The kindergarten in our school district just went to all day kindergarten this year. Does anyone have any experience with this?
My gut says that there is no way Andrew is ready for this. (but I also realize I want to cling) Even his PS teacher says to wait until April to know if he should go. The school day would be 7 hours 25 mins. I'd drive him so it would be a 20 min car ride instead of a 50 min bus ride.
The school says you can pick your kids up after 1:00pm, after lunch. But that's when they have PE, art, the fun stuff. Mornings will be reading, writing, math... Andrew needs the "fun" stuff. Also, who would want to go to school if it's always hard and never fun?
I don't know what to do. I've thought about trying to get him in a school in town, but I'll have a newborn in Aug. I don't want to drive to town 5 days a week, and then "hang out" with a newborn for 4 hours a day. I also don't want to drive 45 mins to town, drive home, and then have to turn around and drive right back in.
ARGH!!!! I don't know what to do! I feel like I have to hurry up an decide because of being pregnant. If this goes like it did with Andrew, I was on bed rest (among a bunch of other crud), and won't be able to tour schools, meet teachers....
Could be the hormones are making me paranoid or something. I just wanna be prepared.
Not sure what your cut off in your area is but many of us are holding our 05ers out an extra year.
Me included with Owen. Owen is more than ready academically but our cut off is Aug 1st and he will be 5 on July 25th. The trend here is to hold your child back so the thought of having Owen in with kids a year older turned me away plus advice from many here.
With full day K, the first few weeks can be rough. Often the kids are good at school, but can melt down at home from being tired and working so hard to be good and learn at school. However, many, many places offer full day K now and I see it as being the norm in not too long.
Are you worried about K in general or just full-day K?
I've been thinking about doing that with Andrew. In Cali, the LAW for kindergarten is that the child has to turn 5 by Dec 2nd. That seems so very, very late.
I'm a little bit worried about kindergarten, but I think just regular concerned about doing something new. But, this all day thing just seems like it'd be too much for him. He is typically "boy-brained". Smart, has a memory like no child I've ever known, but doesn't want to work. Doing homework is a challenge. Like, write a page of E's. He "can" do it very easily. But he doesn't. It takes getting stern and mad to get him to do it. The build up to doing it is 5 times longer then writing 20 E's, KWIM??
The school is also over crowded, so there can be more than 25 kids in the class. I don't like that idea either. The schools up here just did a big change this year, and made the elementary school K-3, middle school 4-8, and HS 9-12. Not real thrilled with that shake up either.
Do you think that there would be a "stigma" related to Andrew not going to Kindergarten with all the other kids in his PS class? He'll then be a year behind them throughout school. I don't want him labled "slow" or worse, KWIM? I wish I just "knew" what to do. Instead I analize every freakn' detail and possiblity...
We only have full day kindergarden so we have no choice.
That said, because Charlie is in daycare right now from 8 am until almost 5 pm (and then we have to drag his butt out of there every day) it shouldn't be a big change for him.
Raven will go full day. It will be the first year for all day in our county. They are taking sign ups for half day but after seeing what full day will offer we picked that.
We only have full day kindergarden so we have no choice.
That said, because Charlie is in daycare right now from 8 am until almost 5 pm (and then we have to drag his butt out of there every day) it shouldn't be a big change for him.
It's a hard decision. Parenting is HARD!
same for us. In fact, full day Kinder here is from like 9 to 3:30. We are trying to figure out what we will do for afterschool care.
-- Edited by Erin on Tuesday 16th of February 2010 10:54:48 PM
Mason is in full-day pre-k now. I had a really hard time with it in the beginning. At first, I talked to the teacher and she let me just send him half days. But, after a while, Mason started asking me to pick him up "when the other mommies come". So, he goes a full day now. It is 8:30-3:30.
When he first started, he was EXHAUSTED. He would come home and basically we would just watch TV because he would have a melt down at my every move. Before starting school, he was going to bed at 8:30, and now he is going at 7pm. Now that he has the earlier bed time, and also he has adjusted a bit, he seems fine after school. He still has energy and isn't super cranky.
I think that he would be fine if you put him in full day. It might take him a few months to get adjusted, and he might have to go to bed early, but he will get used to it and be fine.
We as well have all day school - starting at 3 years old in preschool! (it is mandatory...)
my children have never had a problem with it. it makes for a great routine - and ita with crystal that bedtime is important - as long as clara gets a good night sleep her being tired is never an issue for us. (i also find consistent dinner time, bath time - a good solid routine - makes it all quite easy)
You know, being a working mom I think we could get used to full day kindergarten and I would love it. Right now there are some options for that but you have to pay. I would do that if I was already paying for daycare but since I'm not we just can't afford to do that.
I think it would be harder for *me* to send him all day if I was at home. But, I don't think full day kindergarten is right for every child.
Thanks everybody. I've been sick so just getting back to this.
I'm a SAHM, so Andrew is usually with me or his dad most of the time. When he was 2, we went to Montessori and he did a toddler class once a week where his Da or I would stay with him. Then at 3, he moved up to a 2 day a week class for 3 hours by himself. This past year, we moved him to a regular PS, so he goes 3 days a week, 2 days for 3 hours and one day for 4 hours. He has been watched a handful of times by a couple of neighbors, but other then that, it's just Mommy or Daddy. I think that is going to make it harder for him to adjust.
Also, DH has a really different work schedual. It changes monthly. Can be days or nights. Days off during the week can change from week to week. It makes it very hard to make sure that they have time together if Andrew is going to be at school almost 8 hours a day. He needs his Daddy time.
Mason is in full-day pre-k now. I had a really hard time with it in the beginning. At first, I talked to the teacher and she let me just send him half days. But, after a while, Mason started asking me to pick him up "when the other mommies come". So, he goes a full day now. It is 8:30-3:30.
When he first started, he was EXHAUSTED. He would come home and basically we would just watch TV because he would have a melt down at my every move. Before starting school, he was going to bed at 8:30, and now he is going at 7pm. Now that he has the earlier bed time, and also he has adjusted a bit, he seems fine after school. He still has energy and isn't super cranky.
I think that he would be fine if you put him in full day. It might take him a few months to get adjusted, and he might have to go to bed early, but he will get used to it and be fine.
If that happpens, DH won't see Andrew at all during the week when he works days. He doesn't get home 'til 7:30 pm. Which sucks 'cause it always messes up bedtime. Andrew gets excited, they play,.....
Mason is in full-day pre-k now. I had a really hard time with it in the beginning. At first, I talked to the teacher and she let me just send him half days. But, after a while, Mason started asking me to pick him up "when the other mommies come". So, he goes a full day now. It is 8:30-3:30.
When he first started, he was EXHAUSTED. He would come home and basically we would just watch TV because he would have a melt down at my every move. Before starting school, he was going to bed at 8:30, and now he is going at 7pm. Now that he has the earlier bed time, and also he has adjusted a bit, he seems fine after school. He still has energy and isn't super cranky.
I think that he would be fine if you put him in full day. It might take him a few months to get adjusted, and he might have to go to bed early, but he will get used to it and be fine.
If that happpens, DH won't see Andrew at all during the week when he works days. He doesn't get home 'til 7:30 pm. Which sucks 'cause it always messes up bedtime. Andrew gets excited, they play,.....
yep, efe doesn't see mason either. he sees him in the morning and they have breakfast together, but he is normally not home before mason is in bed. even though i was reluctant to put him in all day, mason is thriving in this environment. he absolutely loves going to school and i have to pry him out of there at the end of the day. i don't regret it at all. plus, if you are sick, maybe you need the break :P
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Doing homework is a challenge. Like, write a page of E's. He "can" do it very easily. But he doesn't. It takes getting stern and mad to get him to do it. The build up to doing it is 5 times longer then writing 20 E's, KWIM??
