When to leave day care for preschool?

[psychochick]

LO started day care at 7 months and is doing great there. We love it but wonder if he should be learning more starting around 2-2.5. There's a preschool near us that we like but it would be considerably more expensive, but provides a very enriched program. I think it'd be great for him to learn more there but just not sure when is a good time to start. The higher cost aside, preschool won't cook for him like day care does, and there's just a lot of uncertainty on the teacher he will get versus the ones he has now who care about him a lot already. I just wonder if it's better for him to get more structure and exposure at 2 or is it better to wait until 3+?

 

[Teri7489]

Here in the UK most send our little ones to nursery (pre-school) just after their 3rd birthday where they stay until they start school. They learn a lot from social skills, role play to quiet individual skills but it's not necessary before that age. I think at your lo's age simple play, care and attention is fine. He will learn the social skills for school when he is older.

 

[jessmke]

I personally am not planning on sending my children to pre-school since they will be in daycare 2 days per week and will just stay at daycare until they start kindergarten. If they didn't go to daycare then I would do preschool for the social aspects, but I think being in daycare is sufficient. I think at 2 years old they need to play and interact with other kids, they don't need a structured learning program. My daycare doesn't do structured learning, but it is run by an ex-school teacher so she does a lot of play based learning activities with the kids. It's also a mixed age daycare (with only 6 kids) so the kids learn a lot from each other.

 

[krissie328]

My son has been in daycare since 15 months and I plan to enroll him into preschool next fall just after he turns 4. We have a similar situation where money played a part as the preschool is considerably more expensive and doesn't provide food. From a logistics stand point it was better to stay at daycare. He has had a lot of exposure to academics at daycare so I guess it has worked out well.

I plan to start my daughter at the same preschool when she turns 3 as I feel like it would have benefited DS greatly. However, I had difficulties getting them to agree to his strange schedule. Now that I know they will work with us we will be going that route.

 

[SarahBear]

At two, all he needs is play and socialization. He can learn more academic concepts at home if he's interested, but I wouldn't bother with preschool until 3 or 4. Leo is currently 3 and we're hopping to get him into preschool next fall when he'll be getting close to 3 and a half. Violet started when she was 2 months short of 4.