How many sessions a week does your 3 year old do at pre-school/nursery/day care?

[Mylittleponyisskinnyandbony]

Just asking to be nosy really!

Do most 3 year olds who are in Nursery environments do 5 sessions? How many people have a 3 year old at home the whole time?

[MillionairesShortbread]

Around here people tend to use nurserys for childcare so they tend to do longer hours.

The pre-schools however let you choose - some are full days so some do say 2 dfull days.

Ours is up to 5 mornings. I dont know anyone who did all 5 straight off, and in my circle of friends we mainly all kept one day free even at the end!

[ilovepowerhoop]

my 2 did 5 x mornings from age 3 until they went to school

[findingherfeet]

My DD (3) does a day and a half...but I'm not working at the mo.

[ilovepowerhoop]

I wasn't working either and everyone I knew with similar aged children had them at nursery for their full free hours which were either 5 x mornings or 5 x afternoons

[shelfontheelf]

We're on three half days, will be four after Christmas and will take a fifth if space becomes available. August born and I'd like them to at least have five half days under their belt before school in September otherwise I think the transition will be hard.

[Ihateparties]

Ds did 3 sessions for two terms and 5 for the last term, dd1 did 4 sessions for a term then 5 for the whole pre school year, dd2 will probably start out with 3 or 4 then move to 5 in September. In the setting we use lots of children don't take up the full funded amount or split it between different settings.

[PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom]

Most people round here do five mornings for the pre school year (if they don't need to use the hours on childcare at a nursery for work). We do a bit less.

[jimmycrackcornbutidontcare]

We don't get any free hours - in Northern Ireland. So few 3 year olds here would go for 15 hours. My DS does 2 mornings of playschool a week - 2 three hour sessions. This seems about the right balance for him. When he is 4 he will do 12 and a half hours a week - 5 two and a half hour sessions. It seems a lot for someone so young but I'm hoping a year will make a big difference.

[MisForMumNotMaid]

My youngest does three sessions. Two days of 9.15am to 3pm so that I can drop middle son to school then her to nursery, then pick her up on way to getting son from school. She does the balance of hours on another day of 9.15 till 12.45pm.

For me its far better than 5 short sessions because I can get lots done in the hours she's at nursery and have a couple of lovely days with her when she's not. When DS2 went to nursery short mornings, I felt i got the worst of him. He came home tired, fought over food, resisted a nap whilst shattered then had to be dragged to get DS1 from school.

[purpleapple1234]

I live in sweden and dd is in nursery for 6-8 hours 5 days a week just the same as every other kid here. She has been at nursery for these times since she was 18 months. The only other way of doing it is if you are unemployed or are on maternity leave with another baby. Then it goes down to 15 hours a week. I have never come across a sahm here although I believe maybe 3% of mothers have their kids at home full-time. DD loves nursery here and so do we.

[Showy]

DS doesn't go at all.

[youllshootyoureyeout]

My 3 year old does five 3 hour sessions a week.

[AlwaysWashing]

DS has been going since he was 2.6 started at 1 afternoon (1.30-5) and has built up to 3 afternoons, he's now 3.9.
I plan to gradually swap those afternoons to mornings between now and September to prep him for school hours .

[MillionairesShortbread]

Wow I don]t know any 3 yr old that does a full 5 days. People tend to only do a few sessions in the first year (if they get a first year) and then 3/4 in the second. I know of one that went up to the full 5 in the final term!!

I fully intend to have my afternoons/ one free day until the end as i did with my first. You never get that time back.

[MyIronLung]

My 3yo also does 5 three hr sessions a week. He loves it.

[insancerre]

I manage a nursery and we take 2,3, and 4 year olds.
All of the 3 and 4 year old do at least the minimum of 15 hours and the majority do much more, with several being full-time
We also take 2 year olds on funding and they all do all least 15 hours too with a Doyle fulltime also.
The school say they can always tell the children who haven't been to nursery from those who have as they take longer to settle and they struggle more with routines, boundaries and being independent
None of pur children use less than their 15 hours entitlement
Quite a few of our parents are sahms or sahds

[findingherfeet]

Oh DDs nursery doesn't offer 5 mornings...her entitlement = 1 day or 2 half days.

Luckily I'm not dependent on child care right now as off on maternity with new baby. Oh well I'd find taking her every morning a bit of a drag!

[BackforGood]

There's no "most" about it - people do what suits them and the Nursery.

Lots do them over a couple of days, or 2.5 days. Lots do 5 individual sessions. Lots just do a couple of sessions. Plenty of children who don't do any. All sorts of combinations work for different people.

[Nevercan]

2 days nursery 8-6 and 2 morning preschool 9-12 to suit my working days. Whatever suits you and what is available at the time

[mipmop]

None.

[LauraPashley]

we get offered the 15hrs, and if in a nursery attached to a school that is spread over 5 afternoon sessions (mainly ante-pre) or 5 morning sessions (mainly pre schoolers)

Mine both did/will do 1 year of 5 x afternoon sessions, then a 2nd year of 5 x morning sessions, then school the following year . Both loved/loving it!

[elQuintoConyoIKNOWHIM]

DS is 3. He does 9-4.30 everyday at pre-school. We are in Spain. It is either that or sahp which is impossible. He loves it and settled very quickly.

Before, he was doing 9-1 at playschool, it was an awful timetable.

[IgnoreMeEveryOtherReindeerDoes]

3year old DS does 5 x 3hr morning sessions since sept, when he's not poorly (had quite a bit time off) - he really need it & so do I!!

DD didnt do nursery until she was 4.5yrs old

[jerseygal78]

Mine was in 4 full days, recently gone up to 5. Needs must at present. I did condensed hours for 4 years which was killing me & work have stopped it...She loves it & bounces in.

[SoonToBeSix]

My dd does three part days 8-1.