Entry into the Toronto Preschool System

With the toddler telling us she was bored at home we knew we had to explore the downtown Toronto preschool options and I wasn’t looking forward to the task. I didn’t even know where to start and so I went to Google. Maps. Yes. Maps. I found three spots that were relatively close by and called them with the expectation that I’d have to wait a year to get Little Monkey in or have them laugh in my face when I told them that I wanted her in school in a week’s time. What do you know… two out of the three had openings! Check out this government link which will help you find child care (from infant to school age!) options in your neighbourhood.

On October 1st Little Monkey and I visited spot #1 (Mothercraft) and I loved everything about it and was told there’s a good chance we might be able to split the week with another parent. That same afternoon we visited spot #2 with Baby Boy and the hubs in tow. A bit of a dingy spot and further from home but Little Monkey was won over by the fact that they had a trampoline. It really is the simple things! She wanted “school #2” which was a half day program and had openings but would be closing within the next year due to building renovations.

We went with option #2 and the best part was that they have a school bus program and we’d gain an extra hour in travel time. In addition these guys had a morning and afternoon program which meant that we can continue to sleep in during the mornings and have her out of the house during lunch time. Total win. She was excited and we’d toured the place together so the next two weeks were spent TALKING about going to school and how ‘big girls go to school’.

Day #1 saw me on the bus with her and I spent half the time in the class with her where she told me she was bored! Go FIGURE! I snuck out for a walk and returned to find her crying. Day #2 was full blown crying as we put her on the bus and the poor driver told us she cried the whole way there and then passed out on the way back. The teachers called us to tell us that she cried the whole time at school as well. Ah well.. tomorrow is another day is what we said. Day #3 was similar to day 2. She said she didn’t eat anything or talk to anyone or do anything. Fair enough, she was honest at least!

We enrolled in a 3 day program and don’t let the half day Toronto preschool concept fool you – they’re only in class for two hours and that’s considered half day! We chose to keep her at home on Mondays and Fridays because those tend to be our travel days when we take extended weekend trips and we’d have to pay even if she weren’t attending. The school recommended consecutive days to ensure she has some resemblance of a regular schedule and also warned us that it may take a week or two for the crying to stop. Well week two came and it was just as brutal with scream, yells, tears and wailing. Week three things got better but we had visitors at home that week and she wasn’t too excited about missing the fun. However the tears had stopped and she even had a nibble at school and brought home some artwork. We also had someone from their school pop by for a home visit which was very interesting. It was great for Little Monkey to see her in our home and this made things more comfortable I believe. In addition we got the inside scoop on how Little Monkey was doing in school and how she’s strong willed, has a verbose vocabulary for her age, only watches activities without participating and how another girl has taken Little Monkey under her wings.

Week 4 and it’s “I love school” “School is fun”. Our journey into the education system has begun and I’m glad of the three hours of peace I get to run errands (Baby Boy gets a well timed nap during the same time slot) or meet with clients. The hubs and I are lucky that we get to drop her off and pick her up together as a family and while this may not last forever, we’ve been doing it for the last month. We’ve got a system and she takes a quick nap on the way home so she isn’t as cranky come night time.

Living in a city I expected it to be a difficult journey but getting into the Toronto Preschool system hasn’t been too difficult. Getting into the regular public school program is our next daunting task…where to begin?