Poor August is really going through the ringer. We have now officially seen four preschools in one week. One of them was not a good fit, one of them I loved but it would take us an hour to get there by bus (since we don’t own a car), and one of them had basically no outdoor space. How is that possible? How do these teachers (or parents for that matter) think it’s a good idea not to let three-year-olds run around outside every day? Granted that place was a French immersion school, but don’t French-speaking kids like to play outside? Just an idea.
It’s a bummer about the one that’s an hour away because I really liked that one. It was nice and small, the teachers seemed really warm and friendly, and the space was sweet and nicely decorated with kids artwork. But I’m not waking August up early just to get to preschool. Most of the programs, if not all of them, start at 8:30am as it is. Sucks that you have to start waking your kids up early at three-years-old. I guess August’s days of lounging around the bathtub, after taking a shower with his Dad, for an hour are over.
Anyhow, today we visited a preschool about a mile from our house that I think will be the winner of the Preschool Finding Tournament of 2012. It’s not perfect, but as my mother reminded me, nothing is. I like the fact that it’s a play-based program, they serve very healthy and organic foods, they have a cute outside space and once a week they go on walks to local parks and playgrounds. Every day of the week is a different activity (cooking, art, nature walks, etc). What I am a tad skeptical about is when do they get to play with all their cool toys they have, and how often are the children actually read to? So, we’re going back next week for a “check up” to observe their program a little more.
Most parents seem to mourn the loss of having their children at home with them. I assume because they are leaving the nest, per se. I, however, am mourning the loss of August’s innocence, of his incredible manners, of his patience, and of the gentleman at only two years old he has become. I hate the idea of other kids poisoning all those things away. (Yuck. Listen to me, I sound like I think August is perfect and everyone else, well, sucks. Hmm…Let me think about that for a minute….maybe it’s true?) I’ve been lucky to spend my days with him this past year, and I’ve enjoyed almost every minute of it. Life will change for us with preschool, and so will August. It’s all a part of life, though. As I’ve said before, Homeschooling isn’t really an option – we’re not smart enough.
Tags: finding a preschool, homeschool, homeschooling, preschool, SAHM, toddlers
