Proud Moment

This morning we took Cameron to tour his preschool for the fall. I was almost 100% I wanted to send him to this school, but I wanted to see how it runs for myself. Chris took the day off of work (which was great for all of us) so he could come and help with Ian.

When we arrived, the doors were locked. We loved that. It was reassuring, that even though this school is located inside a church in a safe neighborhood, they are taking no chances. They were able to see us by video, and then a secretary let us in. She took us to meet Ms. Lance, the preschool director. We then got a tour of every classroom (they have three for 3 year olds, two or three for 4 year olds, and one for 5 year olds), the large muscle room area, the library, and the office. We were very impressed by the amount of different options for the kids, and that all of children there seemed to really be enjoying themselves. We met all of the teachers, and saw that there is always a parent-aide in each classroom every day. This is a cooperative preschool, so part of the way they are able to keep costs down is to have every parent commit to spending 6 days in the classroom per school year. Definitely fine with me. :)

Cameron seemed to like it there a lot (so many toys!), and I really appreciated how well Ms. Lance interacted with him. The average amount of years the teachers have been at that preschool is 14 years, so they must enjoy their work. :) We decided to sign Cameron up on the spot (to snag one of the last remaining morning openings), and I filled out the paperwork. As I was doing that, Ms. Lance asked when Cameron's birthday is. I told her it's next month, and she looked really confused. I told her he'd be turning 3 in a few weeks. Her response was that she had assumed he was at least 3-1/2 based on his independence, verbal communication, and cooperation! As a mom, that was one of the best things I could have heard! It's hard to know exactly how your child measures up when they are your oldest. I don't much to compare with. Of course I think he's very bright, but it's wonderful to hear that from a seasoned professional. :)

Cameron starts in September, and he has already told us a few times that he wants to go back to school. I'm very excited for him. :)

Side note - I know preschool is not for every child. I believe that I could have definitely gone straight from being at home to kindergarten, but I was also a very verbal, social child. I know that Cameron is a very smart little boy, but I think right now for him the most important thing is for him to learn social skills among other children. He doesn't have a lot of opportunities to play with kids his age outside of his church class on Sundays. It will be great for him to learn to listen better, and to follow directions.