Oh my goodness! I can't believe I just typed that as my title!
But yes folks' it is true! Yesterday we enrolled Ava in a pre-school program at a local church that will start in Aug!
My how time flies! I feel like it was only yesterday I was nursing this sweet little one and changing her precious "breast milk poo" diapers! ( those who have been there get my drift!).......And now we are entering the preschool world!
We were not sure if we were really going to go the whole pre-school route with her or not. But after much thought and prayer we have realized the needs of our child! ......She has a HUGE thirst for learning. Lately she has been so frustrated when she picks up her books and can't read them. I have been told by other parents of young readers that this is the first step in teaching them to read ......they have to be ready and willing. ( this will be our new journey at home, because I am well aware that reading is not part of the curriculum for pre-school!)
Ava caught on very quickly to learning her alphabet letters, and can tell you what sound each letter makes and sometimes a word that goes with each letter! ( sorry....yes I am very proud of the little darlin'!)
Not only does she have a thirst for learning she is a very social child and LOVES social interaction with other children! So we felt it was important that she start learning to interact with other children in a more structured environment.
.............Now don't think I am throwing her in pre-school for them to take all of the work off of me at home and let them do it. ( a common misconception!)
This is a very laid back program, and at this age {3} it really is more fun and play for them at school. She will only go 4 half days a week! That is what I LOVE! She will still have plenty of time at home with her momma! She will have to stay 2 days a week all day ( till I get off work!) ......But still all in all we are thrilled for Ava to get to learn and grow in this new experience. She was more than thrilled about going to visit her new school yesterday.
I am a very strong believer that every child is different and has different needs. So what is right for one may not be right for another. To be honest I was very reluctant to make this move because I wanted to make sure I was being a good steward of my time with her at home, and .......well this kind of thing cost money, so I did not want to be wasting money.
.....for a little bit of history, I started working part time ( 2 days a week) about a year ago, for the purpose of being called to be at home more with my family. I have absolutely LOVED every minute of this. Ava currently goes to a home sitter on the days that I am working. We have been BEYOND blessed with Mrs. Rachel. .....So naturally it would have been easy for me to just let her stay there for two days and then be with me the other days. ( which has been fun and exciting!)
But, I saw needs in Ava. The need to be with other kids, playing, learning, growing and experiencing new things!
So we shall see how this goes, and as always we will re-evaluated the situation as needed.
I will leave you with some pictures of our {Sweet Summetime!!!}
I think this is my FAVORITE pic of the summer so far! hahaha
