New Preschool Issues in Seattle

1:

No, if a child is eating and not playing around they get to finish their meal IF they are not taking too much longer. IF he appears to be playing and not focusing on eating then it is assumed he is finished.

He may have to be somewhere at that time too. He can't miss school to sit in an empty room eating a bit then waiting another 5 minutes to take another. They may have their own class to get back to also.

I would talk to the director about this since it is not something his teacher is in control of. He needs to learn to eat within the time frame. He may feel a lot of hunger to get to the point where he "gets" it but he will eventually start eating right.

He will not be able to do this once he gets to Kindergarten, they'll assembly line the kids and they all sit in one spot, they all sit until they are done, then they all go outside together. So it's better for him to get this lesson in the school he is in now.

2:

If your child is hungry he needs a snack. BUT they do have scheduled times and a limited supply to serve for snack time.

Here's what I would do. Each time he asked for food I would ask him if he ate his lunch. He would say yes. I would ask him if he finished it, he would say no. I would say, wow, I bet if you had eaten all your lunch you would not be hungry now, what do you think about that? He would process this and eventually associate that if he wants to not be hungry he has to eat his lunch. Therefore he would conform to the time frame and start eating lunch faster.

3:

About the other stuff, they have to pass code to be licensed don't they? If so they had to do lead tests and other stuff to make sure the building was safe.

What are the hours he goes?

30 minutes is plenty of time for a kid to eat lunch. It is also normal to have scheduled snack breaks.

You seem to be having an issue with the scheduled time periods. That is part of preschool and preparing them for real school, and life. Any other preschool you look into will have a similar routine, most likely. Without routine, they would have chaos.

As far as the age of the building, do you know what type of inspections & licensing schools have to go through to open for business? Do you really think a dangerous building would be approved to house a school?

Honestly, having been there & done that, it sounds like your expectations are not very realistic. I am not really sure what you're looking for in a preschool, but it's unreasonable to expect everyone's world to revolve around your child in a school setting. It is not their fault that your child is a slow eater, it is not their fault that YOU are late, leaving him hungry in the meantime. Do you send him there to eat, or to learn? You seem overly concerned about the food aspect of it, honestly

Go ahead & disenroll him, but I highly doubt you'd be happy with ANY preschool program based on your unrealistic expectations.

1) 30 minutes is pretty standard. Waaaaaay too long for some kids, too short for others (some kids are done in 5, others take 2+ hours). In K and 1st, in SEATTLE though, that 30 minutes is typical for both lunch AND recess. So it's a good transition for 30 now, then 10 min for eating next year. You'd be hard pressed to find a preschool that does longer than 30 eat:30 play... Although a lot do shorter times.

- Bigger Breakfasts
- Eat in the car (both ways)

2) Pickibg up late is a HUGE problem in most schools/not tolerated, and most also have a $1 per minute fee attached, plus a $25-$50 per incident, as well as an expulsion w/ no refund of first/last if it becomes chronic. So watch out for that. As to him being hungry when you're late... That's not their fault. You may need to look into a daycare option that would pick him up from preschool. Group, pt nanny, etc if you have the ind of job that you can get 'stuck' at... As well as a backup option for days when the bridges are all screwed up, etc. and the 20 minute commute becomes an hour. (Common at least once a week, random days/times), or the hour commute becomes 3 hours. Just a fact of life here, in these parts. Also why the fee schedule is in place. Without it, the teachers end up stuck with kids instead of being able to go home/pick up their own kids/ etc. As you know, now, living here... Traffic is no joke. Even 10 minutes departure difference can add an hour. So an alternate person or organization would see him fed.

3) Naps... I don't know of any local preschools that do naps. Daycared do, usually until age 2... But even then, not a lot do after age 3.

4) you could uneroll... But I don't see you getting a refund. What you're describing all sounds fairly normal. The 100+ thing, is of small concern... There are no 'grandfather' clauses in Seattle regarding lead/asbestos/etc. to keep their school license they'd be inspected.

If your child is at preschool for more than 4 hours it is considered a day care. Are they licensed?
Licensing requirements state that all kids must be offered food upon arrival and in 3 hour intervals after that. 30 minutes sounds pretty typical for meal time and your son will probably learn to eat within the allotted time when he gets used to it. Licensed facilities are subject to proper food handling procedures, so it is normal that they will not offer food between scheduled meal/snack times. That is pretty normal. Many kids (like mine) like to snack throughout the day rather than eat their meal during mealtime... They typically adjust pretty fast.
If your child is under five and at daycare for more than 6 hours they must offer a opportunity for napping, but cannot force him to sleep.

You should address your concerns about the remodeling with the director and just ask whether any lead/asbestos testing was done and what they are doing to avoid exposure to dust etc...

Changing preschool is hard... we are going through that right now as well! Just make sure you ask whatever you need to - you are paying good money to this business and you are your child's advocate - they may not accommodate every request you make but they should at least hear you out.
Good luck!

Your son is 4...so he will be going to Kindergarten next year?
Here's my take on your issues....do with it as you will
#1 - Lunch time at my son's school is 40 minutes. That means that you get to eat AND get your recess is the given amount of time. So, if you dilly dally and eat your food you get less time to play. This is good for your son to start to understand that he has an allotted time to eat. Next year, and all the rest of his years at school, he is going to be on a timed lunch.
#2 - We have had two different things happen at my children's school regarding snacks. Last year the teacher would handle snacks from crackers and pretzels that we all sent in at the beginning of the year. This year we send the snacks with our kids and they get 5 (FIVE) minutes to eat their snack before it's off to something else. My children are "starving" by the time they get home as well. So, I have a snack waiting for them. With regards to the other teacher saying "no" to an after school snack. I totally get that. If she gave your son something to eat then she would have to start giving all the children something to eat at the end of the school day. Don't be late. Or, always have something in the car that he can snack on as soon as he hops in the car.
#3 - Ask the school if they have done testing for asbestos and what not.
Most preschools or pre-k's are in the business of getting your child ready for kindergarten. There are no naps in kindergarten, there are no "eat your lunch as slow as you want" in kindergarten, and a great number of school's in the greater Seattle area are old.
I am sure that you can quit going to that preschool, but I am also pretty sure you wont get a dime back. Your reason's for wanting him pulled aren't valid. (except for the asbestos one...but even that one you are not sure about)
I understand how hard it is to let our kids out of our sight, to send them off to school...but your child WILL adjust to eating quicker or else he will be hungry. Cause and effect!
Good luck!
L.
(mom of 3)

This sounds pretty normal for pre-school for a four year old.

1. Thirty minutes is a reasonable lunch. I have slow, picky eaters as well, and having a 20 minute school lunch has taught them that they need to eat faster, or they will be hungry. The point of pre-school is to prepare the kids for school. If the children are allowed to eat whenever they wish or for as long as they wish, they will not be prepared for the way it will be at school. You could make sure to send him food you know he will eat faster.
2. Again, if kids are allowed to snack whenever they are hungry, they will not learn to eat on a schedule. Eating on a schedule is something they will need to do for most of their lives. Maybe if he gets really hungry he won't be quite so picky or eat so slowly.
3. I would assume a Motessori is licsened, therefore would be inspected for things like asbestos and lead paint.
4. Pre-schools don't have nap time. Many (most) kids give up napping by three. Again, there will be no nap time in school. If he is really tired, give him an earlier bedtime.

I would stick with it if he is otherwise happy there. I don't imagine you will find pre-schools who handle lunches and snacks much differently.

1. This is what I've experienced w/ both kids. I feed my kids a larger breakfast.

2. Parents of those with special dietary needs are asked to send snacks. I pack a larger snack for my child.

3. Yikes. And no nap, yikes!

I'd speak with the director about sending snacks for my child. Get a doctor's note if necessary. Discuss your nap time concerns. Feed your child a heartier breakfast. Send snacks to school. Start visiting new places and asking questions about these concerns.

Can't speak to some of that but our preschool lunch is only 15 minutes, and when they go to elementary it's only 25 minutes, so it's good to train them to get their food finished and not talk, goof off, etc during lunch time. And so many buildings in Seattle proper are super old. With no problems! And no naps in any preschool that I know of! My kids didn't nap after 2-3 years old anyway.

Sounds pretty normal to me.
30 minutes seems like plenty of time to each lunch, that's what our preschool did. Our kindergarten kids had 20 minutes for lunch followed by twenty minutes of recess. Some kids were done in 5 minutes and some barely touched their food because they were too distracted and chatty. How long does your family spend at the table over breakfast, lunch and dinner? We may sit longer at dinner, but breakfast and lunch usually takes about twenty minutes or so.
Even without naps there should be some down/quiet time in the afternoon.
And as far as the building's safety I assume it's up to code, per their licensing requirements.
Honestly, why not just TALK to them about your concerns? You're paying for your child to attend, and they can and should be more than willing to answer all of your questions.
Oh, and try not to be late for pick up. I know it happens sometimes but this is a school, if they didn't have certain limits in place there would always need to be someone in the kitchen to take care of kids asking for food. They usually don't have the staff for that.
It sounds like you may actually be more comfortable with a casual, less structured in home daycare.

My son did Montessori preschool. They had morning snack available upon arrival, lunch a little after 11 am (30 minutes), afternoon snack and then another snack (parent provided) at 3:30 for kids staying for aftercare. They had snack available at snack times but could choose to eat or not - they could go over to the snack table, take a snack and sit down to eat. It took my son a while to get used to eating in 30 minutes - primarily he was talking during the entire time. He figured it out. We had several discussions with the directress about what constituted a healthy snack (parents were assigned to bring in snack for the whole class on a rotating basis) and periodic reminders. If a child was hungry at a non-snack time (I am at a loss for when that might be - they ate constantly) - a teacher would take them into the kitchen area and feed them. The children participated in preparing, serving and cleaning up from snack.

My son napped at his Montessori up until he was 5-1/2. He was still exhausted by the end of the day for his first month or so.

My son is now in public school for first grade. They have 30 minutes to eat lunch and then 40 minutes for recess. I would not panic about how much time he will have to eat next year. Just deal with this year for now.

As for preparing your child for next year by taking away his nap now - makes no sense to me. In a year he may not need a nap. If he needs a nap now - you need to work this out with his preschool. If he is in a multi age classroom (DS was in a 3-6 group) I find it hard to believe that the 3 year olds don't nap.

30 minutes should be enough time to eat lunch. Most kids probably finish much faster than that. I know my son can easily eat lunch in 15 minutes. Can you give him foods that are faster to eat? For example, my son will eat cut up chicken much faster than he'll eat a sandwich.

As for the snacks, the school should have some guidelines in place to at least make sure the parents are providing a well rounded, healthy snack and not just bringing junk. We had a policy at my son's preschool that the snack (provided by one parent for the whole class) contain at least three food groups and didn't include junk food. Usually we had things like fruit, a cheese stick, and crackers.

Your son also just needs a little time to adjust. I imagine in a couple of weeks, he won't have as many issues. Make sure to pack his lunch full of fiber and protein so he feels full for a longer time.

this will prepare him for kindergarten. my 5 year old gets 20 miinutes to eat.. or they can eat it at home.

even a 4 year old can learn to focus on eating for 30 minutes to eat his lunch.

I have worked in a day care preschool. there is no way they can feed kids anytime they want to have a bit of a snack.. we did am snack, lunch and pm snack.. kids could eat the snacks or not.. but dont come asking for food 20 mintues later... do not expect the school to feed your chld if it is not snack time..

I send in full fat chocolate milk and a peanut butter adn jelly sandwich for my child. if they eat that ... I think they got fat, protien adn carbs.. they should be ok.. I also send in a fruit but it usually comes home and they say they didnt have time to eat it.

the buidling was inspected and must be safe to pass inspection.