Preschool is something that I think is very important for children to have. If they do not have a strong start before heading to kindergarten a lot of children struggle and fall behind. With Izabel spending the first 3 years of her life pretty much at home, it is also important to us that she gets started as soon as possible. She needs the structure and interaction and she is really ready to learn new things and do more exploring!
We started looking for preschools a few months ago. I really had two choices in mind. The first one was a montisori school down the street. We went for a visit and we did not like it at all. There was no color or music or noise. It just didn't feel like a preschool or a fun environment. I The other was the school at our church - Atlantic Shores Baptist. They have a K3 and K4 half-day program and it is on the road I drive down to school every morning. I called to set-up a tour and found out that their cut off date for turning three is September 30th. Izabel does not turn 3 until October 8th. I knew she would have this problem when it came time for kindergarten, but I didn't think it would be that big of a deal for preschool!
After canceling out both of these options we really had to start looking. A lot of places I called had the same cut off date. We finally went to visit Greenbrier Manor school. We were there for at least an hour. They let Izabel go in the rooms to play with the kids and they sat her down to color while we talked. They showed us their curriculum and what a normal day would look like. She's going to go half days five days a week. I will drop her off early on my way to work. She'll have breakfast there and then play until school starts at 8:45. They'll work on colors, shapes, letters, numbers, and begin writing the letters and numbers. Each month has a theme and at the end of the month they have a party! At 11:45 my mom will pick her up and they have car pool so my mom will not have to get Tanner out and go inside. We like that Izzy will be home for lunch and nap for her first year there.
Izabel impressed the director with what she already knows and the fact that she is already potty trained. She is already ahead of some of the three year olds they have now! She knows her colors and 4 shapes. She can also sing her ABCs and count to 10. The great thing is that she will be able to work ahead once she shows that she has mastered a skill. I like that they won't make her sit around while all of the other children learn these things!
We left the school with all of the information and a spot available to us. We didn't sign up right there but we were pretty sure of our decision. We took about two weeks to think about it and then finally took in our registration. Izabel is all signed up and ready to start in the fall and we are all excited about it!
Izabel impressed the director with what she already knows and the fact that she is already potty trained. She is already ahead of some of the three year olds they have now! She knows her colors and 4 shapes. She can also sing her ABCs and count to 10. The great thing is that she will be able to work ahead once she shows that she has mastered a skill. I like that they won't make her sit around while all of the other children learn these things!
We left the school with all of the information and a spot available to us. We didn't sign up right there but we were pretty sure of our decision. We took about two weeks to think about it and then finally took in our registration. Izabel is all signed up and ready to start in the fall and we are all excited about it!
