Thomas Starts Preschool

After taking a year off with school Thomas is again enrolled and loving preschool!  We did a lot of work for him on our end to make the transition to preschool as successful as possible.  On many mornings, and a few afternoons, you could find Thomas and Elin in “school” at our house. 

We all talked a lot about what our thoughts were on school and that it was really important to help our brains grow and develop.  After doing a little research I narrowed down some preschool choices and made appointments to go and visit.  Thomas and I went together to the visits.  The first school, a Montessori based program, was a bit to strict for Thomas and I.  We couldn’t run fast enough out of that quiet, eerily no chaos place.  It was the oddest “school” environment I had ever seen, and it was most certainly not for us.

We then went to Apple Creek preschool and it was lovely.  The teachers were welcoming, the kids were smiling and having a great time and best of all Thomas didn’t sink his body into mine and try to hide!  His body language instantly relaxed and he was ready to jump in, and did, with another boy at a sand table.  

I really liked the classroom set up, the philosophy, that we had friends who had been through the program with both a child with special needs and one without, that all the teachers were either teacher educated or working towards an education degree and that the time was not 5 hours, but rather 2.5 to begin with the ability to add in a extra 2 hours with the stay and play option.  This way we could slowly transition Thomas into his classroom and to the longer days. 

Since starting Thomas hasn’t looked back. He is making new friends, learning so much everyday and the transition has been everything Mike and I could have hoped for. He always has stories to tell us about school and he is loving writing and having special pens/markers to write with.  We are so proud of our little guy and cannot wait to continue to support him as he learns and grows.