Preschool madness
I don't know what it's like where you live, but around here, parents are absolutely nuts about getting their kids into preschool. Last year, not long after we moved back, people started asking me if I had started looking at preschools. I thought they were kidding, considering Baby was just 10 months old at the time, and beyond that, I was staying home with her (as opposed to returning to work), so why would I be looking to enroll in a school?
Well, people weren't kidding. Most of my friends (including those who are stay-at-home Moms) have already been touring preschools, getting on waiting lists, and enrolling their toddlers (most of whom are now around Baby's age of 20 months) into part-time programs just to ensure a preschool spot later in their life. Up until now, I have been in a bit of denial about the whole thing. It just seems crazy to pay someone else to take care of Baby when we're making a financial sacrifice in order for me to be her full-time caregiver. Then again, I sure would LOVE to have some free-time, and I know how important it is for Baby to start feeling comfortable in settings without me being there.
So, long story short, Baby will be going to "school" next year. I've registered her for a Parents' Day Out program, which means it's just one morning a week. Lots of local churches house preschools that have these PDO programs, and once you're in, you're in. Meaning if I want to keep Baby at this preschool as she gets older I am guaranteed a spot. I suppose I could have done a bit more research into choosing the very best program and put my name on all sorts of waiting lists, but I decided, based on conversations with friends who've spent countless hours touring places and going to open houses and interviewing teachers, that I had found a good program that is very close to my house and there was no reason to look any further. I didn't want to stress over this decision. Lots of my neighbors take their kids to this place and are very happy with it. I don't HAVE to enroll Baby in a program, so I figured if I didn't get in, it was no big deal.
Thankfully, the registration process was fairly easy. After giving all the "in-house" families first choice at registering for classes, registration was opened to the public. On registration day, I put my name on a sheet of paper hung on the preschool's front door at 7:00 AM. Note: When I arrived at 7:00 AM, I was #25 in line. I wonder what time the 24 people before me arrived? Then I had to return to the preschool at 10:00 AM, and wait for my name to be called (in order of sign-up). Thankfully I was called at 11:00, so Baby and I only had to keep ourselves occupied in this church's chapel (where registration was being held) for an hour. And, thankfully, they still had slots available for the "Tuesday Twos", so long as I agree to co-op, meaning I have to volunteer in the classrooms about once a month. It was stress-free, and ended with a good result. Still, I had to register her in February, and "school" doesn't start until September!
When I was a little kid, on the days that my Mom worked, I went to preschool at Miss Betty's (at least that's what I called it, it was basically a woman's house, so probably more like a daycare than a preschool), and I can't imagine it was stressful for my Mom to get me "in" to this program. What has happened over the past 30 years making it necessary for one of my friends to be #85 on a waiting list-- just for a one-morning a week PDO program for a 2-year old? Is that crazy or what?!
Well, people weren't kidding. Most of my friends (including those who are stay-at-home Moms) have already been touring preschools, getting on waiting lists, and enrolling their toddlers (most of whom are now around Baby's age of 20 months) into part-time programs just to ensure a preschool spot later in their life. Up until now, I have been in a bit of denial about the whole thing. It just seems crazy to pay someone else to take care of Baby when we're making a financial sacrifice in order for me to be her full-time caregiver. Then again, I sure would LOVE to have some free-time, and I know how important it is for Baby to start feeling comfortable in settings without me being there.
So, long story short, Baby will be going to "school" next year. I've registered her for a Parents' Day Out program, which means it's just one morning a week. Lots of local churches house preschools that have these PDO programs, and once you're in, you're in. Meaning if I want to keep Baby at this preschool as she gets older I am guaranteed a spot. I suppose I could have done a bit more research into choosing the very best program and put my name on all sorts of waiting lists, but I decided, based on conversations with friends who've spent countless hours touring places and going to open houses and interviewing teachers, that I had found a good program that is very close to my house and there was no reason to look any further. I didn't want to stress over this decision. Lots of my neighbors take their kids to this place and are very happy with it. I don't HAVE to enroll Baby in a program, so I figured if I didn't get in, it was no big deal.
Thankfully, the registration process was fairly easy. After giving all the "in-house" families first choice at registering for classes, registration was opened to the public. On registration day, I put my name on a sheet of paper hung on the preschool's front door at 7:00 AM. Note: When I arrived at 7:00 AM, I was #25 in line. I wonder what time the 24 people before me arrived? Then I had to return to the preschool at 10:00 AM, and wait for my name to be called (in order of sign-up). Thankfully I was called at 11:00, so Baby and I only had to keep ourselves occupied in this church's chapel (where registration was being held) for an hour. And, thankfully, they still had slots available for the "Tuesday Twos", so long as I agree to co-op, meaning I have to volunteer in the classrooms about once a month. It was stress-free, and ended with a good result. Still, I had to register her in February, and "school" doesn't start until September!
When I was a little kid, on the days that my Mom worked, I went to preschool at Miss Betty's (at least that's what I called it, it was basically a woman's house, so probably more like a daycare than a preschool), and I can't imagine it was stressful for my Mom to get me "in" to this program. What has happened over the past 30 years making it necessary for one of my friends to be #85 on a waiting list-- just for a one-morning a week PDO program for a 2-year old? Is that crazy or what?!
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