Pre-school for 1 or 2 years?School at 4 or 5?

ForestFire

toby2111 wrote: »

Yep, we got a text from the pre-school asking if he was going for 1 or 2 years. If it was 2 years, they recommended he go only for 3 days for the 2 years..... I imagine that's to stop him being bored and doing the same stuff but I'm only guessing. It's a very good pre school, our other lad went there.

I am also wondering why the creche is suggesting this, You get 5 free mornings a week on the free preschool.

For this the creche gets a fixed payment from the Gov.

I wonder are they trying to sell the other 2 slots at a higher price?

I can't see how 5 days a week would be a disadvantage just because he is going to be there again next year?

sillysocks

ForestFire wrote: »

I am also wondering why the creche is suggesting this, You get 5 free mornings a week on the free preschool.

For this the creche gets a fixed payment from the Gov.

I wonder are they trying to sell the other 2 slots at a higher price?

I can't see how 5 days a week would be a disadvantage just because he is going to be there again next year?

As far as I know there was a change to the scheme this year or maybe last year whereby the preschool/Montessori have to declare how many days/hours the child attends. So I don’t think the rate is still a flat rate regardless of attendance. I know when there was a chance I was going to have to drop a day or two per week (due to logistics!) the Montessori said they would have to reapply with the new number of days to the scheme.

For me the original reason behind only doing the first year part time and then the year full time was that I thought it was a lot for a child to go straight from no formal school straight to five days a week when they didn’t have to. It probably depends on the environment etc too. My kids went to a Montessori which was laid out very much like a classroom and was quite ‘formal’ and structured rather than a lot of free play if that makes sense.

uck51js9zml2yt

my 2 did the two years of montessori and have come on in leaps and bounds
Both did 5 days without issue. The eldest started at 3 and my youngest at 2 years 9 months.

shesty

I agree actually, and that was my worry too, that a full week straight off was a lot.But the preschool is saying to the OP if you do two years, do three day weeks, but (I assume) one year would be a five day week.Which, the more I think of it, the odder it seems because kids are entitled to three hours five days a week, whether they take it or not, and if it's boredom that's the reason-well, surely it's up to the school to make sure that's not an issue.If every other place can manage a full week for two years, why can't that place, if there are parents who might want to avail of it (and are entitled to?)

sillysocks

shesty wrote: »

I agree actually, and that was my worry too, that a full week straight off was a lot.But the preschool is saying to the OP if you do two years, do three day weeks, but (I assume) one year would be a five day week.Which, the more I think of it, the odder it seems because kids are entitled to three hours five days a week, whether they take it or not, and if it's boredom that's the reason-well, surely it's up to the school to make sure that's not an issue.If every other place can manage a full week for two years, why can't that place, if there are parents who might want to avail of it (and are entitled to?)

Yep agreed! I think for people who do decide to send children for 5 days for both years the preschool should definitely have a programme that doesn’t repeat too much and keeps them engaged.
Actually I should have added above we also choose the first year part time on my eldest as there was no ECCE then so decided to only pay for the 3 days a week. That worked out well for us and her so just stuck with that for the next child even though Ecce had come in by then.

uck51js9zml2yt

sillysocks wrote: »

Yep agreed! I think for people who do decide to send children for 5 days for both years the preschool should definitely have a programme that doesn’t repeat too much and keeps them engaged.
Actually I should have added above we also choose the first year part time on my eldest as there was no ECCE then so decided to only pay for the 3 days a week. That worked out well for us and her so just stuck with that for the next child even though Ecce had come in by then.

the montessori we went to has a 2 year program building on the first year. the result is that stuffs not repeated, just reinforced with a variation on the curriculum and those who only do one year dont miss out.

Moonbeam

Mine all did 2 years and 5 day weeks.
4 years and 4 months is very young to send them,they will be much younger then the other kids at 5 years and 4 months they will be in or around the same age as the other kids.

toby2111

Thanks for replies everyone. I was leaning towards starting him and 4 years and 4 months but am swaying more towards 5 and 4 months now. I still don't know why pre school are suggesting only 3 days for first year but I'll contact them for a chat this week. Our eldest went there and started junior infants at 4 years 9 months but they said he was ready for it. So we'll be guided by them again but I think I'd like him to go 5 days though maybe not until October.