Preschool, is it necessary?

I do make sure that the kids are around other children all the time. That is actually the main reason that I joined a playgroup when Paul was a baby and when Kathryn was almost four years old.

My daughter is in second grade now and she is bored and has been since she was in kindergarten. She is a gifted child and I think the fact that her school isn't able to adequately meet all levels of students is the root of some of the issues that she has. I am in hopes that next year we will be able to enroll her in a gifted and talented school, but the testing for that doesn't start until September for next year in August.

I don't agree there. I think it's imperitive for children to have these experiences, to learn to socialize with kids they'll be going to school with in future years.. and also to learn that it's okay to be away from mom and dad for a few shorts hours a day. Not to mention all the different ways they'll learn things in school that will be fun and interesting. You have your way of teaching, the teacher will have a different way.. so the child will learn there are multiple ways of figuring things out. Then there are field trips, new toys, new experiences. I just think all of these things are the best parts about being a kid! I mean personally, I remember bits and pieces about preschool, I remember making a fruit salad and each kid had to bring in some fruit from home. Sure I could have done the same thing at home.. but it's memories I still have. I don't remember much about day to day home life unless we did really exciting things. Now your post said something about the fact that it's expensive.. so I assume the only preschool available to you is the one you have to pay for. In that case I'd probably also opt against it.. thankfully I have a few free options here, which is what I'm taking advantage of to get mine into preschool.

Oh, if there were free options, I would send Paul, but the only free options that there are here are based on income, and this is impossible for us. You see, we aren't rich people, but we aren't poor either. We are your typical blue collared family.

Preschool could easily be thought of practice for the real school years. However, I think that the more time that a child can spend with the people that genuinely love them while they are little, the better they will be in the long run.

Forever- Here in Minnesota this is what they expect a child to know before kindergarten: (Taken from the Minnapolis Public Schools website) Before Kindergarten What should your child know before beginning kindergarten? These are the reading, writing and math pre-academic skills that children should know and be able to do before entering kindergarten: Reading 1.Speak in five to six word sentences. 2.Tell stories. 3.Ask questions and remain on topic while talking about the answer. 4.Sing songs, and recite nursery rhymes. 5.Match letters and name letters in own name. 6.Read own name, symbols, and signs. 7.Understand a reader looks at print, not pictures, when reading, and that print is read from left to right and top to bottom. 8.Be familiar with several stories and/or books. Writing 1.Use a mature grasp to hold a crayon, marker, or pencil. 2.Learn to copy or write readable letters or numbers, write or copy his/her own name, and draw simple recognizable people and pictures. 3.Pretend to write and read own writing in a left to right direction. 4.Dictate a story with detail to someone who writes it down. Math 1.Make sense of numbers. 2.Learn about shape and space. 3.Learn about measurement concepts of same, less or more correctly. 4.Recognize, make and describe simple patterns, relations and functions. 5.Use data investigation to sort and classify common household objects, learn about problem investigation and make decisions. 6.Learn about the area of randomness. 7.Learn about structure as it relates to math concepts. For safety, children should learn: ¦Their full name, address and phone number. ¦The name of their school. ¦Full name and place of work of parents or guardians. ¦Location of school either by walking or driving. ¦The bus corner pick-up and drop-off (before school starts). ¦To look both ways and cross streets at safe corners. ¦How to contact available, safe adults in case of emergency. To support health/nutrition, children should: ¦Wash hands before and after meals, after using the toilet, and as often as needed. ¦Cover mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, use arm not hand. ¦Make healthy food choices from the basic food groups. To develop responsibility, children can: ¦Dress and undress without assistance. ¦Tie shoes and put on footwear. ¦Take care of things and put them away. ¦Share belongings. ¦Share in home duties and responsibilities. Other activities: ¦Playing with other children in their own age group. ¦Using crayons, pencils, markers, scissors and paste. ¦Following the rules and directions you give.

Wow.. That's a lot. I actually remember them teaching us all that in Kindergarten.

The expectations for kindergarten now are a lot more than they were when I was a little girl. We only had half day kindergarten, but now they have full day in our district and they have the opportunity for a lot more enrichment than I got when I was that age. They even have Spanish starting in kindergarten now. We never had it until I was in fourth grade.

I do think when I look at many of the people that I know that the reason that they put their children in preschool is because of the fact that they really don't want to deal with their children. I know that this is not always the case, but there are some instances that I can definitely see that this is the case.

I think that those things that need to be developed before actually starting school can be done just as easily by a parent though.

Yes I will have to agree with you but then most of the parents enroll their child in preschool because they don't have the actual time to do that for themselves. It is really sad that these formative years they are really needed by their children whom would develop them mentally. There might have been any efforts to do that beforehand wherein they already teach their children certain important things to learn. But then let us all try to grab the opportunity to seek for the help of the professional people who are great with these kind of things. Thank you and have a great weekend.

That is pretty much the same situation that I and my daughter had when it comes to our education. My daughter is actually going to be tested this year to possibly go to a dedicated gifted and talented school next year.

Kathryn hasn't figured that one out yet. Instead, she is constantly complaining that everything she learns at school is far too easy for her.

not a fan of thoses classes i actually droped half my grades to not have to take thoses classes

My siblings and myself didn't go to preschool either and I don't think that it hurt us at all. In fact, all three of us were in the top quarter of our classes in high school.

I would think that playmates would be the main benefit that you would be able to deem by going to preschool, but I also feel like I've given my son plenty of opportunities in that area as well because we've been involved in a playgroup since he was a baby and because of that he does have a lot of peers.

I definitely don't have any regrets when it comes to Kathryn. She's in second grade now and far ahead of her classmates academically. We've also had the opportunity to share in adventures that we may not have been able to do if she was relegated to daycare or preschool. She did spend a year in daycare when she was two years old so that I could work outside the house, and looking back on it, I think it was a terrible idea. However, she also had a part time babysitter that she loved and refused to quit staying with her a couple days a week after Paul was born. However, with Brenda, Kathryn was getting one on one time that she wouldn't have gotten at home with the new baby.

True, but I do assure that they do have exposure to socialization activities as well because I think that is a very important part of development.

I agree with you completely. I do think that there are some children that need more than their parents are able to give them and I also think that there are a lot of parents that are more than willing to give their children everything that they need.

I have worked extensively with my son since he started talking (he will be four next month) and with my older niece as well who will be four in December. They both talk on a level much older than their own ages and they are also able to recall a lot more. They know most of their alphabet and counting almost all the way to twenty now. In addition, the younger niece is picking up on it as well due to exposure (she will be two in just a few weeks).

I think that for people that have no one else to watch their children that preschool is the right solution. However for those that have time with their children, I think they are losing far more than they gain by sending their children to school at such a tender age.

I make sure that the children have plenty of opportunities to play with other children because I think that early socialization is very important.

That is awesome that you were able to graduate from school when you were just 16 years old. My grandparents never had the opportunity to graduate from high school. I can't believe, however, that they made you repeat first grade because they thought that you were stupid, I thought that was only something that happened around where I live.

Socialization is one of the most important things for children when they are small. I definitely agree with that. However, I do make sure that the children have plenty of opportunities to socialize with other children their age.

The reason that I am so in favor of working with the children at home is because I actually know them and I'm able to give them far more attention than they would get in an actual classroom situation.

I actually think that the fact that my older daughter was traumatized by a care provider is part of the reason that I don't want my littler one or my nieces to have the potential of being in a similar situation.

I feel like I am able to provide everything that the children need here. I give them social opportunities and I also give them educational opportunities. On top of that, I am also able to give them advancement opportunities that they wouldn't get otherwise because of the one on one time.

I would love to be able to send my children to private school at some point. However, right now that is not even something that is possible for me to be able to think about. I do think that my daughter that is already in school is getting a good education, however, because I try to work closely with her teachers.