Preschool musings

Recently the mother of one of Isaac's playgroup pals asked me if we had signed Isaac up for preschool yet. I said no, because we aren't planning to send him to preschool for at least a year -- not until he's at least two and a half, and probably more like three. That's why it's time to apply now, she said -- the waiting list for good schools is at least a year long.

Part of me doesn't believe that the preschool arms race exists out here in the suburbs -- this isn't Manhattan, or even San Francisco. On the other hand, if enough aggressively competitive parents believe it exists, then it does. I can imagine that a certain type of affluent suburban parent may even want it to exist, because then they've got another way to compete with one another. So I guess I could do a reality check -- call a few schools that we like just to see what the waiting list is like. The trouble is, what schools do we like? I haven't given a whole lot of thought to my Preschool Philosophy yet.

My first thought is that I'd prefer a play-based rather than an academic preschool. I don't think that Isaac needs to be formally educated yet, so school should mostly be for fun. I do think I'd like an environment that encourages learning and curiosity, though, so there should be some structure -- I'm not interested in sticking him in front of the TV down at the neighborhood home-based daycare.

Am I contradicting myself? I don't want him educated, but I want him to learn? I mean that he shouldn't be drilled on the names of the months in Spanish (or English, for that matter), but it would be okay if they demonstrated to him that the moon has phases. Please don't try to make him learn the names of the great artists, but it's great to have art prints on the classroom wall. They shouldn't teach him "reading readiness," but they should read to him. At the very least, school shouldn't destroy the love of learning that he already has. Is that too much to expect? For some reason, I'm beginning to feel worried about it.

Dear reader, what's your child's preschool like?