Monday, May 23, 2011

Dealing With It

Last week I took LP for her kindergarten visit.

Everything looked so small.

Except my daughter; she looked so big! How is it even possible that my round-cheeked, chubby-legged little baby is turning five in a few short days?

Another eye-opening thing at the orientation was how many stay-at-home moms there are. I know they exist, and while I don't envy them (to me, being a SAHM is way harder than a "work in the office" mom), I don't necessarily feel like I have a lot in common with them.

For example, there as one woman that was jumping out of her seat to be a Brownie troop leader.

There is also the challenge of after-school care.

The district we are moving into offers full day and extended day kindergarten. Despite the names, full day is school until 3:30 four days a week and extended day is school until 3:30 twice a week and until 1:10 three days a week.

The extended day option boggles my mind. If your kid comes home early do you play with them for an extra two hours? Take them to a music class or something? Are two extra hours of stimulation with other children too much?

LP (and AK) have been going to day care from 8:30 until 5 since they were 3 months old. The idea of having them home at 3:30 seems early.

I have already starting setting the stage at the office for a work schedule where I will be able to meet her at home from the bus. However, there is the sticky wicket of Wednesday. Every single kindergarten class ends at 1:10 on Wednesdays. I think this is a relic of the half day kindergarten days (thank goodness we don't have to worry about THAT) but I am really not sure of the purpose. Other than to make working parents run around like crazy people to get a strategy together.

Of course, my first option, after care at the school for two hours, is full. We are on a waiting list. My second option of having her bussed to the same center AK will be at for day care is cancelling its program for lack of interest. I am starting to think about hiring a babysitter to meet LP at the bus and hand out with her for a few hours. Of course, this is complicated by actually finding a babysitter. Further complicated by the fact that we will not actually live in the community for another 10 weeks.

ACK! It is enough to make my head hurt. A lot.

What sort of crazy machinations do they have in your town? What solutions have you come up with?

3 comments:

Robyn said...

Bear will be in "full" day kindergarten in the fall - but it goes only until 3:30, like yours. His school offers "after care" for a price, but I felt kind of badly about him having to stay at school until 5:00 (or as late as they allow you, I'm not even sure).

I really ended up lucking out. My neighbor's house (where's he's at daycare currently) is the bus stop. Her 3rd grade son, also on the bus, will get him off and walk him into their house where he'll play with his other friends and brother until 5:30. PHEW!!!!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tiffany said...

Sorry - that previous comment was from me but I was on our work email and forgot to sign out.

We either have full day kindergarten which is from 8:30 to 3:30 4 days and from 8:30 to 11:30 on Friday. My husband is luckily enough to work in a relaxed office so he is able to pick her from Mon - Thursday at 3:30 and then she goes to work with him for the rest of the day. On Friday's her daycare provider (who has her younger sister) picks her up at 11:30 and then she is at daycare the rest of the day. She is very excited about going into 1st grade next year so no more daycare (except on holidays, or no school days, when mom and dad have to work.