Not Send Son to Preschool

I don't know either way, because my daughter just turned 4. But I noticed that you are in Crystal Lake and wanted to post because I know that Crystal Lake Central High school has a preschool program-I believe it starts in January and goes through May-2 days a week for about an hour. I believe South High school offers it as well, but you'd have to look into it...I think you have to be in the area that would go to that school to be able to do it, but I think it was only $80 for the whole 4 or 5 months (may have been a snack fee too), but way better than preschool prices. My daughter did it last year and loved it!!

Just another option-if you wanted to send him to preschool and it is only the cost that's holding you back.

From my personal experience as a child and a mother, a child who doesn't go to some form of preschool is behind. They are intellectually and behaviorally behind. Even if it's just two hours three days per week. Some sort of school organization. It's necessary for kids to get used to listening to someone else beside parents. Try churches too. The one my daughter when to for preschool and now for kidergarten is non-denominational although it is a Lutheran church. They are forcing the beliefs on the children. Also, it's realatively inexpensive. Just a thought. Good luck.

Preschool is completely too expensive and we are not sending our kids because of it. I figured it out by hour and most preschools that we looked at charge between $5-$8 per hour for the child. Add the gas to and from twice a week and it really becomes outrageous. The park districts around here offer great classes for less than that and you aren't committed to a whole year. We'd rather save our money for babysitters. Neither my husband or I went to preschool and we both have our degrees and have worked in well paying jobs! My kids haven't been to preschool but at 3 know all their ABC's and sounds and can count to 20 mostly because we talk about it during our day. I don't even do that much sit down workbook work. We have more than enough playmates from church and I have twins so i'm not worried about socialization.

C.,

Unless you are having some problems with your son don't worry about it!!! Only my youngest of 4 went to preschool. My oldest is 23, youngest 5, of 4 kids. For one thing it is only kindergarten! I did find that the school district has preschool (for a nominal fee, I think $40 for the year) if your child has some kind of a need. For my daughter it was behavior problems, tantrums,etc... Take your son to a free preschool screening at your school district. If your son is bright, behaves well, has no speech or hearing problems, you are fine, he will adjust fine!!!

No, I don't think it will hurt him. You can teach him the same things at home with those preschool workbooks that are available at Target or Wal-Mart. As long as you really work with him, he should be fine academically. He might be a bit behind socially, but you can schedule some play dates, or get involved with a local moms group so that he can have some social interaction. You might also want to look into your park district. They often have preschool programs that are more affordable. You might even be able to wait until January so you're only paying for half a year of preschool.

I understand the situation you are in financially. I think it's important that you prepare your child for kindergarten. Look into the expectations of what they should know going into kindergarten. Then, prepare a curriculum that will help him learn these things. My son is in Pre-K (same age as your son - 5th birthday in August) and he is writing his letters, starting to read and doing simple math. We worked on things over the summer, but school is moving him along quickly. Make sure you also have a playgroup established with other kids his age so he has social interactions as well. This is just as important as the academic information. Best of luck!

I don't believe you need to worry at all. My daughter didn't go to preschool. She started kindergarten this fall and she's doing very well. I would say she's ahead of many of her peers. I worked with her and the little boy I watch from time to time. I made sure they had lots of educational toys to play with like LeapFrog items. I read to them daily. I made every opportunity to count or sing the ABC's like in the bathtub or going up and down the stairs. We went to the library weekly and checked out educational dvd's. I searched the net for activities to do with them and then subscribed to FamilyFun magazine which has tons of neat activities to do with all ages of children.

If you make some effort to work with your little one a few days a week you will see that he is better off than many of his peers that went to pre-school. One-on-one attention is superior to group settings 99% of the time.

Don't fret if you can't afford it. Just improvise. Cook together, count together, play I spy, play go-fish, read every day, watch educational dvd's...

Checkout the craft section at Walmart when you are there for inexpensive activities to do. They often have neat things on clearance for just a few dollars. The FamilyFun magazine has tons of things that don't require a bunch of money.

Really you can do it and it will be fun.

Good luck!!!

I am a first grade teacher and yes I notice a difference between children who went to preschool and those that didn't. Is there a church in your area that runs a preschool that might have a special fee for those who can't afford it?

I do not think preschool is necessary. My daughter goes 3 days a week for 2 1/2 hours..you can't tell me that this is going to make or break her school experience. I would call your local school distict and see what they expect the kids to know....like counting to 20, ABCs, letter recognition, writing their name, Ect....and work on those things at home. My friend was not a firm believer of pushing education before kindergarten. Her daughter entered kindergarten below the level of almost every kid there...by the end of the year she was all caught up...and now in second grade, she is above average. I am not saying ignore anything educational like she did, but if you practice some things at home, your son will be fine!

I don't know where you live but our local school district has a "Preschool for All" completely free (even the registration fee) preschool that is part of the school district. You need to have your child screened as they take in children that have issues, speech, OT stuff like that but also children that don't have issues. The only requirment is that you and your husband make less than 100K combined (or somewhere around there).

Check with your local school district to find out if they offer it. The Preschool for All in my town is the best preschool in town. My oldest went there and he learned more than my daughter that went to traditional "paid for" preschool.

Just a thought: If you did want to send your child to preschool, check your local park district or surrounding PD. Our park district offers a fabulous preschool program at a very reasonable price. Yours may, too!

C.,
I was a teacher before I became a stay-at-home mom. This is a big controversial issue. Some kids will do OK just going to kindergarten. However, the thought today is that socially, kids who have a preschool experience before kindergarten do much better. I guess the reasoning is because the social skills needed for kindergarten are learned before kindergarten ever begins. Your son may be at a disadvantage because of this. Most likely, the kids he will be in kindergarten with, have already been to preschool. The social skills they develop and the experiences in preschool help them to adjust to a school setting/teacher etc. I know the cost is an issue with you. They do offer head-start programs that are paid for by the government. My personal opinion, as a teacher, is to give him the opportunity to learn in a preschool environment before he goes to kindergarten. It is so beneficial for the child and parent! Most preschools are play-based programs. So really it is just an opportunity for them to be apart from you to play with other children their age. They do really develop socially on their own in this kind of safe and fun environment. I say try it! Otherwise, kindergarten may be a really stressful experience. Kindergarten is stressful for children and especially children who have never been in a school setting. At least in preschool, it is all about learning while you play. Once you get to kindergarten it is learning without much play. Good luck!

None of my sister's kids went to preschool and the two that are already in regular school are doing FINE. In fact, the middle child's kindergarten teacher asked my sister which preschool my nephew went to because he was really smart. It depends on the child. And if you can't do it, you can't do it. My son almost didn't get to go to preschool because I work and I couldn't get him there. He actually qualified for speech therapy so he was able to go - by bus - otherwise it would never have worked out. We all do the best we can. They have lots of great workbooks at different stores that you can buy. I'm sure you could also get activity sheets online so they're free. If you just work with him between now and his birthday, he'll be in kindergarten next year and will learn lots of new stuff there. Every day you have learning experiences for him in normal things that you do. I'm sure everything will work out great!!! Good luck!

Personally I think preschool is a must. If you can swing it financially at all I would do it. Maybe call a bunch of preschools and talk to the directors about your financial strain. They may be willing to cut you some slack. In my opinion preschool is not only about education, but socialization and learning to get used to a school setting. Now that my oldest is in kindergarten, I really think it's critical. He was very ahead of the game in preschool per his teachers. Now, in kindergarten, he seems average to me education wise. I think kindergarten is so different now from when we were in school. They really expect a lot from these kids, and I think your child will have a very hard time adjusting if it's his first school experience. If you can't send him, then work with him daily on all the educational things and work with him on following rules. Talk to your elementary school and find out what types of things he is expected to know prior to entering kindergarten. You will be suprised I think. Also, they go so quickly now of days in kindergarten. It's just a lot and I worry without preschool he will have a very hard time.

hi C.... did you know if you are in need of help with daycare preschool you can apply through the ymca? the only problem is it takes a little while and you have to pay yourself until it kicks in but it usually isn't too long. there is a copay but it is sliding scale according to your income. i am a day care teacher and work with a lot of mom's who need some extra help since we don't earn very much. please make use of any help you can get. it is out there... good luck

C.,

Pre-school is sooo important. They expect way more in Kindergarten than they used to. If your son is not where he needs to be starting K - he may struggle the entire year. I'm not sure how much you think you can do at home to get him ready?? (I know I couldn't do much just based on my time constraints, etc.) Some parents are better at this than others I'm sure.

Preschool not only gets them ready book wise, but also prepares them for having someone else be in charge, sitting for longer periods while learning, dealing with other children in that type of setting, etc...

You need to do more research & find lower cost alternatives for this. Sometimes there are churches that offer pre-school. Our local high school offers it Super Cheap (it's students that run the progrm - students that plan to go into child development, etc.). I think your doing your son a big diservice if you choose not to send him.

C.,
So, you are not going to send your son at all? Or are you holding him back a year?
Because he should have gone to preschool at age 3 and again at 4. I think he should get at least 1 year of preschool in. It is just not the learning alone, he will also get socialization.
So, unless you are involved with some sort of toddler and Mom group that meets at least
3 x a week and you are home schooling him to know all of the basics, he will really be behind.

I thought preschool was a bunch of hooie, basically expensive day-care. But, it is not.
Children are required to know so much more in kindergarten then we, or at least I, was growing up. Have you looked into any park district preschools, they tend to cost a little less and at least in my experience, just as good or better.

Most kids now a days have been in a daycare setting, away from Mom since birth. They have a greater social advantage than the kid who's been at home. My kid went to preschool,but the rest of the kids were still more socially advanced by Kindergarten, because they had been in daycare, even prior to preschool. I know, Yikes!

Good Luck! I hope you can figure something out. P.S. also try, if you are religiously inclined, a church preschool, they may have scholarships available for those who need it.

S : )

I've sent 3 kids through preschool. My youngest just started Kindergarten. I don't feel they learned tons of academics, just what I could do at home, but they learned other important skills.

Sitting quietly on the floor with other antsy kids during a story, waiting in line to wash hands, waiting to eat snack until everyone is served, being disappointed that is is not their turn to be calendar helper, listening to and respecting a teacher, etc.

As long as your son is OK with these kinds of skills, you will be OK teaching him the basic academics at home. There are tons of resources online for art projects and learning games. It will just take some committment from you. Good luck. Maybe your friends or neighbors can do a little program together, and share the duties.

C.,

I do think preschool is important socially and academically but it's not the end all and be all. I like the responses about checking with the district about low cost or free school. It will help in the transition to kindergarten. They usually test the children and that is also helpful if there are any problems that you may not be aware of and therefore it can be taken care of early. Good luck.

It is amazing how much preschool costs. I don't think it is a necessity. You can do plenty of different things at home for your son. I would get sidewalk chalk and write the letters in big cirlcles all over the driveway and ask where a letter is and then I would ask the sound it makes. I've made this suggestion on here before but if he plays on the computer at all, www.starfall.com is an awesome learning to read website...very kid friendly. I have talked to both of my daughters' teachers over the past several years and they all made comments about my girls being bright not because of preschool but because of parental involvement with them. My girls did go but I definately do not think it gave them any advantages in kindergarten. Check with your local high school. Sometimes they run a preschool program with the child development classes. I know when I worked in Barrington the Lake Zurich high school ran a preschool, it only cost $50 for 2 days a week for the school year. It was very cute. Check your library for storytimes and activities. Barnes and Noble at Hawthorn mall has storytimes. Hang in there, your son will do just fine. Good luck.