Choosing a preschool

[Babybrain26]

I'm struggling to choose a pre school for our youngest. His brother (only 1 school year older) is in a montessori/reggio preschool about 20 mins from our home. He went initially for classes from age 2 as he had some asd traits. He's progressed a lot and the sen teacher was very good.with him. He's now in the mainstream preschool class.

Our younger son appears to be n/t so far. There are 2 pre schools we could walk to and are right beside DS1 potential new primary school (school 1- neighbours recommend, is a f/t placement, however the staff:pupil ratio really puts me off, school 2- more staff per pupil however they are underfunded and don't have much outdoor space).

The preschool DS1 is at is generally very good, he seems mostly happy there, their environment/outdoor space is excellent, the teacher is very experienced and they go the extra as he has started to read a little already. The also offer wraparound care which although expensive helps us out a bit (we could make do with the other schools however, as my sister has offered to do pickups the 2 days I work.) Preschool 1 keeps them until 3pm for a minimal fee compared.

I have had some concerns with DS1's pre school recently though tbh (numerous bad reviews from ex staff members online, high staff turnover -its a daycare too, lack of communication at times, another parent of a sen child told me a careworker had reported them for neglect of a sen child, and I have experienced the 'moodiness' of the sen teacher also. Its family run, so difficult to make a complaint if necessary.)

If I choose the preschool that DS1 is currently at for Ds2, the commute will be a bit stressful, as the start time is the same for both, so it would mean DS1 having to go to breakfast Club at his new primary school and with some asd traits I'm not sure how he'll transition. The two of them have been at the same daycare/nursery together for the past year and they love knowing each other is close by. What should I do?

[BendingSpoons]

Do you need to move DS2 from his current nursery or could he stay there for preschool year? Personally I would pick one of the nearby preschools if you are going to change him. Makes life much easier and he is likely to meet kids who he will go to Reception with.

What puts you off about preschool 1 ratios? Do they have a qualified teacher so less staff? Mine both went to a school nursery with a teacher, so a 1:13 ratio officially, although the school added an extra TA so there were 3 adults for 26 children. My DC thrived in the slightly more school-like set up, but I can see others might not. Have you asked preschool 2 if they do anything to address their lack of outdoor space, like take more trips out? How bad is it? Concrete-y but space to run around and play with water etc or very minimal, only fits a few children at once?

Even given the drawbacks, I would probably pick one of the preschools, as the added commute sounds stressful on you and your DC1. If you really aren't happy, is there a middle ground of preschool a bit closer than 20 mins? Although you would lose the advantage of him getting to know local kids.

[Babybrain26]

Thank you for your reply. Ds2 could stay on where he is for his preschool year, he's familiar with the surroundings and he would know some of the kids in his class from his nursery room. Preschool 1 the ratio does concern me as its 1 teacher and 1 assistant per 26 kids. Preschool 2 the outdoor space is a case of a few kids being out at a time, it's pretty much a small alleyway fenced in. They have acquired a small garden space beside the primary school now though and they use the community hall twice a week for physical activities.

The nursery he's at is great (although not without its flaws at times) but he's happy there, as you say though he most likely won't know anyone going into p1, like our eldest which may make that transition tougher. Its just difficult taking into consideration, fuel, costs, breakfast clubs and rushing to get there on time in the mornings. I spoke to the current preschool teacher and she said she would allow him to start 15 mins later if it helped. It's only a 2.5 hour session though so I'm not sure if he'd miss out this way.