Andi’s exciting life.

After nearly two years of being with Falco for 99.8% of his waking hours, I was starting to think that another year before starting preschool sounded like a l-o-n-g time. He is so social and busy and energetic and thrives on routine, so it seems like he is ready for something like that now. All the preschools we’re considering don’t start until 2-1/2 years old at the youngest though, so I figured we would just wait until next fall. Then I got an email…

Someone posted to a local parents’ email list about a parent-run childcare co-op for kids 18 months to 3 years. They call it pre-preschool. The program is 9-12 Monday through Thursday, and your child can attend two or four mornings per week. Each parent works half the days their kid is there, so you have one or two workdays and one or two mornings of childcare. When I first read about it, I was interested but thought I wasn’t ready to leave Falco yet. But then I kept thinking about it for the rest of the day and mentioned it to Matt. He thought it sounded like a great idea, and I was starting to think so too.

Before I knew it, I was signed up for a tour after Labor Day and an info night later that same week. I really liked every parent and kid I met, so the only deciding factor was whether Falco would like it or not. His first time there, he kept going to the gate and saying, “Go!” which made me a little worried. I took him back for a second visit the next week, and he started playing well right away. I decided then and there that we were going to sign up for two mornings per week, and last we attended our first full morning!

This week, I left him for about 30 minutes while I went to have a coffee, and he did great. I think I’m going to stay with him most of the time for a couple more days and then try to leave him for at least two hours one morning next week. It’s a big step for both of us to be away from each other, but it’s only three hours per week. Now that he is entering the terrible twos (sorry, Falco, but it’s true), I think I need a break to keep my sanity, and I think this can help him build some independence. Also, since we don’t have any family around, it will be a good opportunity for Falco to build relationships with other adults.

Here is a movie of his first day of school. It’s hard to hear, but he is saying, “School, yeah! School, yeah!”