Hellobee Boards

My LO is almost 2 and they don't do days of the week/letters yet but I know they will start when she is 3. Right now, there is a weekly lesson plan and learning objectives but they do not start more rigorous academics until they are 3. I think you have to ask the at home daycare if they are preparing her for kinder or not. You don't want to be in a situation where she is behind the rest of the pack when she starts kinder if they are not teaching her enough - not unless you plan on teaching her at home.

our daycare is more like a preschool and sounds just like the one you toured, with a theme each week. They center all the books they read, songs they sing, crafts they do, etc. around the theme. They do a craft every single day, they do circle time every day, and they go outside to the playground twice a day unless it's pouring rain or dangerously icy. They also take nature walks and walk to the library down the street as well... and a few times a month they have a music lady visit and a visit from the Tumble Bus (an emptied out schoolbus that contains a mini gym inside-- genius!!!), and every few months they get a traveling petting zoo too. It's AMAZING and luckily very inexpensive compared to other programs in our area.

RJ is very active and the program has been unbelievable. They give progress reports that help us track his development (how many words he can string together at once, how his attention span is improving, etc). The class is nice and small too (usually 3 teachers for 8 kids) so they get tons of attention. I absolutely love it.

That being said, if an in-home, less educational daycare were available, I would consider it.. but only when he was younger. He's 2 years 3 months now. I would have considered in-home maybe until he turned 2.

@Andrea: I feel like it's totally worth the money when he totally CONKS OUT at bedtime

@Andrea: what!! oh my!!! Haha. I totally dread the day Wagon Jr drops his nap!!!!

@Andrea: ack!! 15 months is when Wagon Jr. went from 2 naps to 1. He is such a sleepy kid, I swear. On a good day he still naps 2 hours and he still sleeps at night from 7:30 - 7am. Ok now I am just bragging. I totally just jinxed it and he will probably drop that nap tomorrow. Haha.

@mrs. wagon: i know, she is not the norm but at least i know she is not the only one. i have friends where BOTH kids stopped napping after their 1st bday. and now they are expecting twins, god help them!

@Andrea: oh my gosh. Yeah, my nephew dropped his nap just after turning 1, too. Ahhh!! I'd die. Wagon Jr was still taking 3 naps at 1! Sometimes 4!

When LO starts daycare it will be at a place that I won't expect them to be much more than just a babysitter. But I plan to transition her to a more education based preschool when she's 2 at the latest 3.
The decision was largely based because the education based one is closer to my work and I don't drive right now. So it will be just too much for my husband to drop off and pick up. And it's quite a bit more expensive. I would love for her to start from the education based place from the beginning. But I figure the first 2 years there's not that much happening developmentally that we can't handle at home.

But beyond 2 or 3 I want her to be somewhere they actually TEACH. Just from seeing my nieces, nephews and their cousins, kids these days are entering kindergarten knowing SO much more than we did. Just knowing your ABCs and 123s no longer cuts it. I fear if I don't put her into a education based preschool she will be quite behind entering kindergarten. I mean I don't want to be that atypical Asian mom that pushes school school school and I won't be. But I also want to set her up for success.