Daycare, preschool, kindy & montessori

I know Toni has Caitlin in a daycare type place out that way somewhere, not sure of the details but she might be able to help as I know she did a lot of looking around out there.

Maya went to Montessori and thrived there, other posters are right that it IS a very structured environment but they also have a big focus on literacy and learning which suited Maya as she tends towards being an academic kid. When she started school in Feb she was reading and writing well and is now in the top reading group in her class (on her own lol!). Part of that is that she is quite bright but I do put a lot of the credit on Montessori for nurturing that.

The structure was neither here nor there for her, she would adjust well either way, but i think the gremlins will benefit from the structured environment as they have completely different personalities and *need* structure and rules.

Maya's Montessori takes them from 2 but we won't start the gremlins till they are 3 as I think 2 is too young for such a structured routine.

As for the difference between daycare/kindy/preschool, for me personally daycare is for kids 0-5 and is open longer hours for kids who's parents work, kindy is the public sessional thingie where they do 3 afternoons a week etc. and preschool is like kindy but private. Just my own perceptions tho! Maya's Montessori was kind of a cross between a preschool and a daycare coz they took kids from 2, whereas most preschools only take them from 3, plus they were open 8am-4pm and kids could go full time which is more like a daycare.

I don't know of any Montessori in Akld that do, don't know of elsewhere. Most don't take them till 3, Maya's one was unusual.

I have heard that Montessori is only from 3 (something to do with the stage the child is at), as it is so structured and an infacnt can't really cope with THAT much structure.

The daycare Andrew used to go to also had a Montessori and sometimes the teachers from there would come and relieve at the daycare and they expected quite a lot from the daycare kids - very strange. Not my cup of tea - but it works for others.

a creche is like(to me) ...where people drop their kids off to be babysat..like at a gym etc..

i dunno it just irks teachers when parents call it that:) though you are right it probably means the same thing to me it was different:)   

mummy_becks wrote: I have heard that Montessori is only from 3 (something to do with the stage the child is at), as it is so structured and an infacnt can't really cope with THAT much structure.

Nope, according to the NZ Montessori site there is an infant programme for 0-2 that is run overseas but there are no centres in NZ that offer it.

Foxxy - I tend to agree with you re: creche, I think of creches as drop in type places like at gyms or shopping centres.

Yay Julie from the preschool i want to put Lycan into rang yesterday and they have a opening for him to start in the over 2's section next term....so we are going to start visiting them once a week till the holidays so he gets an idea of the place then he will start going twice a week in the mornings for term 3 and once he gets used to that i will look at increasing his hours in term 4....I am so pleased about that!

Lucy started Montersorri at the age of 2. Next term she is going 3 afternoons a week instead of 2.

She is thriving and learning so much. Her personality has changed and we are noticing a huge improvement.