preschool twist: need advice

[psocoptera]

Spoke with the director today, who said that Junie seems "pretty miserable" and suggested that she might adjust better if she went five mornings a week for a little while. (Just the mornings on her off-days, maybe just part of the mornings, free of charge.)

My initial reaction is strongly negative: we didn't even look at five-day-a-week programs, because it was too important to me to have those school-free days, and we've been telling her and telling her that she goes to school on Tuesday Wednesday and Friday and Monday and Thursday she stays home with Mama and it seems like totally pulling the rug out from under her to change that up now (whereas we've tried from the beginning to mention how she's going to gradually stay later and later). (Plus it sort of seems like punishment for not liking preschool, to make her go *more*, although I suppose that's how remedial anything works, that whatever you struggle most with you get stuck doing extra.)

But I do also believe in listening to one's kid's teachers, who (presumably) know what they are talking about and are making suggestions that they've seen work for similar kids in similar situations.

So... I could really use some advice on this one. Set aside my misgivings and try it next week? Or continue on as we have been? I haven't even told them yet that she'll be out two and a half days the first two weeks of October for a peds appointment and travel... which I do feel like would be a good excuse for not trying the five-day thing, that her schedule will be so disrupted in October anyways... gah.

Comments

[gannet.livejournal.com]

Would it thus be five mornings or three half days?

The teachers at T's child care were pretty adamant that in their experience, five half days worked better for kids than three full days, because the routine was somehow steadier.

[gannet.livejournal.com]

That is, would it be all half-days with no afternoons, or would it be mornings on the alternate days and full days the other days?