Can my 3 year old son go to preschool already?

You might see if he qualifies for a Head Start program designed for Hispanic children, depending on your income.

However, typically young children learn languages quite quickly, so as long as he is exposed to English before starting Kindergarten he should do fine.

Elementary schools generally offer bilingual classes here as well. Although it’s harder for the kids because there’s that much more to learn and all standardized testing will be administered only in English. There’s a lot of pressure to teach the areas that will be used on the test rather than actual comprehension. This is true for all kids, but doubly hard for those just learning the language.

If you can find a bilingual preschool or even one with teachers who at least have experience teaching language skills that might really help him get a jump on it before kindergarten.

@Darwin How should i look for that program? Head Start Program? didn’t find anything..

Here is a Head Start locater. Put in your city and state and locations near you should pop up.

You can also contact your local school district because sometimes Head Start is run on the grounds of existing public schools.

You probably SHOULDS get him in preschool so he can start learning English now before he starts Kindergarten.

Three years old is a great time for your child to start pre-school. It would be great for him to get more exposure to English and socializing before going to kindergarten. You could definitely see if he qualifies for Head Start, but even if not, look for a bilingual nursery school. I would even consider an English only school; he might be a little lost at first, but if the teacher is capable and attentive he will grow in understanding quickly. My son had a babysitter when he was two who spoke Italian to him and he learned to understand a lot of Italian.

If you get him in to preschool now, he will acquire English as a native and will probably grow up bilingual.

This is, of course, only if he is able to properly acculturate.

My sons are both English/Japanese bilingual; the eldest didn’t speak a word of English when he started preschool two years ago. Now, he prefers to communicate in English. we’ll be returning to Japan in a year or so to ensure that they don’t lose their Japanese.

I could be wrong but I would argue that from birth to about 5 he/she should be at home being schooled by his parents on how to live life. Life lessons are learned at home from family. If you have the option I would think that he/she would gain very valuable experience from learning from his/her parents and family members. He/she can learn to read English/Spanish/anything else later in school. I feel like to many parents put off raising children to the school system. Children can also be taught how to read, write, and anything else at home at a very young age. The bonding done at this early age is very important.

Just my 2¢

Most preschools start at 2 years and 9 months, so that would be fine. I agree with everyone that he will pick up English really quickly through sheer immersion. I worked in a preschool which had a three-year-old who spoke just Spanish, and one that spoke just Korean. The two became best friends, and they picked up Korean and Spanish, respectively:) Just make sure he makes English-speaking friends!

I think it’d be fine. I went to preschool when I was 3 turning 4. I didn’t know how to speak English as well. Your child will learn, since at young ages, it is easier to pick up languages. Also, I learned English from watching television, and I think preschool may have helped. =D

@missingbite: fair enough, but at that age it is also important to teach your child how to socialise and deal with other people.

In the UK, pre-school (nursery) only runs for two and a half hours a day. I can see it as only beneficial. It’s not like the state is raising the children – importantly, it gives the primary carer a break, and also introduces children to a situation where they have to manage their desires against the desires of other kids. It’s not a bad thing.

Here, a child is ready for preschool when he can use the potty.

@2late2be, pre-school also provides you opportunities to socialize with other parents with similar aged children. We are still friends with people we met during the preschool years, and the children are in college.

@the100thmonkey: I see your point. If it’s only a couple of hours a day, that’s one thing. I know people in the US that have their 3 year olds in “school” from 8 to 5. I think that is wrong. But like I said before, I’m no expert and could be wrong too!

@missingbite – out of curiosity… what should parents who work and have small children do during the day? (I don’t have kids, yet)

@funkdaddy – We sent our kids to Montessori school and day care, because the Montessori philosophy is pretty close to exactly what we would do with our kids at home. Since then I have been able to take early retirement so I have been able to be home for them for the last seven years.

@funkdaddy – I’m not sure I know the answer to that. I just feel that children should spend their early years at home with at least one parent. I don’t have kids yet either and part of the reason is my wife and I both want to work on careers. I believe some kids who grow up as latch key kids have a harder time in life. Not all! I won’t even say most! I just feel like kids under 5 should spend most of their time with parents if it’s possible. That’s why in my original post I said if it was possible, keep them at home.

If he is watching tv in English, he probably already knows a lot more than you think. I spoke Spanish at home first, then went to Montessori at about 3 or 4. English was no problem and I do not have an accent. In fact, keeping up with the Spanish is more difficult than English because there are not as many opportunities to practice. Don’t worry about the English, just keep a positive attitude and this will be communicated to him as well. Buena suerte.