What to do about preschool and nursery?

[treelily]

Hi. I?m new and would welcome some advice/opinions about my nursery/preschool situation. I've posted this on the nursery forum as well but just found the preschool one. DD1 is 2.10. She has been at nursery since she was 6 months and has just moved up (a little early, but she was ready) to the preschool room at the nursery. She is happy there, has some good friends and we have always been happy with the nursery. DD2 is due to start at the same nursery in March when she is 8 months.

So in Sep 2010 do I leave DD1 at the preschool in the private nursery or send her to the one at the school we hope she will be going to? There are apparently 30 children in the school?s nursery and 35 in reception and the majority of them move up. I don?t want her to be at a disadvantage by not being part of this group when she starts reception. I need almost full time childcare so she would have to either go to the before and after school club at the school or I would have to find a childminder who can collect her. The club at the school is privately run and has quite a negative ofsted report so I am not keen on that idea for such a young child.

I would also ideally like DD1 and DD2 in the same place for logistical reasons. So my choices appear to be leave DD1 at the private nursery for preschool and let her go straight into reception or apply for a place at the school?s nursery and try to find a childminder that is able to have both of them. So what would you all do?

[bigchris]

i would try to get her into the school nursery
have a look around and see how you feel about it afterwards

[CMOTdibbler]

I'd leave her at nursery. Young children are very adaptable, esp if they've been at nursery for ages and she'll soon fit in.

My DS is at nursery ft, and I did wonder whether to move him to kindergarten at the school he'll be going to so that he fits in, but school said that as so much changes going into reception, it doesn't seem to matter

[butadream]

In your situation I would say leave her in the private nursery, not all the reception kids will have come up through the school nursery anyway and she will adapt just fine as she's already used to the structured environment.

[butadream]

Plus, for most schools admissions policies, a nursery place is no guarantee of a reception place so you could end up rearranging everything to get her in the school nursery and then she only gets a reception place somewhere else!

[MadameDuBain]

And the total opposite advice! (sorry) - I'd keep her where she is. I'm doing this with DS - he's staying at his private nursery until school starts - and the school have reassured me that lots of children do this and they will help him settle in.

The issue for me is that I have to work full days - even though only part-time, school-attached pre-school nursery hours are just daft. DS would be shunted around from pillar to post all day and he's happy where he is, in a lovely nursery where they really care about him.

When they came up with this free pre-school places concept, they certainly weren't giving a thought to working parents.

[PrettyCandles]

Keep them were they are happy, where you are happy with the care, and where the care is continuous so that they don't have to be passed from pillar to post throughout the day.

A place in a school's nursery does not guarantee you a place at that school, so there's no advantage that way.

Plenty of childen start school without knowing anybody at that school, but within weeks you wouldn't know which children they were. They integrate and form new friendships very fast at that age.

[treelily]

Thank you for all your quick replies. And sorry for all the question marks instead of apostrophes in my post (or is that just my computer?)

Butadream "Plus, for most schools admissions policies, a nursery place is no guarantee of a reception place so you could end up rearranging everything to get her in the school nursery and then she only gets a reception place somewhere else!"

This a good point that I hadn't really thought of. Thanks!

It was my instinct to leave her where she is but just wanted some opinions to reassure me I wouldn't be putting her at any disadvantage by doing what really would be easiest right now.

[butadream]

No, lots of working parents don't move their kids until reception. If you see another post of mine and wonder why my DS is actually going to state nursery despite my advice here, that's cos I'm on maternity leave.

[redskyatnight]

I had the same dilemma with DS and kept him at the private nursery (the practical benefits were huge as I discovered when DS started school and I was juggling 2 children in 2 places at different times). He found the first few weeks hard because he only knew one other boy, but by half term you wouldn't have known the difference between the ones who'd been to school nursery and ones who hadn't.

Also gather from a lot of parents who DID go to the school nursery that friendship groups really changed around in Reception anyway.

[MumNWLondon]

I would leave her at the private nursery (if thats easier for you) UNLESS the school you want gives priority to those in the nursery, in which case I would move her. My DCs school gives proirity to nursery children even though strictly speaking they shouldn't.

Check with the school. She'll make friends quickly when she starts reception will not matter than has not been at nursery with them.