The Preschool Search

It seems like the farther along I get into this mothering gig, the more I think and know and the more I find out I don’t know squat. I like that though. I like to get schooled on the ways of the world. It keeps me on my toes and reminds me that even though I think I know…I really do have no idea. 

So, somewhere in my head I seemed to build up this magnificent idea that once a child hit a certain age, they went to preschool, as simple as that. Preschool…. the very word brings to mind the smell of crushed up crayons, stale sandwiches, dried finger pains, and afternoon snacks…the stuff of dreams. What I didn’t realize was a child “needing” to go to preschool and actually “going” where two totally different things. Preschool, I would come to find out, is not mandatory and only holds sessions between the hours of 9am-12pm. That’s it, 3 hours of unabashed childhood excellence maybe 2-3 times a week. I, being naive and new to this whole school bureaucracy thing, was kind of surprised to find out that no full time preschool situations exist. The key was to find one that had “before” and “after” care (read: from a child’s perspective: mommy doesn’t love you enough to pick you up by lunch time) ugh! I will forever try to make sure my child doesn’t have to go into after care but there’s no way I can swing a 12pm pick up! So the truth, I found out; most preschools seem to be set up for SAHMs or part-timers or someone who can work around that schedule. I was disheartened and almost gave up after I came to this realization a few months back, as a full time work out of the home mom, I would not be able to send my kid to a "real" preschool.  For working moms, the option it seems, is full time daycare with a preschool curriculum. Luckily, Emma’s daycare goes all the way up to pre-k (which I also found out is for those kids who turn five after September of the start of the school year….yippie for one more year of paying exuberant daycare costs!) 

For some reason though, I just could not let the idea of preschool go. There were several reasons for this, one being that even though I like Emma’s current daycare, there have been several small instances that have bothered me. She is still the only girl in her class which, gender stereotypes aside, makes me raise an eyebrow when she comes home acting extra aggressive. Don’t get me wrong, I do love the facility with its large classrooms and floor to ceiling windows and two huge playgrounds with bikes to ride and a huge courtyard to go on “Nature Walks.” Not to mention the structured curriculum and the reports/ newsletters and extracurricular activities they host, like gymnastics and soccer. On paper, it’s great, top notch, and you sure PAY for the shiny facility and structured curriculum but, that doesn’t mean that place has it all. And what I feel is the missing piece from her current daycare, we found at another place. A place that I thought only existed in fairytales. It’s a preschool with YEAR ROUND before and after care and classes!!! It’s very small, the complete opposite of the corporate run place she’s at now, and that gives it the homey, personal touch I was looking for. A place where they connect with the kids and really address any aggressive or upsetting behaviors with loving and caring alternatives, not just “we don’t do that” discipline. The teachers are doing their life’s work and the overall environment seems to be filled with love, plus they go on field trips! (which both excites me and makes me nervous as hell) and they put on a Christmas pageant! (which I’ve always wanted my kids to be in for some reason) and the icing on the cake…we have a friend’s recommendation! 

My husband and I actually went to visit the place a few weeks back and even with all of the amazingness; it still took me a full week to finally decide to move Emma to the new place. I know from the description it seems like it would have been a no-brainer but, my husband will have to alter his work schedule a bit and we will have to coordinate days off when the center is closed (it has a winter and a spring break). The other reason I took so long to decide is that Emma has been at the same daycare since she was 8 weeks old. She knows where everything is located, she knows all the teachers and other students and she genuinely seems to like the place. It’s all she has ever known, plus it’s in my office building. If there was ever another earth quake or a sink hole or an Armageddon like asteroid storm, I could be right there by her side within, probably under 2 minutes. Just knowing I have my family right there with me at work is a real joy. I don’t ever feel alone there because I know she is physically nearby. Having that was a tremendous help for me to transition into being a working mom. We both had a need to be close to each other and while that is still the case, I know we are beginning to enter that point in time where she needs me less and can thrive on her own. It’s just hard admitting that, which is why it took me a week to get to the place where I am comfortable letting her go into a new world without me nearby, a magical place called preschool. 

Coming January 2015…