Is 5mornings going to be to much for my ds

[jofeb04]

Hiya.
My ds (2.3years old), has been going to playgroup three afternoons a week.
In September, he will go to pre-school in the mornings instead, but it is in the same building and with the same children and adults etc.
However, they are asking if he will be going there 5mornings. I know when he turns 3, he will have a free place, but I dont know wheather he will be able to handle it (iyswim).
What did all yours do?
Also put it in the education part!!
Thanks in advance.

[MeAndMyBoy]

If he has the place you can always build it up so start at 3 mornings and then increase it to 4 in a couple of weeks and then to 5 a couple of weeks later and see how he copes with the extra days?

I'm in the same situation DS goes to preschool in September too.

[EvesMama]

id hang on till he gets free ed, unless of course YOU think he'd benefit from the extra days? which i dont think you do, he;s still just a tot at the mo

[jofeb04]

Thats what I though.
But the women who runs it has said he is really settled in there, and it would obviously be good for him.
I'll probably do that, and just see how he goes.
Thanks a lot

[jofeb04]

Good point Evesmama, its going to cost us around £15.00 a week to send him, which is quite a lot when we are totally skint
:)

[jofeb04]

And
Is pre-school much different to the playgroup then (he is on his own in the playgroup as well!)

[EvesMama]

dd's previous private nursery also tried me to get her in 5 days..sad to say but they do try and guilt trip you into it..im sure he does plenty of fun stuff with you and can wait the few months..youll have the summer with him and hell be that bit older then

[EvesMama]

pre school is supposed to be more structured and educational, but other than jolly phonics dd does most stuff she would do at playgroup..they have sand/water/outdoor toys/fidly toys to teach them problem solving etc..really, dont let them make you feel youd be wrong not putting him in.

[jofeb04]

Thanks alot EM. Going to go of my own feelings, rather then what the playgroup is saying.

[EvesMama]

thing is if you fell its too soon you little one will recognise you are unsure and may not settle as well as he had been..you'll do the right thing..i know!

[bundle]

my dd's nursery would never try and guilt trip or force anyone into extra days, but they do try to give a realistic and sensitive assessment of what a child is capable of and ready for. the parents usually only see the beginning/end of sessions so not a true picture of what their child is doing during the day. if you think you're not getting the right kind of feedback, just say

[girlsmum]

Hi Jofeb04 - my dd attends Pre-School 2 mornings a week at the moment and as of September she can attend 5. However, I don't think I will send her to 5 sessions straight off I am planning to increase it gradually.

My reasons being, she will only just be 3 (August baby) and then the following September she will start school at a very young 4. I just feel that she will be in education for so many years thereafter that I don't actually see the rush in getting her into so many sessions straight away.

Me and my BF are discussing this at the moment too, with her decision being that as the sessions are free and available her dd will attend 5 sessions straight away.

[notasheep]

they dont need 5 mornings a week

[jofeb04]

Thanks for all the advice.
TBH, the nursery hasnt made me feel guilty in anyway, and my ds absoluty loves it there.

But, Im going to keep him at three mornings until he turns 3, then see how he gets on with 4 mornings etc.

Thanks

:)

[Orinoco]

As the treasurer of a pre school, can I suggest that if you're planning on eventually going for 5 sessions, then you book the full 5 once they're old enough to be grant funded? I know what a difference the extra cash makes to our preschool, and it means that even if you only send them for 3 sessions to start with, the place is held for you to increase it later once you feel your child is ready.

[schneebly]

That is what I have done orinoco - ds will be 3 in august and starting preschool the same month - I have signed him up for 5 days but plan to send him 3 days per week for the 1st year and 4 for the second. I will probably send him 5 days as he nears the start of school. There is an open day in a couple of weeks and I am really looking forward to seeing how he gets on - I think he will thrive at preschool as he is very sociable and needs lots of stimulation. It also means that ds2 (17 months) will get me to himself sometimes!

[indignatio]

hi jofeb - when you receive the funding will it cover the full cost ? if so then (providing the pre school are in agreement) then you send him when you feel like it - or more importantly when he feels like it. My ds's pre school are very flexible but I do have to pay top up fees which put me off signing him up for the full 5 sessions. When he hit 3 I was v keen to have a bit of time to myself - to get the jobs done as he was no longer napping in the day. Now he is nearly 4 and I will be losing him to school in Sept, I am desperate to spend as much time as possible with him - so although signed up for 4 sessions per week I doubt he will make it for all 4 any week this term.
My ds would prefer to be at home than go to preschool but does love it when he is there. Education wise, we do far more advanced stuff at home than he does in preschool so I just see preschool as "revision" of stuff we have already covered

[fatbetty]

Hi! I'm in a similar situation and would like some advice!

My DS1 will be 3.5 in September and is currently signed up to two different nurseries. Nursery 1 is for 3 days a week (2.5 hours a day) but more of a playgroup scheme. During our initial visit we were impressed but we went back for an actual full session and didn't really like it too much. It just didn't feel structured enough. Nursery 2 is for 5 days a week (also 2.5 hours a day) but is part of an infant school and has some integration with the reception class. We haven't actually sat in for a session, so difficult to say what the class is really like.

DS1 has never done nursery before so I'm a bit worried about throwing him into the deep end with starting him off 5 days a week. I've talked another Mum whose son went to Nursery 2 and they loved it and she said that if she felt like DS was becoming overwhelmed she kept him home for a day. I called the school this morning to see if they would be flexible, i.e starting 3 mornings a week and then increase it after a few weeks but they said to wait and talk to the teachers when they came for the home visit in a months time! DS1 is very confident and I'm sure he would be okay with 5 mornings a week but it just seems like a lot to start off with.

Any advice????!!!!

[fatbetty]

bump

[ScoobyDooooo]

When my ds started at 2.5 he went for 3 mornings he is now nealry 4 & has been going 4 mornings for the past 6 months, when he returns in september he is then starting his 5 days.

I think you have to go by your child & how you feel about it, personally for myself i wanted to gradually up ds's days & it has worked fab he loves it there.

[fatbetty]

I'm sure that my son would love it as he is pretty outgoing and confident (if I say so myself). When I have voiced my concerns about sending him 5 days a week - they said that he'll do just fine. I suppose I'd rather hear them say that if he is having issues then they could drop it down to 3 days a week and then gradually increase it. Or maybe I just have the problem of letting him go for 5 days a week? If he had been in nursery before I wouldn't have this problem - it's just that he's never been at a nursery before and don't want him to feel like I'm pushing him into it.

[brimfull]

personally I feel 5 mroning a week is too much for some preschoolers.My ds goes 4 mornings a week and I sometimes keep him home on a friday because he's so tires.Also his preschool repeat the activities so he's not missing much.
Don't get me wrong he loves it ,but they are soon at school and you've got no choice then. I really enjoy the relaxed days with no school,it also gives us a chance for a day out
I'll be keeping ds at 4 mornings and he's a september baby.

[brimfull]

I wish he didn't have preschool this morning as he's still asleep in bed now!

[Clary]

I think 5 mornings is fine for a 3.5 yo.
TBH a lot of the chidlren at my ds2's wonderful nursery school where he starts in Sept (he will also be 3.5) do, say, 2 full days which I think is a lot (mind you some are almost 4).
I prefer one short session a day tho I do see that it is complicated for working parents who don't have a fab childminder like we do.

[fatbetty]

I've just spoken to the school (the 5 day a week one) and they said that they could be flexible with his schedule for the first half term and then increase his days which makes me feel a bit better. But in the back of my head I keep thinking - he is young to be going 5 days a week and he is going to be going to school for the rest of his life (you know what I mean) so why burn him out now?!?

The nice thing about sending him 5 days a week is that I would have more time to spend one-on-one with his brother before baby number 3 is expected to arrive in November. But should I even be thinking that way?

Am I just making this into a bigger problem than it really is? Did anybody else have this problem?

[fatbetty]

Everytime I make a decision about the schools then I think, but what if this and what if that.......

......maybe it's just the pregnancy.