Preschool vs Accredited Daycare

If he is doing well where he is, I would leave him there. You can do things in the evening too just to see his progress...reading, games, projects etc. You know him best. I would also recommend keeping him back from kindergarten. He has a late birthday AND he's a boy. I don't have boys but I have 3 girls...2 with November birthdays. #1 sent to kindergarten at 4. She could do all the work and was fine with the peers until about 8th grade. Hindsight is 20/20! #2 we lived in a different city and the cut off was Dec1. No peer issues later.
Keeping him in something that is goo AND covenient as well as economical for you is important too. Hope this helps!

I would stick with what works for you. I didn't put any of my children in Preschool and they are all doing fine. Good luck to you!

I'd say as long as you're happy with what he is learning and if he has enough other children to socialize with, he'll be fine in Kindergarten! I'd wait the extra year though--I've heard so many horror stories of 4 year old kindergarteners being held back a few years later. My daughter is an october birthday and she'll be going to K 2 years from now (she turns 4 in a few weeks) and I think I like the idea of her being a year more mature than all of her friends. Whatever you decide will work out just fine!

You can always consider a pre-kindergarten class (between 4-year-old preschool and kindergarten) for when he is 5, then "red-shirt" him for kindergarten (and most of the year he will be 6).

Also, the school district I am in has preschool, and also offers child care the rest of the time in another room in the same building - the teachers are responsible for getting them from childcare to their preschool class and back again. Is that an option where you are?

Why was it suggested he need preschool?

I would leave him where he is at, it sounds like it meets his needs and is a good fit for your family. She sounds great.

It is hard to maintain accreditation, that is why most preschools(and daycare) don't do so. You have to maintain high standards and have/be working on an education in child development to be accredited.

Sounds like you lucked out with her, she works hard to maintain accreditation and is committed to learning more about early education. Plus it is a bonus that she is able to do it at a cost you can both live with.

Of course, I may be a little biased:) I have a degree in Early Childhood Education and would not work at a preschool or daycare unless it was accredited. I currently work with an accredited pre-K organization, but plan on starting a very small home care group next year.(2-3 children max)

Hope this helps!

First of all wait on Kindergarten. I have one child that started when she had just turned 5 and while she's a 3.8 high school Junior, she is a full year (and then some) behind in driving, etc. I have another child that started two weeks after turning 6. He also has friends a full year behind him. As they get older the differences are apparent. Skip preschool as that isn't critical in the long run, but starting Kindergarten before you are five is tough as they get into middle school and high school. Be patient!

I say wait another year for Kindergarten. I only say this because I made the mistake of sending my daughter to early. She is an October 29 birthday. I was told by the school that she was ready and she did go to a preschool program at the school. She has just started the third grade and so far, we have had struggles every year. I think now that it is more or a focus issue with her ,hence the reason I have not held her back, but who knows if she were a little older she might have done better. If you feel you are getting enough learning in daycare then I would stay with that. Hope this helps.

I would think that you should keep doing what is working for you and your child. Preschool really is a time for socialization and learning about classroom behavior, so it sounds like your daycare does that already. There seems to be a lot of pressure to put kids in preschool and pre-K before Kindergarten, but there are plenty of kids who come to Kindergarten without any kind of preschool exposure. The teacher needs to start from square one with most of the kids any way and if a child is so far ahead, they usually need to wait until the rest of the class catches up. I am a Special Education teacher and I see this all the time in the Kindergarten classes in our school that have 30 children and one teacher. Please go by what you feel is right and try to ignore the people who say otherwise. They do not know your child or situation.

By the way, please wait to put him in Kindergarten until he is 5, if possible! I have seen too many children put in early who suffer because they cannot keep up with the other children. Many of my special ed kids are Summer and Fall birthdays who were put in early as well. I was put in early and even though I could keep up academically, I never fit in socially. Whatever you decide to do, good luck to you!

I would personally just leave him in the daycare...you say she is teaching them and preparing them for Kindergarten. Why uproot him for one year and then uproot him again next year to send him to school? Leave him where he is, it is saving you a bit of money, you are comfortable with the situation and know that he is getting good care and preparation for school. Don't rock the boat!!!

I weigh on the side of waiting for kindergarten until he is five. There recently was a study in a peer reviewed journal (I used to have the link; I will try to post it) showing that teachers/doctors are more likely to diagnose kids who start school early (and therefore, are younger than their classmates) with ADHD than their older classmates. The conclusion was that younger kids, who naturally have more trouble sitting still and concentrating, are being over-diagnosed because they are being compared with their older classmates.
Keep him where you know he is thriving. He won't be traumatized or delayed simply because its not called a preschool.
Best wishes -

Sounds like you have a great situation now that you are happy with.Trust your gut. You will do what's right for you and your child. :-)

Does the daycare provider actually do preschool type activities with your son? Keep in mind that just b/c she is an accredited daycare, does not mean she is required to do any preschool curriculum. Is your son getting what he needs from a learning perspective? I know a woman in my neighborhood who has an accredited daycare and does a great job with the preschool aged children. However, she is only able to do that b/c she has an assistant working with her that can care for the infants during that time. If your son is where he should be for his age (knows colors, letter recognition...), I would keep him in a comforatable environment for you and him!!! If he is not, maybe you should look into a center that offers preschool within it so he does not miss out on the learning perspective and so he is truly kindergarten ready next year. Good luck!

If he is happy where he is at AND is learning some things (letters, etc) then I would leave him be. If you're questioning his readiness for Kindergarten, I'd wait. November is a pretty late birthday and he may struggle socially later on in school if you start him too early.
If you DO want to consider a preschool, I know that a lot of daycare centers actually have preschool (mine does). The way my daughter's preschool works is that she's in the same classroom all day - they focus more on learning in the morning and then playing more after lunch (so the structured preschool program is centered more around the morning time).
But, like I said, if you're happy with his progress at this in-home, then I don't think there's an overwhelming need to move him.