How important is the bigger group experience as part of preparing young children for school?
DC2 is 2.5 and we’re going to have to make some decisions around childcare in the next few months. Currently we use, and are very happy with, a wonderful childminder. But he is due to start school in September 2024 and so I feel we need to start thinking about provision from September 2023 and specifically whether we try to find a nursery or preschool.
Our childminder is unwilling to accommodate school nursery pick-up or drop-off, which is absolutely fair enough. We both work so cannot facilitate DC2 attending school nursery mornings/afternoons only.
So assuming school nursery is out, that means we either look for a preschool which can accommodate two sessions per week (eg AM) on days where one of us is usually with him - or he doesn’t go to nursery or preschool prior to starting school.
I feel uncomfortable with the latter option as DC2 is a very sociable little person who I think would enjoy nursery - but he also seems happy with our childminder and it’s logistically easier. He is much more confident than DC1, who hugely benefited from school nursery.
Are there any options I haven’t thought of? Did your DC go straight from a childminder to school? If so, did that work well and did you feel they were “school ready”?
School nursery, preschool or stick with childminder?
MyBuggyIsOutToGetMe · 27/09/2022 22:32
MyBuggyIsOutToGetMe · 27/09/2022 22:32
How important is the bigger group experience as part of preparing young children for school?
DC2 is 2.5 and we’re going to have to make some decisions around childcare in the next few months. Currently we use, and are very happy with, a wonderful childminder. But he is due to start school in September 2024 and so I feel we need to start thinking about provision from September 2023 and specifically whether we try to find a nursery or preschool.
Our childminder is unwilling to accommodate school nursery pick-up or drop-off, which is absolutely fair enough. We both work so cannot facilitate DC2 attending school nursery mornings/afternoons only.
So assuming school nursery is out, that means we either look for a preschool which can accommodate two sessions per week (eg AM) on days where one of us is usually with him - or he doesn’t go to nursery or preschool prior to starting school.
I feel uncomfortable with the latter option as DC2 is a very sociable little person who I think would enjoy nursery - but he also seems happy with our childminder and it’s logistically easier. He is much more confident than DC1, who hugely benefited from school nursery.
Are there any options I haven’t thought of? Did your DC go straight from a childminder to school? If so, did that work well and did you feel they were “school ready”?
AdriannaP · 28/09/2022 19:05
@yougotthelook You sound quite dismissive of parents choices. Frankly my DC1 wouldn’t have not coped at school without preschool experience. She was used to small, calm groups at CM and not used to being with more than 3 children at the time. She went to preschool in the mornings, had lunch there and spent the afternoon with her CM.
unless a CM has a huge setting I think the experience is quite different (and rightly so) and most children benefit from exposure to a bigger setting that is less like home before starting school.
SunshineClouds1 · 28/09/2022 20:47
it's quite insulting that some parents feel a nursery should take over in the final year.
It's not insulting though really is it? It's the parents own personal choice and it's not to cause insult to you but what they feel is best to prepare their child.
Unless the CM has a massive setting I don't see how they can gain the same experience as they would in preschool.
Personally feel they need to experience the busier, noisier setting before school.
Op, my sons at private nursery in the pre school room, so the hours vary as to what you want.
The local school nursery does wrap round care but it's the only school out of 5 local that do for nursery.
yougotthelook · 28/09/2022 21:04
Not dismissive of parents choices at all...if that's what they choose for their child that's absolutely fine...I'm just pointing out that I don't see any benefit of taking them out of a cms setting to put them into a nursery, then put them into a school.
I'm a parent too, my dd went to a cm from a baby, then straight into school at age 4 and was absolutely fine.
I've been a cm for 10 years, and looked after many children, the huge majority leave me then go into school.
The few that have been put into nursery for a year then into school have also been fine, the op asked if anyone had experience of children staying with a cm until going into school, and I was giving her my experiences of it.
That IS what she asked for.
AdriannaP · 28/09/2022 19:05
@yougotthelook You sound quite dismissive of parents choices. Frankly my DC1 wouldn’t have not coped at school without preschool experience. She was used to small, calm groups at CM and not used to being with more than 3 children at the time. She went to preschool in the mornings, had lunch there and spent the afternoon with her CM.
unless a CM has a huge setting I think the experience is quite different (and rightly so) and most children benefit from exposure to a bigger setting that is less like home before starting school.
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.