Preschool - Hackettstown,NJ

My son started at age 3.75 and my daughter started a toddler program because she has some developmental delays. I feel both ages is perfectly fine for class. She will really enjoy interacting with other kids. Good luck and enjoy the break!

Pre-school here starts at age 3, and the child must be potty trained. Usually the 3 year olds are two afternoons a week and the 4 year olds are three afternoons a week. It really is as good for moms as it is for the kids. They get all the benefits of pre-school, and you get a little "me" time.

We didn't put our son in preschool until the year before he started kindergarten. He was four when it started. We'll be doing the same thing for our daughter. I think that the intention of preschool is to prepare kids for kindergarten. There are benefits to starting school early, but our preschool accomplished that goal for us in that one school year. THis decision made sense for us financially. Even though our school is very reasonable, it saved us that monthly expense. And the biggest motivator for me to wait is, like you, I wasn't ready. They grow up so fast. Elementary school will be here in a blink of an eye. I wanted to be selfish and have them to myself for as long as possible. I am fortunate to be able to be a SAHM and I wanted to take full advantage of that opportunity.

Instead of preschool we took mommy and me classes. Our kids got to learn classroom structure and have different experiences and I got to chat with other parents. We also do story time each week, which teaches listening skills and group etiquette.

We started preschool when our kids were 3. I needed the break and really loved to have a place to send them. Wait a year and see how you feel :) Right now do mom and me type playgroups.

I started official preschool at 3 but he had been going to an inhome babysitter since he was 6 months old 1-2 times a week for socialization and just plain fun! I love my son dearly and genuinly enjoy spending time with him but the few free hours are great. Plus, most kids really do enjoy preschool. You can wait until she is closer to 3 but do not wait till 4. This is especially true in the winter where there really is not much to do. I know my son was very bored the winter before he turned 2.

I think anything before age 3 is daycare. They can call it preschool, but it's daycare. My son's preschool is attached to a school. You had to be 3 by August 31 and potty-trained.

If you needed a "mother's day out" type thing--to have a few hours to yourself, then it sounds perfect. Otherwise, I would wait until she is 3--at least.

If you want her around other kids her age, try to find a playgroup or MOPS.

Hi ES, all three of my kids went to nursery school starting September when they were three.

And it really WAS nursery school. Lightly structured play. It was 2 mornings a week, 2 1/2 hours.

They all loved it. *I* loved it, not just because I got a little break, but because In dropping them off/picking them up, volunteering, I got lots of interaction with other moms.

It suited us perfectly.

I should mention, both my boys have fall birthdays so they were not yet 3 when they first started.

The following year, at 4, they all went three mornings a week, same 2 1/2 hours.

Every family and kid is different, so it's up to you what feels right, you know?

:)

My older two started at three, three days a week, for 3.5 hours a day.
My youngest started at two, three days a week, for 5 hours a day (she stayed for nap.)
They loved it and I loved it!
I'm not sure why YOU are not ready? Wouldn't you enjoy some time to work out, get together with friends, run some errands or do some shopping without getting your daughter in and out of the car?
Let her go and have fun.

Our grand kids went to Head Start at age 3. They went from 8am-2pm Monday through Friday along with the public school calendar. They loved it and thrived.

I started my daughter at 18 months. It was wonderful for her. She loved school. She is now in her 3rd year of school and she cries when we have to leave because she loves it so much. I was worried about sending my only child at the time to school, but I ended up loving the few hours a week to myself. I think I because a better mom because of it. I was more hands on when she got home and I had a lot more patience with her because I cherrished the time we spend together more. However, if you don't want to send her, don't send her. There is no rule saying your kids have to go to preschool.

Here are things I would consider:
Where I live, preschools are really impacted, so it would be worth either putting her in a little earlier than you want to, or finding out if you can get on a list for next year.

As far as your daughter goes, some kids are very social and are yearning to be with other kids at this age. What I see most of the time is that by age 3 or 3 1/2 they really want to be with other kids and it's good for them to be.

2 days a week for 3 hours a day is a good start. Do they offer anything more than this?

If none of these things factor in right now, and there would be no problem with her starting a little later, I would wait and enjoy the time with her!

Does it HAVE to be a preschool?

Perhaps there are other options out there? Montessori, Mommy and Me, dance? I would start with things like that before any preschool classes. Then you'll have more time with her.

After a little mommy and child socialization, I think she'll be all set for 3 hours a day, 2 days a week. But I wouldn't jump right to that first.

If you don't need it for childcare AND she has other structured, social opportunities, then wait until the year before she goes to Kindergarten!

She is your only. Enjoy her. Time goes by so very fast. I would wait until next year. They are only this age once.

2.5 year olds should not be in school, if you ask me. They need to play, and play, and play, and they are too young to learn to share. I really don't get this craze about sending our babies off to school...

Research shows that kids acquire language best just by following mom around the house.

I decided not to send my kids to preschool. I then decided I might as well just homeschool (especially when my daughter started reading before her 4th bday). They are better off at home playing, having fun, and exploring their interests for as long as possible.

Find a playgroup if you want her around other kids. It's more fun, they like the security of it, and you get to enjoy more time with her. Research shows that preschool only benefits impoverished children, and the more years kids have of it doesn't make any difference.

My DD started preschool at 4 yrs old. I considered it earlier, but many programs for the very young are co-ops (meaning, you need to put in time with them), too expensive or by 3 require potty trained kids and she wasn't there yet. Rather than put her in preschool at 2.5 or 3, we did a lot of things with our Meet Up group, some of which we continue to do, like story times and nature center events. If you want her to be around other children, I would consider a Meet Up type group. I don't think it will hurt to be in preschool early, per se, but I also see nothing wrong with not pushing it. My sister never went to preschool and did fine through school and college, and is finishing up her second degree. Now, if you would like to use that time 2 days a week for yourself, that can also be a benefit. I personally just took DD along everywhere, but everyone is different. There's a mom at DD's school who doesn't like to shop with her kids, so school time is errand time. I personally like to shop with DD so it doesn't matter to me if she's with me or not. DD is also my only little one and I have enjoyed what time we could spend with me working PT. By 4 she was ready all the way around, and so (pretty much) was I.

If you do not need to send her to preschool yet (as in you don't need childcare), you can easily wait until next school year. She will be 3 by then and it is still months away to give you time to warm to the idea. Then send her for the two days a week (they aren't full days anyway). The socialization will do her and you good. If I were you and did send her next year, the following year I would try to increase it to more days so it is an easier adjustment when she starts K.

Another option would be to wait until she is four and enroll her so she at least gets the fundamentals of the classroom (socialization and structure) before starting K.

My daughter was four when she started preschool three days per week. By that time she was bilingual, attended gymnastics and dance, library classes and could read. She didn't lack any social interaction.

I agree to wait. I would wait until she is 4. There are other ways at 2 1/2 to spend your time with her. Gymnastics is tons of fun and she would get to be around other little ones. Enjoy your time with her, don't rush school. She can learn. Ore by you taking her places and teaching her things at this age.

I can't find any that take under 24 months. :(
So we start at 24 months. It's 2 days a week for 4 hours. Then at age 3 we do 4 days a week for 5 hours.
I can't imagine not being ready...lol. I have 5 and I need to get the laundry done! :)
Preschool is great!!!

Keep her as long as you want!

We only sent our oldest son to a private school pre-school at 3.5 because we promised him at 2 that he could go to school when he was potty trained. He went 3 days each week for 3 hours. They wanted me to leave him longer - neither of us wanted that. I actually like my kids!

We brought him home after kindergarten to homeschool him and he's never wanted to go back. He just turned 10 and is in 6th grade and reading at 12th grade level. Our others have never gone to preschool. None of them wanted to and our 4 year old is reading....so I can't say they'd be any more "advanced" being in preschool, except for picking up bad behaviors. LOL

We have 4 kids, homeschool and I run a corporation. I don't have a housekeeper, so I do 90% of the laundry and chores...and my husband and kids help. I work as much as I need to and spend as much time with the kids as possible.

They grow up so fast, so do what you feel is right for YOU and HER. XO