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I do think it's too long. I had the exact same issue with our pre-K (we just graduated). They had a required 1-3 PM block of naptime and my kiddo really had a hard time because she'd either fall asleep and then wouldn't go to bed until 11 or later, or she'd be not tired enough but required to lay there and stay quiet for 2 hours. Unfortunately there may not be much you can do about it because in some places it's a mandatory state issue for staff time - those 2 hours are considered required "lunch" for teachers, so one teacher stays for an hour with the kids for naps, the other stays the other hour. That was the case with our preK (we're in VA).

I think it’s perfectly fine for kids who need it. Don’t they just get up when they are done? I think Lo’s preschool allowis d up to 3 hours. And non-nappers had a 20 min rest time in another room.

It seems too long to me, but I also find it surprising that a 4-5 room would have naps at all - at our daycare you move into the kindergarten room when you turn 4 and there are no naps, in preparation for actual kindergarten. I definitely think expecting them to lie quietly for two hours is asking too much of little people.

That is so weird to me. I think the 2 year old room at our daycare gets 2 hours. Very few of the 4-5 year olds nap. At our school the kids in the 4 year old room (it’s a mix of 4-5, and sometimes a few older 3s) make their own decision during nap time about if they want to be a napper or a non-napper. Non-nappers go to another room and do something quiet like draw or read. The kids are surprisingly good at knowing when they need a nap—DD randomly took a nap there like 2 weeks ago after not napping for months. So they separate them at the start of nap time. If there are 3 year olds who don’t nap they can go to the other room too. I think the parents have to make the decision for the 3 year olds though. It was the same thing when I was in daycare. If we didn’t want to nap, we colored. But naptime was like 1 or 1.5 hours by the time we were 4.

This sounds standard to me, but they should have options for the kids who do not nap after the first hour. My 5 year old napped until she moved to K earlier this week, as did many of the kids in her class, and I am thrilled that was an option for them. The few kids who did not nap did quiet activities after the first hour.

Sounds standard to me. I don't think its mandatory for the older ones to lie down for the whole two hours though. I think thats only in the younger classes that they have to lie down

At my daycare there are two Pre-K classrooms. Pre-K A takes naps from 1-3 and Pre-K B does not nap. They recognize that kids often transition to no nap around ages 4-5 so they try to accommodate them.

My oldest stopped napping at age 3 and we definitely had problems with nap time at daycare. He was expected to lay there quietly and look at books, and that is a lot to expect from a 3 year old.

@Ajsmommy: They had to stay on their cot for the 2 hours. I questioned the whole thing too but was told it was a DCFS rule. They did offer what they called enrichment classes that would meet during the first hour but they cost $8 a class per day. So it was crazy to me to have to pay even more than the mortgage payment I was already paying them. Thankfully, it was mostly a short lived situation but boy did that suck.

Last year at preschool (older 3 and 4 yos) there was a nap. I don't know exactly how long, but I think it was maximum 1.5 hours. This year is the last year of preschool (so older 4 and 5 yos) and there is no more official nap. But my DD says they have quiet time where they lay their heads on their desks for 15-20 minutes.

Glad it working out for you!

In Oregon there’s a state law that says if a child doesn’t fall asleep within 20 min, the teacher must give them a quiet activity to do while the other kids sleep. My sons current and last school both have two hour nap periods. I haaaaate it. Makes bedtime soooooo much harder.