So, I finally did it. I got the application and enrollment fee into the pre-school we have picked out so the Pumpkin can start in the Fall.
We visited the pre-school back in March and liked it well enough. It's not a Montessori school, but they do have some Montessori activities and educational methods, so at least the Pumpkin will have some exposure to that method. I still really love the Montessori method and school we visited, but to lay it out there, we simply can't afford it. We possibly have somehow made it work if it were just the Pumpkin whose daytime care we had to pay for, but with the boy on the way, there is no way we can afford that school at this time.
But that's okay. Because this school is really nice and extremely convienent, and we think the Pumpkin will do great there.
When we visited, we went on a Friday afternoon and brought the Pumpkin with us (as they recommended). We watched her interact with other kids, run around the room, sit at the table with the other kids to color, and (of course) try to climb everything she could. She tried to climb the chairs stacked up next to the wall and toys that could easily have broken.
It was a two-year-old room, and she has just turned two, but this is a new environment for her. She will need to learn the rules, and the teachers will need to learn her personality. I think this school will not only be a great place for her to experience new things that we don't do at home (like painting and other messy things I don't want to deal with yet), but also a great place for her to learn the structure of schools and the expected behavoir in places like schools.
The Pumpkin is extremely social and vocal, so I'm not worried about that aspect of starting pre-school. She generally adjusts to change well. But she is also clingy and needy and emotional. I've been extremely thankful to have such a wonderful nanny who is about to give the Pumpkin what she needs emotionally, physically and socially. She is always taking the Pumpkin to the playground to meet up with two other nannies with kids around the same age. When it's rainy or too cold, they meet up at each others' houses (including ours). The nanny is able to put the Pumpkin down for naps almost every single day (Londo and I can do so only rarely), and she is so patient and loving with the Pumpkin. (I am concerned about how the Pumpkin will (or won't) nap at the pre-school, but I'm not going to really worry about it until we see how it goes.)
I'm sooooo happy to say that our nanny has agreed to stay on for the boy! She will continue to come over and watch the Pumpkin while I'm home on maternity leave with the boy. Then, when the Pumpkin goes off to pre-school (doesn't that sound so grown up? *sniff*) at the beginning of September, I will head back to work and the nanny will watch the boy.
It all sounds great to me and Londo, and we hope that it goes smoothly. Any tips, advice or words of wisdom are welcome, as always. We know there will be adjustment periods over the next few months, but we believe it will all work out.
5 comments:
I'll predict that Pumpkin will nap better at school than she does at home. Peer pressure is an amazing thing.
Words of wisdom? I'm not sure I have that. But I would say to be mentally ready for that first report that your sweet little girl bit/pushed/scratched someone. I don't know of a single kid in a group setting that hasn't done one of those things. It is really distressing at first, but then you realize its pretty normal behavior for social creatures still trying to figure out how to interact. We had a lot of luck with the book "Teeth Are Not For Biting". I think there is a book in this series for every aggressive behavior. We also had luck with "playing out" the situation.
I'm sure Pumpkin will do great! Day care has been a great thing for our Pumpkin.
That'll be great! I would love to get my kid into a 2-3 morning a week program, but all the ones around here require potty training. And, um, we're not even sort of kind of close on that one.
Yay for the Pumpkin! I just enrolled the Pea in a 3 yo class for fall! I'm so excited for her. That wonderful that your nanny will stay and watch your little blue bundle too! It will make the transition so much easier for you!
Awesome! The Pumpkin sounds a lot like Maggie in terms of curiosity and energy level, and she has just thrived in her preschool. Seriously, like "I don't care how hard we have to struggle to pay for it, she's staying."
She's starting kindergarten in the fall and I am seriously sad she's leaving, but Will is starting their toddler program.You will have so much fun watching her learn and develop!
That's great she's starting school! She will just love it and I'm sure they will be able to handle her high energy with all the fun activities they do.
Aria's been in school 1 yesr now (starting at 18mos)...it was the best decision we made. She loves it.
Not all kids are the same (obviously) but sometimes the first week/month can be rough for the child when leaving them in the morning. Aria had a little trouble...I would hug her, tell her I loved her and just walk out (at that point someone would hold her). If I was really worried about her, I just called 30 min after I left. They would always tell me she was fine after like 2 secs! The hardest part was making sure she didn't see the worry on my face (I was a reck too)...but I knew that would just make it worse for her. They encouraged me to hang in there and it would get better. It did. And she pushes us out the door and tells us to "go to work" now. Haha.
Best of Luck to you guys! I can't wait to see how it goes :-)
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