Playgroup/preschool ---arghh!

[hypnorm]

Ewan is due to start Playgroup in February! time flies!!
I initially have put his start date back to August, as we were having money problems and each session was £7 quid! and for 2 sessions a week that was £14 quid gone!!
Now i'm not so sure what to do we have finances sorted but still need to be carefull and i know that he will have subsidised nursery once he is three thats why i was thinking of starting him in august when he is three.
He goes to toddlers once a week - i dont particularly enjoy going as i find it hard to talk to people, i'm quite shy and very lacking in self confidence although i am tons better than i used to be!
But toddlers isnt very challenging for him playing with the babies, also he is quite big for his age alot of people think that he is 3!! even the postie asked when does he start school!! the playgroup i am thinking of has a parents rota (joy of joys) but i cant afford to send him to a private nursery - also if we have another kid you still have to do parent rota.

I'm now thinking of seeing if he can go one day a week starting at easter and then upping him to 2 or 3 days a week once he is 3.

Maybe i should just phone them and have a chat as i dont know if there is a minimum amount of session he needs to go to.

Hubby doesn think that playgroup is important and would be fine at home, but i want him to get out and have a bit of fun....

My boy is growing up too quickly!!

 

[Caroline]

Pre- school playgroup is a nightmare.

Alisah has just started getting funding ( I think they get it the term after they are 3)

The pre- school in our village expects parents to do roat when Gabriel went only had to do it if your baby was over 1 now have to do it if baby under 1, they also charge top uo fees of 50p per session even when funded 'cos funding is for 2,5 rs and there session is 3hrs. There feesif non- funded are 3-50 a session I think, took Alisha a coupk=le of times but were really unimpressed so w e have taken her to one in the next vilage, its a bit further to go but much better , no rota, no top- up ,and when not funded sessions cheaper.

Could you perhaps see if there is another pre-school nearby that is cheaper?

I would initially start with one session and build up. When Alisha wasn't funded she just did one session a week, and that was expensive enough!

Now se is 3 she is doing 3 sessions per weeks and we will gradually increase to 5 by next September ( won't start school til Jan as Aug birthday)

I do think they benefit from Pre-school but I think the biggest benefit comes when they stay on there own, Alisha has changed so much since September.

I hope you sort something out hun, but I really don't see any harm in waiting until he is 3.

 

[skiwi]

our babies are growing up, i think its a good idea, sending him, and easing him in, that will do him good, being with kids his age, and not with mummy all the time, and give you time for yourself, speak to the teaches see if you can have a look around,... i know what you mean with moms at these mums and tots, they stick to there own little group... xx

 

[hypnorm]

our babies are growing up, i think its a good idea, sending him, and easing him in, that will do him good, being with kids his age, and not with mummy all the time, and give you time for yourself, speak to the teaches see if you can have a look around,... i know what you mean with moms at these mums and tots, they stick to there own little group... xx

i know what you mean, at the toddler group there is a little Clique of mums most who have older children so i suppose they know each other. I'm just quite shy and find it hard just to randomly strike up a convo, but then get looked at like i'm an alien if i'm sat on my own, but i don't really want to get involved with the bitchy mums - one of them tends to change best mates each week. I don;t get involved with helping with set ups or teas etc as i can never guarantee if i am going to be there. Well i've sent an email just enquiring whether he can do one day a week, that my only worry if i have another kid i wont be able to to rota as non of my family are near to baby sit although i think you are given time off untill babe is 6 m.

 

[skiwi]

Just take each day as it comes, and when the time comes for you to have another baby, there is always a way, just think what is best for Ewan and yourself at the moment .....

abbie just saw the picture, or your little boy, the picture on the side of your messages, and gave him 4 kisses and went aaaahhhhhhhhh, with a smile.

i have tried to strike converstaion, when i first went there, but the bitches stick together, last friday, abbie had this jumper, one of them said, oh is that your daughter, ( i thought to myself, well you should know i have been comming here for a year) wanted to know where i got her jumper.... I just go because Abbie injoys it. When i first went, this little girl had lovely hair, and i said, she has lovely hair, Abbie don't have the best of hair, double crown, grows forward, and inbetween curl.. All she said, i know and walked off...