is 2 years old too young to start pre-school

[monaco]

My DD is registered to a Montessori nursery from September for two mornings a week. She will have just turned 2.
Reading the threads here, I realize that everyone is talking about a 2.5 years old start. Is 2 years too young?

[thisisyesterday]

depends on the child IMO.
see how she gets on.

[CarGirl]

depends on the child if she has an August birthday then it's not so bad but is she has a September birthday I'd say no way because 3 years at pre-school is a long long long time and they get bored by it!

[cktwo]

DD2 has started this year, the month she turned two. But she's been going with me everyday to drop off DD1 so it wasn't a big deal to start. She does get very tired afterwards but she really enjoys it and has made some good friends very quickly.

BTW I wouldn't have started DD1 at 2. She wasn't ready at all until she was 3.

[toomanyprojects]

I have just started DD2 at 2 years for one session a week. She is absolutely fine but is a third child and is used to the setting anyway as I am the Treasurer and we have been going in twice a week since Sept. She will have another two full yrs after this before school.

[Foxy800]

It strongly depends on the child, my lo who is now 3 started at pre school 2 mornings a week at 2 and soon moved to 3 as she loved it so much.

[misshardbroom]

It totally depends on the child, the frequency, the setting, the parent... but IMHO, yes, I think 2 is a bit young.

Both my older ones started at 3, DD was 3yrs7m, DS1 was just 3. No bother from either of them.

Started DS2 at 2yrs9m, big separation anxiety and a lot of crying.

Interestingly, although we take them from 2 in preschool, our supervisor & deputy supervisor both think it's too young!

[TaleofTwoCities]

I would look at personality of the child but also look at how the setting attaches a 2 year old to the adults. Do the littlest ones always go to the same person at the beginning of the session? I think this is really important when they are so small and when they are only going once or twice a week. They will get gradually used to more adults, but it's easier if they get attached to one first and know that they will (usually) go to the same person at the start of the session. Also, what is their session start like? Is it big group time (can be overwhelming for little ones) or do they go straight into a smaller group? Dd has settled into pre-school much easier than ds did (even though he was nearer 3 by the time he went and she was only 2.5). I'm sure this is partly personality, partly that she's 2nd born but mainly because she always has the same lady at the beginning and they get the little ones stuck straight into an activity in a small group as soon as they arrive.

[TaleofTwoCities]

..forgot to put that ds started off at a different setting to dd, hence the differences I noticed and how they affected settling in.

[llareggub]

My son went at 2 years 3 months and I think it was probably just the right time for him. His pre-school is very small and in they spend lots of time outside, which tires him out.

It has done wonders foe his confidence and speech but I won't increase his sessions from 2 mornings until he turns 3.