{Disclaimer: We are working with Davis Studio to bring you this post, however, all opinions are our own!}
Dear Diary,
We did it. I’m a little shocked, but we made the decision.
Caroline is going to preschool in the fall!
I know, I know, she seems a little young doesn’t she? She will only be 2 ½ years old. I thought we would wait another full year before she would go to school because she doesn’t turn 3 years old until February. But, I ended up attending an open house at Davis Studio for their brand new preschool opening this fall and well, it was love! I loved it, but more importantly she loved it.
It’s no secret that BurlingtonVT Moms Blog loves Davis Studio and that we have had an ongoing partnership. So when the owner, Teresa Davis, emailed us about their new preschool program in June, Tara, Tasha and I knew that one of us needed to check it out. We wanted to not only see the preschool but to see the whole building, as Davis Studio had just moved to a beautiful large space that they own on Shelburne Road. It worked in my schedule to go, so I left Augie with Jason (my husband), and brought Caroline with me. It was our first one-on-one outing, since Augie’s birth in May.
I’ve always known Davis studio for both their kids and teen/adult art classes, as well as for their camps. Their programming is top notch and there is something for everyone. It’s a place where you don’t need to feel like you are an “artist” to feel comfortable trying something new.
I assumed their preschool would be good, but I was amazed by how great it is!
The preschool is located on the top floor of their new building. The bottom floor houses their classes and programming and a delicious cafe. You can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be stopping at the cafe either after I have dropped off or picked up Caroline, because it’s so convenient, I won’t have to make ANOTHER stop with a toddler and infant to get something yummy to drink and eat.
The preschool space is new, clean and made specifically for little explorers. There are too many details to list, so I took some pictures to paste in here.
Caroline was most excited about the musical instruments, the play kitchen/house area, the art area and the science area.
When we went to the Open House, I honestly was not looking to sign Caroline up. In fact, Jason has voiced some reservations about preschool in general because I’m at home with her.
I try to do a good job of providing Caroline with enriching activities and know that for at least the next year, what I can do for her is good enough. But the moment we walked through the door, it just felt right.
Caroline instantly was drawn to the staff. After a little bit of transition, she actually engaged with the teachers more than she was with me, which is not normal! My family jokes, but I am her favorite play thing. It seemed that each time she turned around there was a new awesome thing to do or explore. She really liked looking at shells through magnifying glasses.
The more I learned about the program, the more I loved it. Davis Studio is offering two different preschool classrooms. The first is for 2-3.5-year-olds and will be offered Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 to 11:30 am. The second is for 3.5-5-year-olds and will be offered Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 to 11:30 am. There will be 4 teachers in the classroom with 20 children total, so a 1 to 5 ratio. The students and teachers will spend a great deal of time outside and exploring both indoors and out through art, play, and exploration.
They provide “sputino,” little lunch, each day for the children as well. I was also told Caroline does not need to be potty trained and they will work with us to supplement what we are doing at home in the classroom. Oh and the tuition for the program is super reasonable!
So here was my thought process. Caroline will be 2.5 years old in the fall. Ever since Augie was born 9 weeks ago, she is glued to me. Like literally, I’m the only one allowed to do anything for her. She loves being around other kiddos and doing fun activities, but often she needs me or Jason to be there doing them with her, and prefers playing with me or Jason over her peers.
Right now, it often feels that Augie is just along for the ride, and one of my biggest fears as a mom of two, is not getting enough one-on-one time with him.
Also, trying to parent two and work from home hasn’t been easy, and I feel like something has got to give.
By Caroline going to Davis Studio two mornings for 7 hours a week total, my hopes are that Caroline gains some independence from me while building strong healthy attachments with other positive adult role models (the social worker coming out in me!). I want her to learn from and explore different activities that I wouldn’t think to offer. I’d love for her to make new friends and start to develop the skills to be confident and interact and negotiate with her peers (instead of standing there quietly not knowing what to do when another child takes a toy from her.) Learning how a classroom works and the expectations to be part of a classroom community will be crucial for when she is older and entering kindergarten.
And most importantly, I want her to love school and want to go there. I believe Davis Studio offers all of these things.
And selfishly, the 7 hours a week will give me 7 hours of time with just Augie, enjoying him for who he is, rather than sometimes feeling like I need to tend to him as fast as I can so that I can meet Caroline’s needs as well. It would also be amazing to be able to schedule work meetings during these mornings, because an infant in a carrier is a whole heck of a lot easier to have with you than an independent fun loving toddler who doesn’t want to stay still!
I didn’t make this decision alone. Jason and I talked about it long and hard, and we both agreed that Caroline should start preschool in the fall. I know we would not have come to the same conclusion if it hadn’t been Davis Studio who was offering the opportunity.
This does not mean I am not super anxious about the decision and already fear the tears, from both Caroline and I, that will be shed once the program starts… but I’ll table that for another day.
I’m thinking in the meantime Caroline and I will go back to Davis Studio during their next two Open Houses being held on Sunday, July 24th from 10 am to 2 pm and Sunday, August 7th from 10 am to 2 pm to continue to explore and become familiar with the space and the staff. Here’s hoping for a good transition!
[…] to talk about how Caroline, our 2.5 year old daughter, is doing in school. It went great. She has transitioned well into the classroom. Don’t get me wrong, some mornings are rough, but most are good. […]