As Dylan’s third birthday approaches, I am thinking more and more about preschool. The current theme of my preschool – related thoughts has shifted from “which preschool” to “whether or not he will attend preschool”. We still have plenty of time to research and weigh our options, because if we decide that Dylan will attend preschool he would not start until January.
There are still two preschools in our area that I plan to visit with Dylan, one is right in town and the other is about a half hour away. One is Montessori, and the other is Waldorf. Of course, since I am still a full time stay –at – home mom, there is always the option of foregoing preschool and doing homeschool instead.
The factor that will weigh most heavily on whether Dylan attends preschool in January, and which preschool he attends, is Dylan himself. It may seem unwise to “let” a three year old child decide the course of his own education, but from my experience I can say that Dylan is able to communicate to me very clearly what he wants and needs. I have talked about preschool with him from time to time, and his main concern is whether or not I can be there with him. As January approaches, this concern may become less important to him. Also, if we visit one of the preschools and it is appealing enough to him that he wishes to go there even if I cannot be there with him, I will know that we have found a good fit.
If we do not find a preschool that is a good fit for Dylan or if he would prefer to be homeschooled, then I am prepared to do that. We already take part in a few community activities on a regular basis, and I would find a couple of new ones to round out the selection and ensure that we spend plenty of time out and about because Dylan is a very social little guy. At home, we would keep on doing what we do now – playing indoors and out, reading together, and exploring our world.