Has your own early education influenced your choice of the age your DCs start preschool/nursery?

[CuppaTeaJanice]

I loved playschool and primary school, particularly the first few years where days were spent playing, learning about reading and writing, pretending to be all sorts of things and running around with my little friends. This is why I had no qualms about starting DS at nursery, for two sessions a week, at the age of 16 months.

However there seem to be a lot of posts on various threads with people dreading sending their kids to nursery or preschool, trying to put it off for as long as possible, feeling guilty about the whole experience, opting for childminders or grandparents care instead, and lots of other negative feelings towards early pre-school education.

So my question is, if you hated school, will you therefore start your child's experience of a 'school' type situation later? And conversely, if you loved school, start them off earlier?

Interested to hear peoples views...

DD went to nursery from 10 months because I worked and she had to. If I'd not been working she'd probably have started about 2.5 - 3 as that's the time she started showing more interest in playing with others. I have to admit to not remembering my own pre-school (or even early school) experience at all!

I'd be surprised if there was a link, to be honest, most people I know have started their children in pre-school depending on their convenience and when places were available.

I went to playgroup and loved school but still didnt send my lo's till they were due their free place at the age of 3. Well I tell a lie - I sent ds for 3 mornings from the age of 3 from October to December last year but he didnt get his free place till this January. He did go into a sports centre creche for an hour three times a week from the age of 2ish. My PFB dd didnt go to creche (was lazier then!) or anything and just did nursery 5 mornings from the term after she turned 3.

I too loved preschool and primary school!
DD is starting 2 mornings a week at preschool on Friday and will go 5 mornings from April when she gets funding.

I have been pondering sending her to day nursery 1 or 2 days since...I had 13mo DS tbh, but never got round to it.

I am starting now because I think she will love it, is bright and sociable and loves playgroup, but doesn't go as often as I have just gone back to work and DH doesn't take her - he doesn't like it with all the mums.

My mother didn't want to send me to pre-school as I was so shy so I didn't go, I cried every morning for two years at primary school . DD started pre-school at just over 2, due to terrible pregnancy with DS she was meant to start at nearly 3. She has loved it from day 1 and has gone up to 4 mornings because she demanded it.

I vowed my children would always go to pre-school before starting school because I hated so much being parted from my mummy, I don't I ever liked school even though I did very well academically.

I didn't start school until it was compulsary. I was a plb. I felt I missed out so much from this so I sent my dc to preschool as soon as they were 2 1/2.

I guess yes my playschool memories are happy ones, so therefore I felt DD would enjoy playschool too hence sending her once she got a place (term she turned 3).

It did influence where I sent DD to playschool. I chose to send her to the same one I went too, despite a 5 min drive across town. It's the same lady running it as when I was there nearly 30 years ago

Never went to playschool and didn't start school until nearly 7, so no own experiences to go by.

Dcs both started playschool at 2.9 because that was what the local children did, didn't really overthink this one tbh, particularly as I am an immigrant, so thought it would be easiest to go with the flow.