Last week we decided to take Lily out of the Coop Preschool and transfer her to a new preschool. Can I just tell you how I agonized about this decision?!? Seriously. I have a special gift for making simple things difficult and I truly didn't think this was a "simple thing".
I'm embarrassed to admit this, but when I thought about preschools for Lily this year the Coop was foremost in my mind and for very selfish reasons. I wanted to be able to work in Lily's classroom. I didn't give enough thought to what would happen on the days I wasn't in the classroom.
Each day there are 4 Parent Helpers with the teacher. The Parent Helpers rotate each class and no time in the next 3 months would the same 4 Parent Helpers be in the classroom at the same time. Therein lies the problem. Our girl is a consistency/predictability junkie (like mother like daughter). I know that and normally I do my best to provide it. So, WHAT was I thinking????
Lily was experiencing a fair amount of anticipatory anxiety before going to school and then having pretty emotional afternoons after school. I know any change takes a little time to get used to, but what I realized is that neither one of us was comfortable or happy at the Coop. Truth be told, as much as we both LOVED the 2 year old program...I didn't like all the "moving parts" in the 3 year old program and, more importantly, neither did Lily.
With the rotating parents in the classroom there isn't an opportunity to really get to know and connect with each child. That's important to me and it's also important to Lily. I'm sure there are plenty of kids in the class who had no idea what parents were or weren't in the classroom on any given day. Lily is NOT one of those kids.
All that being said, I do think it's a good idea for Lily and I to spend a little time apart (emphasis on little). So, I looked into some of the other area preschools and found one I think will be a good fit for our family.
Lily's new preschool is super structured and has the same teacher and three aides each day. It also helps that Lily knows 4 of the other children in her new class. Oh, and another plus is that Lily will be attending the afternoon session.
The afternoon start time definitely fits better in our life. To put it mildly, Lily is NOT a morning person. Girlfriend normally wakes up around 8:00 - 8:30 and knows only one speed in the morning...slow motion! Having to rush her out the door to get to school by 9:00 didn't make for a fun morning. This way we can spend the morning together, have lunch, and then head to school.
There is a downside. I won't be working in the classroom at all. I can't tell you how sad that makes me. But, as long as Lily feels safe and secure, that is a trade-off I am willing to make.
Oh, I almost forgot the most important thing about Lily's new preschool. She needs to have her own lunchbox to bring a snack. Can I just tell you how excited she was to buy a lunchbox??? Ahh...life's simple pleasures! Just look at how happy she is sporting her new accessory.
I should mention that there were a few tears yesterday when I dropped Lily off. But, when I picked her up she was so excited and happy and had a great afternoon. Today, Lily asked me when she could go back to her new preschool. Ahhh...music to my ears!
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