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Health & Fitness

Summer School for My Child: Thoughts Are Needed

Is year 'round school the right way to be competitive (even starting at preschool age)?

Summer is approaching, and that means that my husband and I have some decisions to make. Here is our quandary.Β 

Our daughter, who turned 3 years old in January, has been attending a daycare/preschool since she was about 2 1/2 years old. We enrolled her so she would have less mommy and more social interactions with kids her own age. She adjusted very well. We started out 3 mornings a week. Then we progressed to 3 full days. She again did very well. She has now been going for a full week and still loves it. She has made many friends there. It is sometimes difficult to even get her to come home.

Here is our debate:

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I have been a stay at home mom since she was born. I am now considering going back to work. So, do we want her to have structured learning/play all year round and stay enrolled for summer school, or take a break from classroom learning and just play at home? Summer means pools, sandboxes, water parks, swing sets, amusement parks, family time, etc. That is what summer is all about to me, but we want what is best for her, in the short run and long run.

We are now faced with making a decision as to whether to keep her in school for the summer or let her be at home. I see benefits of both options. She has definitely benefited from the world around her in school. She has certainly thrived in a structured play environment but is there such a thing as too much school?Β  She will be enrolled in preschool starting in the summer (they transition at year end). She will be able to go into pre-k in January 2013. Will she lose what she has gained if we keep her home? Will she get burned out from school and have a bad feeling about school when she gets into kindergarten and older if she stays enrolled? Thus our quandary.

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We would love to find out about what other families (working and non working families) are doing for the summer. What do you think?

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