Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Preschool jitters

Someone please tell me that my choice of preschool is not going to completely determine my child's educational future. I am researching this as though I'm applying to college. I'm so overwhelmed! I went from wanting her to go to the one closest to us to going to THE BEST and nothing less than the best. I have plans to visit 5 at this point. At this stage, I think I've already rationalized selling both vehicles and taking out a loan for preschool. I am seriously freaking out here. I had no idea registration started NEXT WEEK for some of them! We just started looking into it and I feel like I have to decide NOW. I'm checking out a mix of daycare/preschools and private/religious ones. I hope we find the perfect one but this is so difficult! My mom didn't have to make this choice! They just sent me to the closest one and it was great! As a teacher, I am VERY particular about what I want. I want a good balance of academic and discipline. Not strict to the point of instilling fear in the child, but I want a teacher who will demand and teach respect while remaining gentle enough to understand the sensitive nature of a child. I want her to come out of preschool prepared for the intense demands of kindergarten today but also still overflowing with innocence. I hope I can find what I want! I can find lots of daycare preschools, but I haven't been able to find a list of "preschools" that are not part of a daycare, so the only ones I have found have been through word of mouth. I hope I'm finding the right one somewhere!

4 comments:

  1. You are such a great mom to be so worried about this :) Just remember when you were a teacher, though...how a good parent is always involved in her kid's schooling, and even if the teacher isn't 'A+', having a parent that is on top of things makes up for it. Remember too, that not all kids even go to pre-school, and she is probably way ahead of most pre-school kids already because of all the great stuff you do with her. Easy for me to say 'relax, it'll all work out'...I'm sure you'll find the perfect choice :)

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  2. I agree - you are such an amazing mom!!! I know that this decision is hard - but it will in no way determine the rest of Rosemary's educational future. It lays the foundation, but your active parenting style will play a significant part in the process of her growth and development. I wish you the best...if I had any more information to offer, you know I would!!

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  3. What a hard decision! I love your way of thinking and wanting the perfect balance. I agree that the perfect balance will be the school + what you and Joe have truly instilled in her. Can't wait to see where you decide!!

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  4. Honestly, when I was applying to preschools in our area, I had a hard time with this. You want your child to get the best possible education, even if they're just in preschool.

    You will make the best decision for your child. That's obvious because you care about it so much. You aren't just sending her to the first, nearest, cheapest place that pops in your head.

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