The day is coming. I feel like I have been talking/praying/thinking about this for so long, and now it's almost here. Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. I start day 1 of my cosmetology degree. Wednesday morning I also have to take Violet to her first day of preschool/daycare.
Thinking about putting Violet in a daycare started out as a really hard decision for us to make. Being that I had been involved in the public school system for several years, I have been "blessed" to see the inner workings both good and bad. Thinking about having Violet placed somewhere where her needs weren't being met absolutely broke my heart. I knew what to ask and what to look for, so I knew that I would know the right place for her.
Violet has been home for 2 years. I have been incredibly blessed with a husband that has a strong will to provide for his wife and his family, and I got lucky enough to only work a few months here and there (until recently) throughout Violet's first couple years of life. When Josh and I made the decision for me to seriously pursue my cosmetology degree, I was praying that God would carry us in the same way that he carried our decision involving my education. I was not afraid for her to be in school; she is two and she really needs to have peer relationships. Violet has mastered the child/adult relationship, but the simple fact is that we just don't hang out with that many kids her age. She does well with the kids at church, but that has become more inconsistent now that I have gone back to work. Knowing this about her, I was looking for a school that could offer those kinds of relationships while still offering her a challenging and encouraging education.
I can't say that we look through hundreds of schools and found dead ends at every corner. Knowing our daughter well and knowing what our families beliefs and standards were, we knew that we wanted her in a Christian preschool. I can't say that at first we knew this, because it was actually my grandmother who said, "Why don't you look into a church school?" Why didn't I think of that? Our first option was your everyday run-of-the-mill Kindercare. The school was great, the teachers were great, everything was great but something just felt like it wasn't right. As soon as my grandmother had offered her advice, it clicked. I did some serious research, we found the right school, and she starts Wednesday!
A few things that I can offer up for anyone in the same position is:
-Know your child and know what kind of school they will flourish in. If they like art, put them in a daycare/preschool that does really great art, etc. Don't sign your kid up for a fancy schmancy school just because it's prestigious.
-Ask a LOT of questions. Teachers and directors are used to that. You might feel crazy, but trust me, it's better to know that not know.
-Check in. Talk to your kids about how their day was, what they did, etc. If they don't seem to be "getting along," then maybe start looking into different options.
-Think about what means a lot to you and your family when you think about a school. What's important to you? Do you have beliefs or standards that carry in to where you want your child to go? Brainstorm everything. It can be a really exciting process!
Wish me luck on Wednesday, friends. It's going to be a lot harder for me than it is Violet.
