink tower and you put the blocks in the wrong order it is much more likely to become unbalanced and fall down.
I'm sure they're fine in reality and not stuffy, but I can't imagine my kid in this atmosphere. He'd get in trouble a lot I think. Maybe he'd be a little better behaved though in the end. LOL
I'm sure they're fine in reality and not stuffy, but I can't imagine my kid in this atmosphere. He'd get in trouble a lot I think. Maybe he'd be a little better behaved though in the end. LOL
Yeah the more people are posting the less I’m interested in checking it out. I understand regular school will be structured but structured learning time and really restrictive, rigid play time seem so different to me.
I'm sure they're fine in reality and not stuffy, but I can't imagine my kid in this atmosphere. He'd get in trouble a lot I think. Maybe he'd be a little better behaved though in the end. LOL
Yeah the more people are posting the less I’m interested in checking it out. I understand regular school will be structured but structured learning time and really restrictive, rigid play time seem so different to me.
Different schools work for different families for sure. When I observed traditional preschools, even play based ones, I found them much more restrictive and rigid than Montessori. They had to sit for circle time and do centers in a particular order and do worksheets. All of the art the kids did looked the same. The kids were dependent on the teachers doing so much instead of being self-sufficient. If you don’t have a lot of experience with Montessori, I can totally see how descriptions of it sound odd. It’s really something you need to observe to get a feel for how it works. But again, different families have different ideas about education and that’s why it’s great to have options.
Maybe someone here can answer a question I have about Montessori. I was researching them a bit & came across a pros and cons list. I plan to ask for clarification on this when we do tours, but one of the things in the con list was that while they are play based, there is also a right & a wrong way to play with things. Ex: Blocks are for building. My kid regularly picks up pieces of a rainbow puzzle and (rather than doing the puzzle), pretends the piece is a seat belt. And if she’s playing with blocks and pretends one is a rocket ship and flies it around the room, I am not okay with someone telling her “that’s not the way we play with blocks.” Of course I will ask for an explanation, because there is a definite chance I am reading this criticism the wrong way.
This is something the uninitiated really need to witness or experience to understand. The "toys" in a primary classroom are really very, very intentionally designed tools- they are built for a specific purpose and before children can use them, they'll get instruction (from teachers and older students). This isn't to squelch creativity, it's so that the kids can experience the learning purpose of the tool- and it works.
Wooden rainbows (and building blocks, for that matter) are iconic Waldorf/Steiner toys. These toys are very purposefully designed to be open-ended, and are fantastic for the age group- I made tons of them for my kids (and they loved using the bigger rainbow arcs as steering wheels and seat belts, too). Waldorf is getting a lot of bad press from the anti-vax parents they tend to attract these days, but, there are some great programs out there (both under Waldorf and Steiner). Our Montessori had beautiful block sets that they pulled out on rainy days (when kids couldn't be outside).
The Reggio Emilia approach is a fantastic option if you want a little more open ended play (but, a little less open ended learning than Steiner). They are a lot less common, there were only two in my state when I had preschool aged kids- I love Montessori, but, it would have been a tough decision if we'd had that option.
Post by sunshine608 on May 17, 2019 8:17:11 GMT -5
We did part time Goddard but it was more like a daycare. If I had not better I would have looked around and found better options b/c we didn't need daycare. We had custody of my nephew and I wasn't working at the time. Now both my kids are in a Church affiliated preschool that you can choose- 2, 3, 4, 5 days a week. At Goddard, if you were PT you could be bumped if a FT kid wanted to enroll.
I really enjoyed the Goddard experience, but it was priced and geared toward FT care. Our current preschool offers the same curriculum and extras at a price that is good for PT time care. I hope that make sense. We also didn't have a wait-list at the 3 year range- the wait lists were more for infants, but again as PT parents we could be bumped.
This thread has made me realize I don't really know what my kid does at daycare all day. I mean, I know he eats, naps plays outside and does art, but that's about it....
I’m not ready for this. He still seems so little for all of it!!
From 15m-3yo (sometimes 33m if well on their way to potty trained at my kid's school), kids are in the toddler room. That's a whole different ball game!