Please opinions on this wanted! I just recently started going to a mom's group, where we discuss our lives as moms, plan activities, fun kid recipes, and whatnot. It's quite fun. However, recently a discussion came up about Preschool. I will wait to see what other parents say, as I don't want anyone to feel swayed. I would like completely honest opinions please. I'd like to know on a general level where my opinion stands.

Thanks for the help. This is really quite important to me. I will say, that in the end, as a mom I make all of my decisions based solely on what I feel my son needs and is best for him, and I don't have any regrets. But I would still like to know what other parents think.

I voted 25% agreement, as it gives children a chance to interact, learn sharing, basic social skills etc... but they don,t need a strict regiment of now it,s fun time, now it,s story time! for a few hours here and there that is good though,especially if your child has no access to other kids! And all children need to learn that being away from a parent isn,t a tragic or permanent event in their lives! But there are many other activities your child should experience in their weeks and lives! And each child and parents needs are different, and need to be taken into account, so for some of them more time at pre-school is needed! I was looking at it from a stay at home moms point of view!

I voted 50%....I think it's important as far as learning skills, interacting with other children, and realizing that mom or dad will be there to pick you up....It's a big move into kindergarten, so adjusting would be a big factor in a child's life....Now, I'm definitely not saying that it's for every child...My one granddaughter started at 3 yrs. old....She was fine up to about 4 months into the school..Then she started balkiing, not wanting to go, etc....My daughter called her teacher and there was no problems as far as she could see....The little one just wasn't ready so out she came..When she turned 4, we tried again, and she just loves it....Every day when she comes home, she has a new skill that she has learned....Letters, numbers, printing her name, learning about the weather, and so on....So age wise and maturity has alot to do with it...If a child is ready, then go for it....If not, there is nothing wrong with teaching certain skills at home....

I voted for the 75% of the time option. Here's my reasoning; in the past young children were far more likely to be part of a large family (4 kids or more), and also tended to be part of a larger extended family (lots of cousins and such). However, today kids often have only 1 sibling and extended families just aren't as close (both physically and emotionally) as they once were. Therefore, young children often don't get to experience what it means to be part of a group. Now, this applies only to those kids who aren't in some type of daycare while the Mom works. For those children who go to daycare this reasoning wouldn't really apply, as they already have this group experience. I think having some type of group experience before they go to school is very helpful for all children.

I voted 100% for. Kindergarten has moved, in most places, to being an all day thing instead of half days. Preschool gives the kids the chance to get used to being away from home for a few hours a day. It's not a replacement for parents teaching kids on their own though. Preschool is practice for the real thing.

It always depends on the circumstances, a kid who has several brothers and sisters has enough social interaction, while for an only child any type of "getting out of the house" is highly advisable. Now, if you live on a farm and have to drive the kid in for two hours (or much worse: have it on the school bus for several hours) no matter what the circumstances you might end up doing more harm than good.

It all depends on the child really.....Most kiddies thrive in pre-schools and daycares, whereas some don't......A pre-school will provide structure and discipline for your child and also plenty of social interaction....Obviously, it's not for everyone but I think it prepares little ones for 'big school' and gives mum a well-earned break...

I voted 75 % because obviously it isnt right for everyone for their child to go to pre school . My three year old doesn't start a the local nursery until he turns 4. so I chose to send him to preschool just after his third birthday because it was a chance for him to get some time to be with kids of his own age . learn how to interact with other kids in a school enviroment and learn how to be away from me for a while and feel comfortable with that . and also because i have a 1 year old and i thought whilst he was at pre school for three hours per day it would give me an opportunity to give her some much needed one to one time. that each of the others had got at her age .

SS79:)

Preschool is fun for some kids, but it's never necessary. Of course, I'm all about doing what you think is best for your kid, they're yours, you know them better than anyone.

I didn't send my daughter to any school at all... until she was 15 when she went to college. She's 20 now, over seas, getting her masters degree. It's not right for all kids, but some kids it's great for.

I voted 100% for the fact that there are times when a child may need special considerations once they are in kindergarten, and if they are not recognized, then the child will feel left out, feel stupid and fall to the wayside. And I agree with the getting used to structure and being away from mom & dad. Today's kindergarten is so different from when I was a kid, they are expected to know a lot before they even walk in those doors, instead of learning them once they are in kindergarten.

Thats why i agreed only 25%, because each child and family have different needs, and most parents who home school like you obviously did, and wow you did a great job since she was able to go to college at 15! I,m sure you found alternate ways of teaching her that being seperated for a few hours wasn,t a permant situation, and had her socialize and play with other children where she learned sharing and such! So it really boils down to knowing your children, and what ways work best for the whole family! And like goalie said,you can always try and if the child isn,t ready at 3 then try again at 4, and they might end up loving it! Where other kids are more than ready at 3! So there,s no right or wrong answer here, just reading your childs readiness for the experience or finding something else that benefits your child and teaches the same skills!

I'm with MissMels -- preschool is not necessary. It is a personal choice. There are other ways for a child to be educated and to socialize.

Thank you everyone, so much for your answers. It's gave me some things to think about.

The reason I wanted some opinions on this, is because last night at work I was talking to a girl who is fairly new. We were talking about her daughter's preschool, which is the school I've been considering putting my son in. My son and her daughter are the same age, so I thought she'd be the perfect person for reference.

As we got talking, her daughter has apparently been to several daycares in our town, so that she could work. She has for the most part been a single mom, so she's had to do this, since her daughter was an infant.

My son, has never been to day care. Now granted, it's easier for me (my mother was a single mother also, I know sometimes sacrifices must be made, as well as decisions you don't always want to make, and I would never judge someone for doing what they had to to take care of their children. sorry, anyway...) because unlike most people in my town my age, I've gotten married and stayed married. Happily married for that matter. And my husband and I have always been able to make it so that one of us was home with my son at all times. So I've never HAD to put him in day care. But now he's turned 4, and I think I'd like to put him in preschool.

Anyway, (I'm babbling) as I discussed my day care options withher, she asked me very suspicious sounding. "So, your son turned 4...2 months ago?" To which I responded yes, and she said, "And he's...never been to preschool? And you don't have one lined up for him?" To which I responded "no..." and she just kind of went "Huh.." I started to feel self-conscious and a little worried, like maybe I'd made a bad decision keeping him home until now. But I started to think maybe she didn't mean it to sound the way it did, maybe she was just surprised. Most of my friends who have kids, all have them in day care because of work. So I don't know. In any case, I plan to put him in, in the spring.

Thanks for the input everyone!

From my own experience, my children enjoyed preschool, I had to take my daughter out but that wasn't because she didn't like it, it's another story. My second son loved it and made some great friends who he still sees today.

My youngest son went to a special needs pre school as he is profoundly autistic, but we had mixed results with him, namely because he didn't understand where I was going.

He eventually went to nursery at his present special needs school and loved it and it's structure, ball rooms, sensory rooms, UV rooms - all the other different rooms a special needs school has, it was like play time all the time - which is what ALL preschool should be like.

I'm all for it, if the child is happy.

I see where you're coming from.. I think it just depends on the kid. Mine was pretty much attached to my hip quite literally until she was quite old, no school at all, and in fact, she knew VERY few kids her own age (she still doesn't). That was ok for her, but it wouldn't be for other kids. It just really depends and I'm all about instinct if you feel like you can trust your instincts (which can be VERY difficult to do at times... boy do I know it's hard).

I voted 50%. I think it's great for the interaction, learning opportunities, and such. But I believe it's ultimately up to each parent. Some have no choice; like me. I work full-time and am a single mom, so I have to have my daughter in daycare, and when she's old enough for preschool, will probably have her there, too. But if you're able to have one parent at home, then you have more of a choice; if you think your kid would benefit by having the interaction and stimulation, great. But if not, that's great, too. It can go either way. Honestly, my daughter is so active, that even if I had the option of being home with her all the time, I'd probably still have her go to daycare a few hours a week so I could have some time to myself to decompress! Plus, she's really smart, picks stuff up really quick, and loves to interact with other people, so it would honestly be more fun for her to have a place she goes where she can have all these people to see and new things to play with. Right now, I leave her with a stay-at-home mom who has a daughter her age, so Kaley gets to interact with another kid during the day.

Can dad's vote too? JK

I voted 100% but if I would have read the thread before I voted it probably would have been 75% because of the persuasive arguments of some of you mom's.
In my situation, my daughter started going to day care when she was 3 months old. My wife works a pretty sensitive job and I work for a family business. I am able to pretty much set my schedule and I work on commission so as long as I make it, I can do as I please. I took the first three months off as well as my wife. When those three months were up, I would take my daughter to day care for about 4 hours a day. My wife commutes so I have always been the morning shift with the baby. I currently take her to Child Development at around 9 to 9:30 during the week unless we take the day off to go to the zoo or go fishing or something. I progressively increased the intervals until I could work a pretty normal work day and everything went fine.

That was just a day care though, being free to pop in during the day at odd times, I saw a lot of kids sitting in front of the telly while the adults were standing around chit chatting, reading, doing needlepoint etc. After a little searching I enrolled her in a sort of child education day care facility. It costs twice as much but she has been there for about 2 years now and she likes it a lot. If they have a problem with a child biting or being aggressive they try to work it out, but they aren't at all hesitant about removing a child from their programs if the parents don't seem to be as involved as they should. The programs they have are great, they have karate, gymnastics, cheerleading, swimming, and other programs available depending on age group. They will also take the child to and from any other activities you may have them enrolled in during the workweek, example bible school, piano lessons etc. I actually have an old upright piano I am thinking of donating so maybe they could have lessons there. Maybe get a week free.

I also like the fact that they accept vouchers from the government so my child is exposed to people of all ethnic and economic backgrounds. It is not an elitist establishment by any means. I realize that everyone doesn't have this option but with both of us working, it is really our only option. I would rather one of us could stay home with her more but at 3 yo she is well adjusted, fully potty trained, fully table trained, can count to 26 without prompting, recognizes letters and numbers, knows the alphabet frontwards and backwards. She is not selfish and is well conditioned at how to participate in group settings. I couldn't possibly have gotten her so well conditioned in the past few years by myself.

See, I was that way, I only had my siblings for interaction, then when I went to school, I was so overloaded because of being left by my dad in a room with over 20 strangers...I know he cried when he left me there, I was crying for him as he walked down the hallway to go to work. Poor guy! LOL.

with my nephew, if he wouldn't have gone to preschool, we wouldn't have realized the extent of his learning capabilities. He just doesn't process things the same way that the average person does. He has a phenomenal memory and talks about things we did when he was three, but he doesn't completely get why he has to learn. Of course, he has decided he is going to drive a loader when he gets older, so why learn the other stuff, LOL. If you are planning to home school your child, then the shock of being in a class is not going to be a consideration, but the majority of people send their kids to school, so for their benefit, the children should be prepared to be in a class-like situation. And as I said before, there is so much expected of the children now before they even step into kindergarten, you don't want to hinder your child when they are already going to be under a bit of stress in getting used to the structure of school.

Yeah that point I do feel.

I don't know what it's like in other states, but for Kindergarten here, they now test the kids before they are enrolled on whether or not they can skip correctly, and catch a ball

The first time I heard that, I was shocked. Catching balls and skipping? Isn't that what kindergarten is supposed to be for? I thought...

But apparently if they can't do it correct, they have to go to some kind of sensory and motor skills classes before you can put them in Kindergarten. I am still having issues with that one. My son's been able to catch a ball fine since he was 3, I'm not worried about that. But I didn't know anything about the dang skipping since about a week ago, so now I'm going to have to teach him how to skip. LOL I don't know I just find that plain silly. They also have to already know their alphabet, count to 20, and write their own name. I'm teaching him to write his own name now, but he knows the alphabet and counting to 20 with ease. But I just...again...isn't that what Kindergarten USED to be FOR? At least as far as I remember...lol

I agree, Kindergarten for me, was where I learned the entire alphabet (only knew up to F before then), and learned how to count past 5..... It was honestly more about playing! And that's rediculous that those kids have to know how to throw a ball and skip before they can get in! I could throw a ball, but I didn't learn how to skip until Kindergarten, when I saw other kids doing it. It's so stupid. What's supposed to be a year getting used to just being in the school and being away from your parents for a long period of time, has now become 1st Grade, part one!

I selected the last option, as we are a homeschooling family -- so no, I certainly don't feel that pre-school (in the traditional sense) is necessary. We get plenty of socialization in all the time. We'll be getting even more, as we are moving close to family in the very near future. I was homeschooled myself (though just in high school), and my husband was homeschooled for awhile, as well. We were both very happy with our experiences, and will continue this with our children. I feel very lucky that I am able to stay at home and make this possible.

I actually picked 50%... I think it depends on the kid. I was even more radical than a homeschooler, I was an Unschooler--my daughter is grown... long before it even had a name. I simply never sent my child to school (hence breaking the laws in my state)... no cirriculum, no lessons, no nothing other than to teach her what she wanted to know when she wanted to know it and give her the resources to do learn what she needed to learn.

Not a good option for all kids... it was great for mine (and for me), but definitely wouldn't have worked for all kids, or all parents for that matter.

Schooling is really individual and needs to be addressed carefully and personally in my opinion.. personally for what the parent AND kid can handle.