Have a Ques. on When to Start School for My Toddler.

My daughter started her last baby, the youngest grandson in pre-k last Aug. He really enjoys it. We asked him if he was going to get a girlfriend and he told us yes, but she would be prettier than his Mom and Sister. But so far he hasn't found him a girlfriend yet. I think Pre-K is a good out for them. It teaches them how to get along with others in a real school setting..and here in Texas it isn't mandatory. So if he gets sick he doesn't need a Dr.s' note to get back into class.

It depends on your school district. Some districts do not require Kinder unless there is a developmental problem. I know of one that had financial requirements that had to be met first. Call the local school district and ask them what you should do.

Pre-K is a very good start. It prepares your child for Kindergarten because now they are required to take several reading test in Kindergarten. I have worked with Pre-K and Kindergarten for 7 years and most of the students that struggle with certain learning objectives, did not attend Pre-K.

She will most likely go to kinder in the fall after she turns five so you have a way to go.

You aren't "required" to put her in Pre-K, but even as a casual observer (parent) I was able to see a big difference in kinder between the students that went to Pre-K (or another "preschool" opportunity like Montessori) and those that were at home or in a "day care" setting before kinder.

My son started "school" at 18 months...I hired a nanny with early childhood education certification...she organized "school-like" activities for my son and her daughter while caring for him (nothing over the top...sorting games, manipulatives, etc...the kids loved playing school).

He went to a private "preschool" at 2 1/2 (as soon as he was potty trained)...still lots of play but they orchestrated plenty of learning opportunities (art projects, music, manipulatives, fine motor skills exercises). When I moved I found a similar school for him at 3 1/2 and he stayed there through kinder.

For me (a single working mom), it was well worth the expense to have access to all those people with training and education in early childhood development. They helped me identify any number of things I needed to do to help my son develop important skills (e.g., pointing out that he needed to spend more time coloring to develop finger muscles)...and my son was far more "stimulated" than he would have been in a pure "day care" setting. He loved it...and incidentally, he still loves going to school. In second grade, my parents had to drag me out of bed to get me to school...my son sets his own alarm and drags ME out of bed...in three years (kinder through second grade), I've NEVER had to "force" him to go to school...he cries when I make him stay home when he's sick!! I attribute some of his love of school to the fact that all the things he learned from being in a "pre-school" setting made the transition to formal learning a lot easier for him.

In order to enroll in (Texas) Kindergarten, the minimum age your child must be is (usually) 5 years old on Sept 1. Each school district man have their own requirements but age 5 is what I have usually seen or heard.

There is no requirement to place your daughter in a Pre-K class. However, just speaking from experience with my two daughters, their Pre-K class experiences have been absolutely wonderful. The programs they were (and are) involved in greatly benefited my daughters and also my husband and me. My oldest is now 8 and in the 2nd grade. When she first went to Kindergarten, she was so excited and my husband and I didn't have any anxiety. The very few tears that were shed on that first day was just tears of joy and happiness since we were starting a new adventure and it solidified that our "baby" was growing up so fast. Thankfully, we did not experience any separation anxiety since she was already used to going to "school".

Of course, there is an expense associated with Pre-K programs. If you can find a good quality program at a decent price, I say go for it.

Hope this helps!
K.

Saw answer on when to start Kindergarten. No, you don't need to put her in a Pre-K first. But if you've got her in childcare anyway (I saw the note you're a working mom--am assuming you mean out of the home), you could consider going ahead with a pre-kindergarten that has a lot of play and centers as well as learning woven into the day. When our first daughter was 4 we had her go to a wonderful Pre-k program that is gone now. The teacher had them do activities like compare worms and snakes by observing them and did worm races. They had the survey of the day and wonderful centers that they rotated through for pretending and building and writing and reading...the list goes on and on. We love the Christian values that were carried through not just Bible time but through the whole day. Our church has a program similar to the one I described, though we haven't used it for our youngest kids.

Since we homeschool we've found it better for the little guys to be with us during the day so they can sponge off what we are doing. I'm also using books from Sonlight (i think the address is www.sonlight.com ) They came out with a new 3 year old curriculum that's literature based that's perfect for this age. Great books!

I agree that Mom is the best teacher for this age...there is no time like it...Enjoy!

Hi there I have 3 children and all 3 started school at around 3 1/2 . I recommend Montessori but my son went to two years of pre-k and he is K ready . My answer is 'the earlier the better' and it also gives us "much deserved time" Good luck, all Montessori's in your area are listed under Montessori in the yellow pages.

Since her birthday was in the spring, she'll probably be ready for kinder when she's 5. Some parents, especially of boys with summer birthdays, often opt to wait a year to send their kids to kinder so they start when they're 6. You can send your daughter to a private private pre-k, but you have to meet certain qualifications to go to public pre-k in Texas. Income is one qualification (your daughter would have to be eligible for free or reduced lunches), though if your daughter has any special needs (even just speech therapy), she can also qualify for pre-k. My oldest went to a Mother's Day Out program 2 days a week before he started kinder, and my daughter will be in a 3-day program (9-2:30) next year before starting kinder the following year. Enjoy this time with your daughter!

TX public schools require the child to be 5 on or before Sept 1 to enter Kindergarten that year. As for Pre-K, there are eligibility requirements also. One is they have to be 4 on or before Sept 1. There are other requirements for the public school pre-k.

Hi K.,
Good question- lots of moms ask this one. It really depends on the maturity of your daughter. Personally, I think 3 is a little young for all out kindergarten- but if you put her in a good day care that has some learning along with just the day care that is good. About 4 or 4.5 depending on when her birthday falls is a good time for some structured learning..... each child is different
good luck and blessings

Hi there,

Pre-K isn't a necessary part of a child's education....being at home with mom is just as educational and valuable to a 3 year old as being in school---moreso in my opinion as an early education specialist. As long as she gets a chance to interract with others her age sometimes, she can get all her needs met by being with you and her new sibling and school starts soon enough. If you WANT to start her in preschool to give yourself some air, that's another story......at 3 she's probably ready for that challenge and it won't HURT her to put her in school.
Good Luck. Be careful if you do put her in school to choose an accredited school.

L.

Your daughter has to be five to go to kinder.

You work and there are no other children in the family. Does she go to a day school where whe interacts with other children? If not, she needs to, even if it's only 3 days a week. Being a March baby, she probably will be ready for kinder when the time rolls around, but I would recommend PK just to to get her prepared, pluse, that teacher can evaluate her and tell you if she is ready for kindergarten.

Children are not legally required to go to school until age 6. Kindergarten is highly recommended for all children and they start the kids at age 5 (birthday by Sept 1st). This is the average and again, highly recommended. Pre-K is an option up to your preference. You can also consider Mothers' Day Out programs which aren't as expensive, nor every day, and help prepare your child for the school atmosphere. But, definitely make sure she gets into Kindergarten when she turns 5. If not, she will be behind her age-level peers.

You child must turn 5 by sept 1st in order to start kindergarten. You can start them late but you cannot start them early for kindergarten...

Regarding Pre-k. Depending on where you live your child must be 4 by Sept 1st in order to start Pre-k in a school district that offers it... There is a rare few school districts that offer 3 yo pre-k and the child must be 3 by sept 1st.

Otherwise it is up to you to decide if you wish to pay for a pre-k program or if you qualify for headstart.

Good Luck... ;-)

Kids learn a LOT through play. I would put her in one day a week Mother's Day Out and she will have great fun, learn to socialize (not the same as play dates!!!) and learn a lot. I would put her in Kinder when you feel she is ready, not an arbitrary number. There's a whole lot of "you want them to be ahead" "you want them to be a success", but no study ANYWHERE shows that kids who went to pre-school did better in college or school for that matter. There are too many variables to consider for any study to be that conclusive. By third grade, it all starts evening out and kids are on a more level playing field. (for what it's worth Scandanavain countries do not start school for kids until they are 6 and they have consistantly scored in the top ten in the world for reading and reading comprehension. The US with our big get them to read and get them in school as early as possible, consistantly scores around 90th. That is with most data beginning with 4th grade and up. )

Besides, there is nothing at this age that you can't teach her. Really. She's not going to learn Physics in Pre-school so why not let a kid be a kid? She will have 12 years of paper and pencil sitting at a desk. Give her time to grow into that. Enjoy the time you have with her and watch how much she learns from you. You will never regret time spent with your own little girl. I know I never did. Now go have fun!!