Anyone not send their child to prek?

My son is 4 and in his 2nd year of prek (last yr 3 days a week this year full time/with daycare) and is thriving so nicely. I see how good it has been for him academically but especially socially. Im also a teacher and work with him as well.

My friend is not sending her 4 year old to prek and I feel so sad for her son because he is going to enter Kindergarten with no school experience. He doesnt go to daycare He only recognizes 1 letter of the alphabet.

My husband and I were talking and we dont really hear about people not sending their kids, especially here on Long Island.

Was wondering what others thought?

Message edited 9/25/2014 7:52:43 PM.

Re: Anyone not send their child to prek?

I think in these days Pre-K should almost be mandatory. Kindergarten is now like 1st grade when we were growing up and so Pre-K is like skipping kindergarten.

I would 100% feel my kids were behind without going to Pre-K

Re: Anyone not send their child to prek?

Re: Anyone not send their child to prek?

I think that the fact that the child only knows one letter of the alphabet is more a reflection of the parents than the school situation. Both of my kids knew their letters before even starting preschool and I'm not a teacher and I did not ever sit there and drill it into them - they just picked it up naturally from reading books to them, puzzles, games etc.

That said, I do agree that these days things are different - there is no more crying the first day of K - these kids are all used to school and ready to go academically, socially and emotionally. I really only know of one child that didn't attend preschool and is now pre-k age and not attending. However, I'm not really sure if all of this is developmental or attributable to the prior schooling. Perhaps, your average kid would developmentally be ready and thrive in K regardless of a pre-k program. I'd be interested to know.

Re: Anyone not send their child to prek?

I honestly feel it's a disservice to the child on so many levels.

I mean, if you choose to homeschool your kid, that's one thing....

But I think the socialization aspect especially is so important.

I also feel like starting school young gives them structure, purpose and the beginnings of a sense of community.

I also feel that Pre K made DS so eager to learn in general.

Re: Anyone not send their child to prek?

Aside from the knowing 1 letter aspect, does she give him enough experience in general? My 3 yr old started nursery this yr 2 days a week and its her first experience but my husband and I take her to every library class, every experience possible. She also has a 7 yr old sister so she's totally where she needs to be.
My 7 yr old was in daycare ft since she was born and cont til she entered k.
I can honestly say I do not see the difference between either situation. I think if this child has an issue going into k it won't necessarily be bc of pre k but rather the parents inability to give the child the proper instruction prior to entering. Not knowing letters I agree is way before pre-k.

Re: Anyone not send their child to prek?

I didn't send my DD to Pre-K and she did AMAZING in Kindergarten. I felt like Pre-K would have been a complete waste of money BECAUSE I'm a certified Pre-K thru 6th teacher so I saw NO point in paying anyone to do with her what I already could. Instead I enrolled her in other things like dance, art classes, music classes, farm classes, etc. I felt that those experiences were more valuable than having her sit around in a classroom.

All that being said, it also depends on the kid and how much you put into them too. My DD is extremely bright, she knew her alphabet, letter sounds, and numbers through 20 by the time she was 2-2.5yo. I've been reading to her every single day since she was born so she had a really amazing vocabulary at a young age and was VERY close to reading on her own before Kindergarten even started.

When Kindergarten started she had no problem adjusting to the long day, routines, and structure of school. It was a pretty smooth transition and I feel like we prepared her well at home for school. I do NOT in any way regret my decision to not send her to Pre-K. There is nothing wrong with Pre-K, some kids can really benefit from it, but I don't think it's as critical and necessary as some believe it to be.

Based on what you said about your friend maybe her son would benefit from going but even if he doesn't, that really doesn't mean he won't succeed in Kindergarten. Also, Pre-K can be pricey, maybe she doesn't have the money to spare. Ultimately, it's a personal choice and for some, myself included, I didn't see the need.

Re: Anyone not send their child to prek?

My reason for mentioning that he only knows 1 letter is to point out that she isnt working with him at home (this I know) i am aware that that in particular is something many children learn before prek, my son knew letters and sounds by 22 months and it was bc he watched the letter factory dvd. If this is something most learn before prek and he doesnt know it, as a mom Id want to put him in a learning environment that would help him to learn these things. The money isnt an issue bc she spends a lot on swim lessons and soccer etc.

Re: Anyone not send their child to prek?

It sounds like there are other issues going on which its probably best to then MYOB.

As an aside, ours was paid through school taxes.

We did need to pay extra for pre care though since we both have to be to work super early.

If anything it also gave DS an alternative to hanging out all day at my ILs and gave them a break too.

I also agree that it's child specific how well they will do.

Not to toot my own horn, but we had DS tested for other reasons and his IQ is super high.

I also agree activities in general are so important. My parents didn't push me to do sports and I regret it.

Re: Anyone not send their child to prek?

Anyone not send their child to prek?

I don't think it is a big deal. I'm sure a dedicated, well-educated parent can teach all that the child needs to know and more. There is nothing like intensive one on one communication between an involved adult and a child. Interestingly, where I live most towns only have half day Kindergarten. Many of the kids aren't even in school full time until first grade and they do fine ( based on the high test scores in the district ) sure some went to a pre-k program, but many don't. Also, the pre-k e
Program sets the curriculum where as a parent can go beyond the typical numbers / letters and delve deeper into subjects the children are interested in.

Message edited 9/27/2014 8:20:50 PM.

Re: Anyone not send their child to prek?

My son and daughter only knew about 5 letters before kindergarten. However they had problem solving, sequence and comprehension skills. Additionally they were creative and told fabulous stories with their extensive vocabularies. My friends son knew every letter and sound by 18 months. At times I worried that I was not making the correct decisions for my children. But I knew they weren't ready and had no interest in the alphabet.

Fast forward to elementary school, both of my children are amazing readers. My son in fifth grade reads well above grade level. Learning letters and sounds is a skill they will learn when they are developmentally ready, and isn't it better to teach them how to think? Word calling will not help them understand complex tasks. I truly believe that it is a misconception that many people hold thinking that letter sounds is the most important skill a child can have to be a successful reader. Is it possible that she is teaching him other, more important and very appropriate skills?

Re: Anyone not send their child to prek?

I was on the fence about sending my DCs to preschool/pre-K but I'm very glad I did. I chose a preschool that wasn't heavy into academics but focused on socialization, learning how school days operate, how to sit for a story, etc. I was hopeful that they could get their academic start from me at home and from doing library/art classes during the week - and learn how to sit still, how to stand in line, how to take turns, etc from school.
I kept thinking that neither DH nor I went to preschool and we did fine in Kindergarten but Kindergarten is almost 2nd grade now because the expectations are so high for them. Last night my kindergartener had 45min of homework - I think that's too much at this age. I can't imagine what an adjustment he'd be going through right now if I hadn't sent him to pre-K.

Re: Anyone not send their child to prek?

We chose to send our son to nursery and then preschool. We initially started for the socialization aspect. While he was bright, and we taught him a lot, he learned a lot in the school setting. I don't regret it for one minute.


Having just got back from the meet-the-teacher night for kindergarten, I am blown away by what they expect kindergarteners to know/learn. The teacher started out by saying that Kindergarten is the new 1st grade. She said some kids in the class (one month in) are already reading, and they separate the kids by skill level.

While pre-k is not mandatory, I'm 100% happy that my son was in a great pre-k program. Full time school is a big enough transition for most kids. I wouldn't want him to be further behind the rest of the kids by lacking the education he gained at pre-k.

Message edited 10/1/2014 11:48:17 AM.

Re: Anyone not send their child to prek?

I don't think my DS would have adjusted as well to kindergarten had he not gone to pre k. Purely from a socialization, separation and getting ready for the rules and structure of a kindergarten day - these are the reasons why I feel Pre k is so important. But having said that each child is different and maybe this mom thinks her child will fit right into kindergarten without Pre K.