Which preschool for my 3-year-old? Both are $180 a month. (And imagine I'll be going through a pregnancy during the year, so that will factor in). And note the disposition of my child AT HOME tends to be whiny or he'll ask to watch TV. But when he's at school he's great. So he's NOT a kid I want put in school just 2 days a week. Right now he's in a toddler preschool.
Preschool A is at the very close, excellent public school. The teachers will bring him to/from my van so I don't have to drag my 4 kids under 6 inside. It's 2.5 hours, 3 days a week M, W, F mornings. I love the ease of pick-up and drop-off, but he isn't there very long and my tired, grumpy pregnant self would appreciate having him in school longer, for his benefit and mine. It has nice facilities and a standard playground. I could drop older son at school and then swing by to drop my preschooler off, so this coordination would be really cool. This class would max out as it's a popular program.
Preschool B is slightly more distance and is a great community preschool. It's about 10 minutes away as opposed to 5. I will have to get out of the van and walk in/out but he'd be there a full hour longer. It's Tuesday, Wed., Thurs (in the afternoon so small class and lots of one on one). 3.5 hours. The first hour is lunch so there is that added fun time, AND pickup time is flexible and can be prorated. I really like how he can be there for a long time, really whatever I want with hours. They also have music and gym class and a beautiful tot playground! (They would even serve hot lunch but that's $3.25 so not sure if I'd do that). So he could be there from 11:45 to 4:15 3 days a week for $226, not much more than the $180. Or the $180 if I didn't have him stay longer. The kicker is he probably has to stay to 4:15 so I can get other children from their schools.
If you were pregnant, had a bunch of other little kids, wanted value (but didn't want price alone to decide), what would you choose? Note he'll be the only preschool payment we have in the family the whole year, so I'm happy about that. And he has not napped since age 24 months.
I can change my mind, but now I think B. I'll only have 3 kids to haul in and out of the car with the eldest in real school (and 2 of them can full walk and stay with me in the lot; I'll hold the baby or use a stroller). The extra hour will be well worth it. In fact, if we go somewhere and idle in the car waiting for the carline (like at school A), my baby is liable to have a fit because he expects to go somewhere, so it's not like the carline option would be instant stress-free! Think screaming kid in car.
At B, the door is not far from the lot, and the lot is designed well. Nothing is perfect, but getting in the car to pick him up after just 2.5 hours is not ideal, so I want the longer one with B. I am familiar with both and have talked to lots of people...nothing but good things about both of them. We're excited! Plus, with B, 3 of the 5 days the 3-year-old doesn't have to be with me to get oldest from school, which is a true pain so this will be LOVELY. If you feel I am making a bad choice, let me know. Always open to hearing reasons!
I say A also, hauling kids in and out of the car, pregnant and in winter would be a pain, not to mention the added time of driving! Plus the only thing he is gaining at the other preschool is lunch time, not learning time.
I would go with B too. The extra flexibility in hours is so nice. Plus, he gets music and gym.
Also, a suggestion... make friends with another parent in the class who has a little one, and then swap watching each other's van/kids while you take your child into school. I did that with another mom with twins when I had a newborn and it was a win-win for both of us!
Good luck!
If I knew that I could comfortably afford the $45 extra a month, I would probably go for school B. Given the time frame, you could drop your older child, and the preschooler off first, then you'd only have 3 kids to walk into the school.
I can really see the attraction of A since getting out 4 kids from the car can be a huge drag but personally, B sounds better because of the flexibility in hours and the music/gym class. and just by how you wrote it, it almost sounds like you're more excited about what B has to offer than A. So I say go with B. Maybe ask B if they can help you out in the mornings by getting your son from the car. Good luck!
It sounds from your post like you want B more, so I would go with B. At the very least, the flexibility will be nice.
Go with B...sounds like it has more of what you're looking for.
.
Go visit the schools first if you can, and view the interactions with the kids and teachers. what they actually do, how patient they are. Try to picture your kid in place.
There are good points for both, but the reality of each would decide me. When I was looking for daycare, I found two or three options that each sounded great on paper. It was the visit that decided me.
Also, does he still nap? If so, that could be an issue with B.
If it were me, personally, with your circumstances, I would go with preschool B. He can be busy in the morning with you when you have more energy, then you can take a more relaxing afternoon. He'll get the stimulation he's needing and you might get some downtime (I don't know the ages of the other children, so you might be home with some of them?) A two and half hour program is less likely to tire him out; the longer program will also allow him time to develop friendships, too.
Congratulations on your growing family and good luck, whatever you choose.
I would do B, and ask if someone might be willing to escort your child from the van just to save you the trouble of having to get yourself and the rest of the kids out.
My preschool started a new and diff drop off procedure for the 3 and 4 yr olds. Two parents would volunteer for a day of the week. One would meet parents at the car line, have parents sign a drop off sheet on a clip board and the other parent would walk the child to the classroom. You could suggest that and help coordinate....
Definetely B, with 4 kids you will need to flexibility of picking him up. I mean you don't want to be stressed trying to get their on time. And 2.5 hours will go by quick.
I say Preschool A.
Good luck!
If B is more than an hour round trip from your home, A is your best option because you won't be gaining any time since you'll just be in the car (unless you do the lunch option of B).
If B is fairly close (think 30 min round trip including the drop off time) then the choice I would opt for is B:)
B does sound like the good choice. The only thing to consider is if a portion of the afternoon program is meant for napping. I know a lot of schools that have afternoon programs pretty much just have nap and outside playtime, without a lot of structure, art projects, etc. But as long as the program/curriculum is good, then go with choice B.
You've raised a lot of issues I cannot comment upon as I have one child, but one aspect to ensure is whether or not you like the program. Sit in on a session. I had sent in a deposit for a place with beautiful grounds, but one week before starting I visited one more time. Even though the place had 24 hours notice, when I arrived, the kids were in a daze. I think they had been watching TV!!! I found a much better school in one week's time.
Ultimately, I went with a place with a pre-school curriculum rather than a place that also did "daycare." The lines between class time and day care time get blurred, I think. I also think places that specialize in day care have people who trained to be teachers. That's what I valued in the end.
