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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>For home providers that do a preschool curriculum
mac60 05:59 PM 08-17-2009
Do you find that your parents STILL send their child to a "real preschool"? I offer a preschool program for the 3 to 5 yr olds in my care. In my 10 years, all my dc kids have passed their kindergarten screening, hence what I am doing is obviously the right thing. I have on occassion had the family that still sent their child to a "real preschool", like what I do and offer isn't "real". It is frustrating to me, as it is a disruption of my day, getting picked up and dropped off, throws off my lunch times, and I am constantly having to "work around" the child's schedule with my own program. I don't get it. They are getting a "free" program here included with their dc fee, yet they choose to spend approx $200 per 10 weeks for what we refer to as "real preschool". I often wonder if it is just the "image" thing or what, as their reasoning for sending them. Really, just how much time is really spent at "real preschool", arrive at 9:30, settle in and get started by 9:45, get ready to go at 11:15, dismiss at 11:30, hmm, a whole 1 1/2 hours two times per week. Sometimes I wonder why I bother to do all the extras as a provider, parents don't appreciate it.
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GretasLittleFriends 08:23 AM 08-18-2009
Perhaps it's to get them used to different adults and different children. The word "real" meaning away from home, in a school setting, similar of when they enter into kindergarten. It'd be the same if they said "home" school vs "real" school. The children can get the same quality sometimes better education at home vs at school (usually, though I know of a couple of cases where the state has stepped in because the mom of home school wasn't quite doing her job).

I know you find it frustrating, but I wouldn't take it personally. Why do you have to work around your program with their schedule? Can't you just go on without them? How many actually leave to go to preschool? I understand if you feed an 11:30 lunch and have them coming back at noon, needing to work around that.
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mac60 09:28 AM 08-18-2009
I only have 1 family now that sends their child out for preschool. This is only the 2nd family in 10 years that has done it.

I will have 4 this year that I will provide a preschool program. 2 that are age 2 1/2, and I will keep their activities very basic, and then I have a 3 yr old and an almost 4 yr old. I usually schedule things for Mon thru Thursday between 9and 11, and the one girl will be gone Tues and Thurs, OR Mon and Wed, from 9:30 to 11:30. So, whatever days she is gone, she is going to miss that days activities, crafts, papers, etc, and I will have to basically get those activities out again because she was gone. We always make our own "books" of shapes, numbers, colors, alphabet, something that they can keep. I hate is when I am constantly having to go back and redo because someone is gone. This is what I mean by changing my schedule.

Overall, my schedule is busy enough. I have 2 that leave on the bus at 7:40 for the elementary school, 1 that will be picked up at 9:20 for preschool, dropped back off at 11:40 from preschool, kindergartener gets dropped off by bus at 12:00, first grader gets dropped off by bus at 4 or so. Parents start picking up at 3. I have always served lunch at 11:30 or so, but if I continue to do that, I will be serving lunch 2 times. I am sure I will figure it out, just very frustrating all the interruptions during the day, and leaving for1 1/2 hours of preschool, when I do the exact same thing here, just adds one more worm to the pot sort of speak.

Sometimes I wish I never would of started doing a preschool program, because there is so much time, work, and extra money put into it. But, I am sure I would not of stayed full if I would not have offered it. I know some say if the child missed a day because they leave for whatever reason, oh well, it was the parents choice to send them elsewhere for the very same thing I do, but even though I think it is a PITA, I have always went back and included the child in things missed. Just another roadblock in our profession....
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Unregistered 10:53 AM 08-18-2009
If the parents are pulling her out of your "preschool" to send her to a "real" preschool I would so not worry about redoing an activity. The parents are making the choice to have her go elsewhere so I would wash my hands of it.
If I have children that come in late or are only half day, well, they end up missing something. The children that are scheduled and attend for a full day have the benefit of participating in all of the scheduled activities. If they are gone, they miss that bus and it doesn't turn around. If the parents don't like it then they need to do something about
*their* scheduling conflicts.
Meal times are a different situation and you may have to change that if you want to avoid serving lunch twice.
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SimpleMom 06:28 PM 08-18-2009
I might be to get them used to different adults and children as well as to the idea of a school setting. I think parents need that transition as much as the children.

I do offer a great preschool curr. here. I have some parents that send their children to a "real" preschool as well. It used to bother my bunches. I took it personal because i worked so hard to make it a great educational environment for them.

It doesn't bother me much now. I think it's kinda fun and different for them. School agers and 4/5 yr olds seem to start getting bored at a home daycare and it's nice for them to get that chance to get out of a house.

As far as going around their schedule, I wouldn't do that. I go about our day as I would any other and if we are having lunch and the child comes after we've started, then they have a plate waiting for them. Nothing about the times of any of our other activities change. If we go to the park, I leave a note that we are there and they can pick them up there or drop them off there, etc. I used to go around their schedules, but it's way too hard to do that and unfair to the other children as well.

Sounds like you are doing a great job with your curr., daycare, and kids. Keep up the good work, they are lucky that you do curr. at all, esp. a good one
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SimpleMom 06:33 PM 08-18-2009
Sorry, just read another post of yours.

I totally get the making up for missed work dilema. I used to "redo" projects for them as well if they missed a day for whatever reason. I don't anymore.

If they went to a preschool outside of your home that preschool won't make-up the work missed on a day they miss either. If they pay extra for that at your daycare, then they make that choice by keeping them out of daycare/preschool for that day.

It is way to hard to try and "redo" and entire lesson plan the next day when there's is so much to do with the current lesson plan. I have reviewed (briefly) the missed day or week with children during a formal group time, but that's about it now. I haven't had any complaints as of yet.
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