So, my 2.5 year old starts full time preschool on Friday, which is the norm here in Belgium. When I chose a school for her, I picked a Waldorf program based on the philosophy. However, I just discovered from another mom that the kids nap at 12:30 and that's the rest of the day until I pick her up at 3:10! J doesn't nap anymore and I don't want her to feel like she has to lay quietly on a cot for 2 1/2 hours. Would you change schools because of this or just see how it goes?
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I would ask what they do with kids that don't nap. Does she definitely have to lay there? Or can she have quiet time somewhere? I think a lot of kids that age still nap though (mine definitely did). If she's expected to lay there quietly, I would probably look for a different option.
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I don't think you're going to find a full day program that doesn't a dedicated naptime. I do know for older kids sometimes they have other quiet time activities they can do but for 2.5 I am not surprised if it's still just a regular naptime.
I think your best solution would be to do a half day program.
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They nap from 12:30 until they're picked up? That seems crazy. At my son's daycare (2.5 - 4 years) they all lay down at 12:30 and everybody is expected to stay in bed resting until 1:30. After that kids who aren't sleeping can get up and they do quiet activities on the other side of the room until 2:30, until everybody is awake. I would clarify the details because I can't believe they expect even those kids who do still nap to nap for 3 hours every day.
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You should definitely speak to the school and get clarification. I would be interested to hear what they say.
I suspect they will give you a more reassuring answer and if that's the case, I would see how it goes.
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My son's school had extended day kids picked up at 2:30. Nap time is from 12-2pm. The last 30 minutes they are usually changing everyone's diaper or taking them to the potty while they do some free play. So I think its more likely its a two hour rest period than 2.5 hours. Almost every 2.5 year old I know still naps, so I think that's the norm at just about any preschool you find.
Another preschool we considered required all children to at least lay down and quietly rest for 1 hour. After 1 hour they were allowed to get up and do quiet activities.
The conventional wisdom is that school is very stimulating and mentally taxing for small children and they need a quiet period to decompress a little bit after lunch when they are probably a little more tired. Especially with a Waldorf program, I would be surprised if your kid wasn't at least a little bit tired for a short nap.
If you're sure she wont nap then I would look at half day options that are dismissed at lunch time for sure.
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In our pre-school (ages 2.5-4) the kids all lay down at 12:30 and rest until 2:30. If the whole room is up earlier than so be it...but they do not let kids off their cots (of course except for bathroom breaks) otherwise.
The kiddos that dont nap are encourage to read or rest quietly.
I think at 2.5 its still more common to take a nap then not, and in our school there isnt a separate room for them to go to if they dont nap. Unfortunately the space doesnt really allow for some kids to be up doing activities and some napping. So all are encouraged to be quiet on their cots.
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Are there kids that stay beyond 310? Or does everyone nap then go straight home? That nap is a little on the long side to be forcing them to stay down but other than that 1-2 hour naps seem pretty par for the course around that time in preschool. We didn't bother and sent our daughter half days 5 days a week. But someone whether me dh or grandma was available to pick her up between 1230-1, depending on the class and when they went down.. not sure if that is possible with your schedule.
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I think most preschools will have a scheduled 2 hour nap or rest time. I would seriously side-eye and avoid any preschool that doesn't allow nap/rest time for kids 4 and under.
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our schools have always had the rest time, but if there were kids that didn't nap, they got up and went to another room after probably 30 minutes or so of getting rest.
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@T.H.O.U.: in CA. it's mandatory for kids under 5 to have a rest time/area. i wanted DD not to nap, but they couldn't do it due to licensing.
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@mrsbookworm: take this with a grain of salt, but you may have a different nap situation at school than at home. My DD stopped napping consistently at home on the weekends around 22 months old, but still napped at school until almost 4! (She was in full time care since 5 months)
There is something to be said for both the being tired out because of school and the positive peer pressure of all the other little kids lying down and napping.
So I would try it out but warn the teachers that she doesn't nap for you at home. They can figure it out then!
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Thanks for all the responses! I'm going to orientation with her tomorrow, so I'll get further clarification. I definitely don't mind nap time, I just find the 2 1/2 hour part to be a little much. If she needs to lay down/be quiet for an hour, that's ok. Maybe she'll start napping again! I just don't want her to be stuck on a cot for 2+ hours if she's not sleeping. That seems like torture for a two year old. At least for mine!
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