Showing posts with label preschool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label preschool. Show all posts
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
KK's first day at her new preschool
KK had her first day at her new preschool today. She did very well. On the way to preschool I asked her what was going to be her favorite thing about her new preschool. She said the tire swing. Sure enough as soon as we got there she went straight to the playground and began playing on the tire swing. 
The next best thing was that one of her favorite friends Nick was in her class. She also knew another girl named Rory. So I think this time things will be easier since she knows some children in the class. I stayed for a half an hour and she was thoroughly enjoying herself.
At the end of the school day when I picked her up she was happy. The teachers said she had a good day and she didn't cry at all. They did say around 10:00 a.m. she asked to lay down. So they decided to try a nap with her after lunch. She napped for an hour.
When she got home I asked her how she liked school. She said she liked it. I asked her what her favorite thing about school was. She said eating! Do you know what is funny, she told her Daddy the same thing. I thought that was pretty funny.
While KK was at school I volunteered in Aly's classroom. I thought it would be great to get the opportunity to see how Diane was coming along in the room and how the teacher dealt with her. Do you know what was funny? Within five minutes of getting there the teacher told me her daughter was pretty sick and she sent her to school anyway. She asked me if I would be available to sub the rest of the day if her daughter was running a fever. I said I could. Luckily though her daughter wasn't running a fever.
Diane behaved the same way for her teacher as she did for me. She even said the same things like, I hate you, you don't like me, I don't want to be in your class, I hate everyone, etc.... The teacher did many of the same things I did but there were times when she ignored her or didn't address her behavior so I think I will try that!
I got a call at 8 p.m. from Aly's teacher, she needs me to sub tomorrow because her daughter really isn't doing well. So I said I would. Wish me luck with my patience and Diane! KK will enjoy another day at preschool while I am subbing!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Preschool-the dreaded phone call
This morning I knew I had to get up the courage to call KK's original preschool to tell the director that we would not be returning. I didn't want to make the call as I don't like to disappoint people or have any possible confrontations but I knew I was the only one who could do it!
So I spent the night tossing and turning instead of sleeping trying to figure out how I will word our departure. Here is how it went:
Me: Hi Deanna, this is KK's mom. I wanted to let you know that we decided it would be best for KK if we switch her to a local preschool so that we can have a consistent schedule for her. This will allow for me to take her to preschool on my own without having hubby involved which will allow KK to sleep in the same time everyday.
Director: I am sorry to hear that you have decided to go somewhere else. Do you mind if I ask where?
Me: I answer her and tell her it is the local Montessori.
Director: KK's favorite things to do here was dinosaurs and farm animals. She spent an hour lining up farm animals here. Do they have farm animals at her new school?
Me: No, they don't have those type of toys, they have learning type toys and KK will be playing with those. (BTW I know she knew that)
Director: That is such a shame as that is KK's favorite thing to play with. Hopefully she won't miss that too much and will find something else she is interested in.
Me: We have dinosaurs and farm animals at home. She plays with them all the time here.
Director: Well that is good she will still get that at home. You know she still may need a nap at the new preschool. She ran herself ragged here and just plain tired herself out.
Me: I know but I am kind of thinking with the consistent morning wake up routine and her being able to sleep in later that she won't be tired. If she does need a nap they have an OPTIONAL nap time and it is only ONE hour long. I think that will work out for us.
Director: Her activity level at our center was very high. Perhaps at the Montessori she won't be as active. She may not need a nap since she will not have as much dramatic play. You know dramatic play is very important you need to make sure she is getting that if she isn't getting it from her new school.
Me: I will.
Director: Will you be bringing her in this week since you are already paid up?
Me: You know I thought long and hard about it and feel like from a child development perspective it would be better for her if I don't bring her back. I am afraid if I do that she will spend the week trying to adjust to your center and then I will be pulling her out and she will have to adjust to a new center.
Director: Well most normal children can handle change like that. In your situation with KK needing a nap and you not wanting her to have one could cause a negative experience for her. It is probably better for her not to come back.
Me: As much as I would like to be selfish and take time for myself I think we will just keep her home.
Director: Alright, well if you find your needs changing I hope you will consider us. Perhaps when KK is a little older and she doesn't need a nap anymore you might want to have her come back.
Me: Thanks, things in life always change and you never know what your needs will be. If we need you in the future I will give you a call. Thanks so much. Bye
That was what I can remember of the conversation. Even though I tried to make it about a convenience factor for our family it was still obvious to her that it was about the nap. (Although really the convenience factor was a big reason we changed, the nap thing just made us look into change) BTW this is the director that was on my interview panel for that job I interviewed for and my other daughter Aly went to this preschool for 2 years. She went on the parent participation side though and KK was going on the daycare side.
All in all I am glad it is over and I really am looking forward to KK attending a preschool so close to our home. Hopefully she will enjoy it. She doesn't start until September 8th, I guess I will be posting a first day of Montessori post that day. Does that mean I have to buy her a new first day of school outfit????
So I spent the night tossing and turning instead of sleeping trying to figure out how I will word our departure. Here is how it went:
Me: Hi Deanna, this is KK's mom. I wanted to let you know that we decided it would be best for KK if we switch her to a local preschool so that we can have a consistent schedule for her. This will allow for me to take her to preschool on my own without having hubby involved which will allow KK to sleep in the same time everyday.
Director: I am sorry to hear that you have decided to go somewhere else. Do you mind if I ask where?
Me: I answer her and tell her it is the local Montessori.
Director: KK's favorite things to do here was dinosaurs and farm animals. She spent an hour lining up farm animals here. Do they have farm animals at her new school?
Me: No, they don't have those type of toys, they have learning type toys and KK will be playing with those. (BTW I know she knew that)
Director: That is such a shame as that is KK's favorite thing to play with. Hopefully she won't miss that too much and will find something else she is interested in.
Me: We have dinosaurs and farm animals at home. She plays with them all the time here.
Director: Well that is good she will still get that at home. You know she still may need a nap at the new preschool. She ran herself ragged here and just plain tired herself out.
Me: I know but I am kind of thinking with the consistent morning wake up routine and her being able to sleep in later that she won't be tired. If she does need a nap they have an OPTIONAL nap time and it is only ONE hour long. I think that will work out for us.
Director: Her activity level at our center was very high. Perhaps at the Montessori she won't be as active. She may not need a nap since she will not have as much dramatic play. You know dramatic play is very important you need to make sure she is getting that if she isn't getting it from her new school.
Me: I will.
Director: Will you be bringing her in this week since you are already paid up?
Me: You know I thought long and hard about it and feel like from a child development perspective it would be better for her if I don't bring her back. I am afraid if I do that she will spend the week trying to adjust to your center and then I will be pulling her out and she will have to adjust to a new center.
Director: Well most normal children can handle change like that. In your situation with KK needing a nap and you not wanting her to have one could cause a negative experience for her. It is probably better for her not to come back.
Me: As much as I would like to be selfish and take time for myself I think we will just keep her home.
Director: Alright, well if you find your needs changing I hope you will consider us. Perhaps when KK is a little older and she doesn't need a nap anymore you might want to have her come back.
Me: Thanks, things in life always change and you never know what your needs will be. If we need you in the future I will give you a call. Thanks so much. Bye
That was what I can remember of the conversation. Even though I tried to make it about a convenience factor for our family it was still obvious to her that it was about the nap. (Although really the convenience factor was a big reason we changed, the nap thing just made us look into change) BTW this is the director that was on my interview panel for that job I interviewed for and my other daughter Aly went to this preschool for 2 years. She went on the parent participation side though and KK was going on the daycare side.
All in all I am glad it is over and I really am looking forward to KK attending a preschool so close to our home. Hopefully she will enjoy it. She doesn't start until September 8th, I guess I will be posting a first day of Montessori post that day. Does that mean I have to buy her a new first day of school outfit????
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Preschool changes
Ever since Thursday's pick up from preschool I have been having a hard time feeling good about KK attending that preschool. Saturday night I started thinking about the local Montessori that is only 8 miles from our house. KK's current preschool is 18 miles away. So I started thinking, "What if I looked into that preschool? I know they are more expensive but Hubby wouldn't have to help out with driving her to school because it is close enough to our house that I could drop her off there and still make it on time to sub at Aly's school.
So I didn't end up sleeping well. This morning I decided to call my friend Jess who had her daughter at that school last year and will be sending her the next two years as well. She didn't know the prices but told me she would forward me an email. So I called my other friend Kristi who will be sending her son there. She didn't know the prices but told me that they were actually having an Open House today so we could go and check it out for ourselves and get the price list.
I asked Hubby if he wanted to go check out the preschool and he did. We all went as a family to the Montessori Open House. KK loved it. She especially liked the fish tank and the playground. Hubby liked how it was more academic than her current preschool and liked the structure that it provided. We also liked how they allow the children to serve their own snack including pouring their drinks as well as cleaning the tables and mopping the floors afterwards. They have a good ratio of 7:1 as well.
So on the drive home we talked it over. We weighed the pros and cons.
Pro's:
Closer to home, I could do all the drop off and picks ups myself. Hubby's current work schedule is back to being major overtime so this provides a relief for him.
More academic and structured.
Flexibility for my subbing. I can choose two normal days for her to attend but if I get a sub job on a different day I can trade days.
Later start time of 9:00 a.m. KK will be able to sleep in until her normal wake up time of between 7:30-7:45.
Local friends, everyone attending this school lives near us.
8 miles away versus 18. 12 minute drive versus 25 minutes.
I don't have to kill time waiting for KK to get out of preschool. (with her other preschool being 25 minutes from home I couldn't justify spending the gas to go home so I would run errands and kill time until she got out if it was a day I brought her)
The director is really nice and very flexible. The center has only been open a year so it is still small and there is room for growth. This is what allows her the ability to be so flexible. If you miss a day because your child is sick she lets you make it up too. If Monday is a holiday you can come on another day that week.
They teach them to become more independent. Something I should be doing more with both of my girls, instead I tend to do everything myself because I think it is easier.
Nap time is a choice made by the parents and if you do decide to let them nap they only nap for one hour.
Cons:
It costs $40 more dollars a month
They have less opportunity for socializing in large groups.
The preschool is 800 feet higher in elevation which means more snow. This could be challenging at some points during the winter.
They have to wear slippers indoors--is this a positive or a negative--who knows but right now she doesn't have any slippers so I will need to buy her some.
I think they aren't allowed to wear character shirts like Dora the Explorer--good thing KK is over her now..
The playground is smaller.
They start a week after Labor Day and end a week before Memorial Day.
I have to tell the Director of KK's other preschool we are leaving.
So after weighing the pro's and con's we decided it was best for the whole family if KK changes preschools to this local school. Hopefully it will be a good decision and KK will enjoy it.
So I didn't end up sleeping well. This morning I decided to call my friend Jess who had her daughter at that school last year and will be sending her the next two years as well. She didn't know the prices but told me she would forward me an email. So I called my other friend Kristi who will be sending her son there. She didn't know the prices but told me that they were actually having an Open House today so we could go and check it out for ourselves and get the price list.
I asked Hubby if he wanted to go check out the preschool and he did. We all went as a family to the Montessori Open House. KK loved it. She especially liked the fish tank and the playground. Hubby liked how it was more academic than her current preschool and liked the structure that it provided. We also liked how they allow the children to serve their own snack including pouring their drinks as well as cleaning the tables and mopping the floors afterwards. They have a good ratio of 7:1 as well.
So on the drive home we talked it over. We weighed the pros and cons.
Pro's:
Closer to home, I could do all the drop off and picks ups myself. Hubby's current work schedule is back to being major overtime so this provides a relief for him.
More academic and structured.
Flexibility for my subbing. I can choose two normal days for her to attend but if I get a sub job on a different day I can trade days.
Later start time of 9:00 a.m. KK will be able to sleep in until her normal wake up time of between 7:30-7:45.
Local friends, everyone attending this school lives near us.
8 miles away versus 18. 12 minute drive versus 25 minutes.
I don't have to kill time waiting for KK to get out of preschool. (with her other preschool being 25 minutes from home I couldn't justify spending the gas to go home so I would run errands and kill time until she got out if it was a day I brought her)
The director is really nice and very flexible. The center has only been open a year so it is still small and there is room for growth. This is what allows her the ability to be so flexible. If you miss a day because your child is sick she lets you make it up too. If Monday is a holiday you can come on another day that week.
They teach them to become more independent. Something I should be doing more with both of my girls, instead I tend to do everything myself because I think it is easier.
Nap time is a choice made by the parents and if you do decide to let them nap they only nap for one hour.
Cons:
It costs $40 more dollars a month
They have less opportunity for socializing in large groups.
The preschool is 800 feet higher in elevation which means more snow. This could be challenging at some points during the winter.
They have to wear slippers indoors--is this a positive or a negative--who knows but right now she doesn't have any slippers so I will need to buy her some.
I think they aren't allowed to wear character shirts like Dora the Explorer--good thing KK is over her now..
The playground is smaller.
They start a week after Labor Day and end a week before Memorial Day.
I have to tell the Director of KK's other preschool we are leaving.
So after weighing the pro's and con's we decided it was best for the whole family if KK changes preschools to this local school. Hopefully it will be a good decision and KK will enjoy it.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Preschool issues
On Tuesday when I picked up KK from preschool one of her teachers mentioned that they felt like she needed a nap and that I should change her to the napping schedule. I told the teacher that she hasn't taken naps at home in well over 9 months. The teacher said they she cuddled a lot with them and seemed very tired. So I left it at that.
I decided to call the preschool director this morning to discuss their concerns over whether or not she should nap. Here is how our conversation went (the condensed version):
Me: I was just calling to talk to you about whether or not KK would be on your napping schedule. When I picked her up from school one of your teachers told me that they felt she should be a napper.
Director: Wow, I am surprised that one of my staff members would make a judgement call like that after one day. She should take two weeks to get to know the children and then after that make suggestions accordingly. I am sorry if she made you feel like you didn't know what was best for your child. I will talk to all of my staff and make sure that they know the first two weeks are a trial time to observe the children and let them adjust to the environment. In the beginning they may just be overloaded and their needs could change.
Me: I am sure that KK is more active at preschool than at home but I am sure she was just cuddling up to the teachers because she is a very affectionate child. I wouldn't be surprised though if she was tired today as we woke her up an hour earlier than normal so Daddy could bring her into preschool. If you end up feeling she needs naps on the days Daddy brings her in I can definitely support that.
Director: Let's just see how she does today and go from there.
I hung up from our conversation feeling like she totally supported me.
Here is what happened when I arrived to pick her up at 3:00.
Director: We tried to keep KK from taking a nap but she just couldn't handle it. When it was time to go outside she was playing with the farm animals and didn't want to stop and go outside. She started crying. We took her outside and cuddled her and she fell asleep at 2:30. This isn't going to work for us. She needs to be a napper.
Me: I can understand her needing a nap on Thursdays when Daddy brings her but on the days that I bring her I don't think she will want or need one.
Director: We need to be consistent. It will confuse her if she is napping one day and not the next.
Me: I can understand that. How about on the days that I bring her you wake her up after an hour?
Director: Absolutely not, she needs the full two hours. We won't wake her up.
Me: That is going to cause her to be until 10 or 11 at night. That will be really hard for our routine and schedule.
Director: I don't think so, I think she needs the full two hours. She is on the go here and tires herself out.
That is the shortened version of our conversation. She was not going to budge. Our child will need to be a napper and they will not wake her early. I guess I just better hope that on the days I bring her it takes her a long time to fall asleep and when nap time is over the other kids may end up waking her up with their noise. I am going to use next week as a trial period for our family and if she is up till 10 or 11 I am going to talk to the director again. If we don't come to some kind of compromise we may be looking somewhere else.
I suppose what bothers me the most about the whole situation is that she was so supportive in the morning and really wanted a two week trial period. She stressed that they were there to support the families, not the other way around, and that they wanted to do what the families needed because that is their job. Then she totally changes her tune by the time I come to pick up my child! What is up with that???
So now that my daughter is going to be a napper she needed a blanket. Here is the blanket I made her:
KK's favorite animal is an elephant. I already had this fabric in my sewing drawer. I let her pick out the bottom flannel fabric and she picked out moons and stars. I think it turned out cute and it only took 15 minutes to make. I hope this will help her feel more comfortable with napping at preschool.
I decided to call the preschool director this morning to discuss their concerns over whether or not she should nap. Here is how our conversation went (the condensed version):
Me: I was just calling to talk to you about whether or not KK would be on your napping schedule. When I picked her up from school one of your teachers told me that they felt she should be a napper.
Director: Wow, I am surprised that one of my staff members would make a judgement call like that after one day. She should take two weeks to get to know the children and then after that make suggestions accordingly. I am sorry if she made you feel like you didn't know what was best for your child. I will talk to all of my staff and make sure that they know the first two weeks are a trial time to observe the children and let them adjust to the environment. In the beginning they may just be overloaded and their needs could change.
Me: I am sure that KK is more active at preschool than at home but I am sure she was just cuddling up to the teachers because she is a very affectionate child. I wouldn't be surprised though if she was tired today as we woke her up an hour earlier than normal so Daddy could bring her into preschool. If you end up feeling she needs naps on the days Daddy brings her in I can definitely support that.
Director: Let's just see how she does today and go from there.
I hung up from our conversation feeling like she totally supported me.
Here is what happened when I arrived to pick her up at 3:00.
Director: We tried to keep KK from taking a nap but she just couldn't handle it. When it was time to go outside she was playing with the farm animals and didn't want to stop and go outside. She started crying. We took her outside and cuddled her and she fell asleep at 2:30. This isn't going to work for us. She needs to be a napper.
Me: I can understand her needing a nap on Thursdays when Daddy brings her but on the days that I bring her I don't think she will want or need one.
Director: We need to be consistent. It will confuse her if she is napping one day and not the next.
Me: I can understand that. How about on the days that I bring her you wake her up after an hour?
Director: Absolutely not, she needs the full two hours. We won't wake her up.
Me: That is going to cause her to be until 10 or 11 at night. That will be really hard for our routine and schedule.
Director: I don't think so, I think she needs the full two hours. She is on the go here and tires herself out.
That is the shortened version of our conversation. She was not going to budge. Our child will need to be a napper and they will not wake her early. I guess I just better hope that on the days I bring her it takes her a long time to fall asleep and when nap time is over the other kids may end up waking her up with their noise. I am going to use next week as a trial period for our family and if she is up till 10 or 11 I am going to talk to the director again. If we don't come to some kind of compromise we may be looking somewhere else.
I suppose what bothers me the most about the whole situation is that she was so supportive in the morning and really wanted a two week trial period. She stressed that they were there to support the families, not the other way around, and that they wanted to do what the families needed because that is their job. Then she totally changes her tune by the time I come to pick up my child! What is up with that???
So now that my daughter is going to be a napper she needed a blanket. Here is the blanket I made her:
KK's favorite animal is an elephant. I already had this fabric in my sewing drawer. I let her pick out the bottom flannel fabric and she picked out moons and stars. I think it turned out cute and it only took 15 minutes to make. I hope this will help her feel more comfortable with napping at preschool.
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