Digressing: Private Preschools To Time With Your Child

I spoke to a preschool teacher this morning regarding the preschool attendance interview process. I never really understood what the big deal was…parents competing to get their child accepted to a very expensive preschool. I’m not going to mention the name of the preschool the teacher is from. But, I will say it is on the Upper East Side. The tuition there is at least $20,000 per student, per school year. Just to note, I did read somewhere that it was important for children to attend the best of the best starting in preschool, because this eventually leads to Ivy League universities. Personally, I don’t believe in going broke to send my child to an overly expensive preschool. But, hey, if the parents have the money, why not? (I still wouldn’t go to an interview process.) Because I am a middle middle class person with a middle middle class family, I look at affordability options, and then I look at the curriculum.

I asked the teacher why is it so competitive. She said because spaces in preschools in Manhattan are limited. Hmm…that makes sense. I failed to see the big picture. I guess I only saw my viewpoint on it. I’m Miss Down-To-Earth-No-Fuss-Gal. My belief is that I go inspect the school, not the school to inspect how my child plays and reacts to see if he will be accepted. The teacher said some of the students develop at a normal rate, while others lag behind somewhat. I told her that it was also up to the parents to spend time with the child. I know parents are busy working. And, I cannot lie, I do get caught up doing housework when I should be spending time with my son. But, as parents, we need to spend time with our child everyday. Do not expect your child to learn everything in school. Do not expect the teacher to become a second parent.

I’ve been learning a lot of things lately, thanks to my new classes-curriculum and early childhood language and literacy. And, some of the things I learned are these: 1. Teacher-parent communication is very important. (Get involved in your child's curriculum and build a relationship with the teacher.) 2. Play for children is very important. 3. Reading books to your child EVERYDAY is very important.

So, I say to you parents and to myself, spend more time with your child. Engage in play and inquisitive thought with your child. Read to your child and help your child learn the alphabet and pronunciation of worlds. And, all those busy things you have to do, they can wait. Prepare the meal the night before, if you can, while your child is sleeping, so that you will only have to cook it instead of spending time preparing it. Do your errands/chores when your child is napping or at school. My husband complains I don’t spend enough time with my son. It’s hard when you work full-time, go to school at night and have to do everything else in-between. But, I do try to do things around my son’s awake/free time. I’m not perfect, but I’m trying. You should try too. Our children will be happier children.