What Is the Typical Preschool Schedule

there are a few choices for preschool for 3 yr old that are potty trained its 2 to 3 days a week (and that depends on where you choose to send him) for 4 yr olds there are 3 day and 4 day programs. 4 days is the max that I have seen. I have not seen preschool for 2 yr olds.

It really depends on your child and what you are looking for. Oakland county is a BIG area and has all sorts of choices. Here in Farmington Hills the reason we bought our house where we did is because it is four houses from the elementary school that houses the preschool right in it so all four of my boys (now ages 5,6,7, & 8) could all go to the same location which REALLY helped. It also offered the all day kindergarten which I wanted just in case. They also let you custom build your preschool days and times to best fit your child and your needs and growth. SO you get to pick it all. So while one child went M, T and Th from 9-1 the other one who loved his naps could go on Tue and Wed from 9-11 and the best part is/was we could extend or shorten the hours and days throughout the year to meet each child's growth. I LOVED and appreciated it! I was used to the MWF 9-11 or T/TH 9-11:30 deals that most districts offer. There are TONS of options both public and private that are sure to meet you and your child's needs. Go with your gut and remember you are not bound to any deal you can change or leave if your child and/or gut tells you otherwise.
Good Luck!
PS One last piece of advice from a teacher and mother of four boys... I say relax on the academic drive in preschool and focus more on your child feeling safe, loved and happy during his preschool years as there is PLENTY of time to jam in academics later...like say after five! ; - )
M.

Hi - many preschools operate on a two day a week schedule for three year olds, half a day, and then three days a week, half a day, for four year olds. Most of them operate in the mornings, but I'm sure there are others that run the gamut of days, times, full time, etc.

When our son was little he was in a co-op preschool, where the parents helped out one time a month. It made it more affordable and let parents see their kids interact with their peers, which was not only fun but revealing to me, since I didn't have other children and so wondered if he was doing things in an appropriate way/time frame, etc. It was also very fun as a mom.

Have fun!

I teach at a Co-op preschool in Oakland County. We offer either morning or afternoon classes. The 3 year olds meet twice a week (2hr & 15min sessions) and the 4 year olds meet three times a week (2hr & 30min sessions). We also have a parent-toddler class that meets once a week. From what I've seen in Oakland County, this is pretty much the norm.
The morning classes always fill up first, probably because many of the kids still nap in the afternoon. But there are also people (like myself!) who could never have my son awake, fed, and at school by 9am!
PS- I second Mary's "P.S."!

As an aide in the schools, I typically see 3 year old two days a week for a couple of hours and 4 year olds three days a week for a couple of hours. They don't have naps in preschool, but they do take them in child care from around 1:00 to 3:00 PM if the children need them. If they don't, they still have quiet time on their mats.

I sent my son as a 3 and 4 year old to a co-op preschool so that I could be in the class room as a volunteer. It was wonderful. However, as I look back, he would have been better off at the public school so that he would have been used to the routines when he hit first grade. That was quite an adjustment! (He was in private school for Kindergarten.)

Make the choice for your child though. Each child has different needs and abilities! Good luck.

Social interaction trumps academics at this age. My husband and I *had* agreed to only one year of preschool [at 4 years], but with all my daughter's 3yo friends in school our social callendar was lacking and I ended up enrolling her mid-year at 3 1/2. I also wanted my daughter in an environment where she needed to follow instructions from an adult other than me & my husband.

Most kids in Novi/Northville do two years of preschool [TTh for 3yo & MWF for 4yo 2.5hrs/day]. I suggest visiting schools in your area [some allow you to bring your child to a classroom visit] to get a feel for where you'll be comfortable.

I will give you my opinion as a kindergarten teacher. Something is better than nothing. I would encourage you to find a place that will offer a good balence of activities- social and academic. The social part is very important. I have taught too many children over the years who's parents pulled them from a preschool program because they aready knew the ABCs and 123s. Children need to learn how to follow a routine and how to interact with other childeren. Since your child is young, you have plenty of time to allow them to interact with other children and to break them in slowly.

You have lots of options. My kids attend a Kindercare all day- but the preschool program is run mostly in the am and then nap/quit time after lunch and the afternoon is mostly fun/games/activities and some circle/reading time.

Generally I'm a big believer that kids need naps and/or quiet time. My son is 4 and he still takes a 2 hour nap in the pm. If I was just doing preschool I would look for a morning class, genrally it is 2 hours a day and can be 2 to 5 days a week. There are several all day pre-schools as well where the kids can go until 4 or 6 2-5 days a week.

Living Word Luthern Church on Rochester Rd. in Oakland Twp has a great preschool-- my cousin who is a teacher with an early childhood development degree is sending her son there. Rochester Hills public schools also has a really good preschool program.

In my experience (my daughter is now 5), you have many options in Oakland County. For a variety of reasons, I conducted a very thorough search for a pre-school for my daughter and learned that options range from 2-3 half or full days to 5 full days. The flexibility, though, did differ among providers. Most pre-schools also offer “nap” or rest time although how this happens does vary. Depending on the importance of a real nap time for your child (it still is important for my daughter), this could influence your decision. Enrolling my daughter in the right pre-school was the best decision I ever made. We had a bad experience at one pre-school/day care and I learned a hard lesson and was extremely careful in the next choice.

By the way, my daughter attends ECHO PARK, a private, non-profit preschool located in Farmington Hills. They have many half and full day options and understand the importance of social and emotional development as well as academic. It has a fabulous reputation in Oakland County and has existed for over 45 years! Families from many surrounding communities take their small ones there – from West Bloomfield, Bloomfield Hills, Fanklin, Birmingham, Novi, Northville, Ann Arbor, Beverly Hills, Southfield, etc. They built a new building around 2001 that is designed specifically for little ones. They focus on providing an amazing school experience for children from Tot through Kindergarten. They also offer summer camp which is a fun way to start a child prior to the school year to get them comfortable with being there. You can learn more about them at www.echopark.org or ###-###-####. I'd especially encourage you to visit the school. If your child attends Echo Park, he will have a great start for sure! They are experts at it and it is worth every penny! Hope this is helpful.

I have a little different experience. Both my kids went thru Montesorri until 1st grade. At 3 yo and put them in a private preschool 2 1/2 days a week. At 4 yo they went to Montesorri which is 5 days a week for a couple hours in the am. In Kindergarten they went to all day Montesorri. I found that the am's worked good for the preschoolers as they could still take a nap in the afternoon. By Kindergarten, they didn't take naps anymore and were ready for all day school. Hey, never to early to start thinking about school.