It happens every year to all working families. The dreaded scourge of summer vacation. Public and private preschools will customarily change hours of operation and curriculum with the advent of summer and kindergarten is definitely out till September. Many times parents are left short of the hours of care they may still require,since very few of us work anything but our regular schedule all year round.
The question is then: what is a good summer program for your 2 to 5 year old children, a good place for them to be while you and your spouse work hard to pay the bills?
Many preschools will accept kindergarten aged children over the summer and do adjust their curriculum for their particular needs. This also allows for enrolling siblings together at the same facility, making transitions much less stressful for them and usually garnering you a very welcome sibling discount. So firstly, try to find a program that will accommodate siblings and provide a sufficiently interesting environment for the older child.
It’s important that the school or camp provide for lots of time outside. It’s Summer! There should be lots of warm weather outside activities planned, conversely there should also be fun indoor alternatives for when the weather turns stormy.
There should be fun staff willing to really engage the children in fun and educational activities, your child should never be bored while there. This is what you are paying them for and you are right to expect them to exert themselves in keeping the children occupied.
The preschool or camp should be reasonably easy to get to, preferably somewhere along your morning and evening commute to ensure easy pick ups and drop offs.
A little research and following these simple guidelines should ensure that your child/children have a fun and productive summer.
For a (great) good preschool summer program contact Building Blocks Play Group and see what we have to offer