Kicked Out of Preschool... How Hard Will It Be to Find a New School?

Montessori schools are extremely strict with little room for error, on anyones part. Other types of schools offer more fun! He may be fine in a different type of place. Don't leave a message on the phone about behavior problems. Of course they are not going to call you back. Other places do not need to know the details about him getting kicked out. He needs to start off fresh so that there is no prejudgement involved. The new place will let you know if there is a problem.

I'm sorry you are going through this. There are child cares out there that specialize in children with behavior issues. Your on the right track to have your son evaluated by the school district,

The Montessori enviornment is a hard enviornment for kids. When they are in work time they are expected to be pretty quiet. Kind of hard for 3's and 4's to do but they do accomplish that. A child who is not in sync with that is considered disruptive.

Of course your son behaves better at home. He has just you and Dad, no other children there, or at least not a classroom full of children in his age group to compete with. He has your attention, his stuff, his enviornment. It's different at home. Plus parents tend to over look things because they become accustome to that behavior..

When you call providers ask them first if they are capable of handling a child that might be a little challenging. Get a feel for their philosphy and thoughts first. Tell them some of his traits and see what they think. Let it be known how many classmates he had too. Sometimes a small group might be less overwhelming to him.

Save the part about being kicked out of school last. In fact see if you can interview and visit their program and let them meet your son in person and draw their opinions from the meeting. Telling them right off the bat about being exspelled just paints a tainted picture before they have a chanc to know him. What area do you live ?

My first thought is that Montessori was NOT working for him because he has developed these behaviors, and you need to find a new school for him PRONTO because his old school was not communicating with you. You NEED to know what is happening at school, and for a teacher to hand you three pages about the last six months is completely reprehensible. What did they tell you when you picked him every day???

I would be upfront with the new teacher and tell them your son developed some behaviors at his old school that went uncorrected because the school did not communicate with you, and if she notices ANY problems, to feel free to tell you at the end of the day or to call you if she's really concerned, because you are very interested in your son's development.

And don't be too hard on yourself for this "failure". It isn't because your son is "bad" or your parenting is either...

That's terrible that the teacher did not communicate with you! I don't know about the behaviour issues, but your son cannot be kicked out of preschool because he is not potty trained. The Californians with Disabilities act prevents discrimination based on whether or not he is potty trained.

You may have a hard time finding a preschool mid-semester. I suggest finding a daycare/preshcool for the time being until you can find somewhere that you are happy with.

Also, have a heart to heart talk with your son about his behavior. Even though he doesn't display the same troubling behavior at home, you are still responsible for teaching him how to behave. You could role-play some situations and teach him how to handle his feelings without kicking/biting/hitting. Hope that helps!

I don't know if this would work with your schedule or not, but there is an amazing co-op preschool in Huntington Beach that sounds like a good fit. The kids do not need to be potty trained(in fact they discourage pushing of potty training) It does require you to work a minimium of classroom hours or "buy- out" We attended for 4 years and it was an amazing experience for all of us. It is called North Huntington Beach Community Nursery School. If you are not close to Huntington you could look into other co-op's in your area. I have 3 kids and the oldest went to traditional preschool and the 2nd went to co-op. It is a world of difference! If I could do it over again I would in a heartbeat. The 3rd will definitely be a co-op kid! It is such a nurturing environment.Our school even provided monthly parent education with guest speakers and TONS of community support. It really does take a village! Good luck!