Spinoff: What do you call your "Preschooler"???

[Jay3fer]

This is a spinoff from the preschool forum-requesting one, because lately, the term "preschooler" has begun to annoy me more and more.

 

For those parents who do not intend to send their child(ren) to school, what do you call then when they are between "toddler" and "kindergarten" age??? Do you still use the term preschooler because it's handy?

 

To me, it speaks volumes about the mentality out there. In our fairly affluent neighbourhood (we live in a teeny bungalow on the outskirts!), it's standard to start kids in "school" between age 1 and 2 and never look back. The parents go all gooey about how educational the programs are, but it basically looks like daycare to me.

 

So I am now avoiding the term wherever possible - I don't want to look like I'm buying in at ALL.

 

How about you???

This is actually somewhat relevant also because I have to give a talk next week on "homeschooling the preschool years" which I changed to "learning with little ones," because it bugged me so much.

 

Am I the only one?

[Jen500]

When my kids were that age I just referred to them by age (my four year old). I never called them preschoolers.

[Chris in VA]

Preschoolers, little ones, or by age, depending on the circumstance. Usually I wouldn't refer to MY little one as a preschooler, just used the term to identify a group by age. I can totally see your objection.

[ondreeuh]

I call him a preschooler ... I don't read much into it personally, it's just a label that identifies him as between 3-5 years old.

[Joyofsixreboot]

I refer to her as my 4yo. She does, however, go to pre-school. Which now that you mention it is a weird name. Nursery school is better.

[Paige]

I never think of the term preschooler as meaning a child who attends preschool. To me, it simply means a child who is pre-(before) school (school age).

[butterflymommy]

I call her a monster! :lol:

[Wabi Sabi]

I call him a preschooler ... I don't read much into it personally, it's just a label that identifies him as between 3-5 years old.

 

I never think of the term preschooler as meaning a child who attends preschool. To me, it simply means a child who is pre-(before) school (school age).

 

Yep. She's no longer a toddler, she's not yet school aged: she's a preschool aged child, therefore a "preschooler." No hidden meaning or agenda! :D

[Amie]

I guess I've never given it much thought. I've usually just said "my son" or "my little boy" or "my 4 (or 5) year old". Now that I think about it, I probably haven't used the word "preschooler" so much because it makes me think of kids who actually attend a preschool...not that that is true, its just what it makes me think of from the way I hear it used in my area. (Preschool isn't assumed in my area--it isn't as big of a deal--so you might use the word to differentiate a child who attends one).

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

I call him a preschooler ... I don't read much into it personally, it's just a label that identifies him as between 3-5 years old.

 

:iagree: Though I occasionally said my youngest was in K4, only because he was doing K or 1st grade work by then (his idea). :001_smile:

[Ellie]

By their ages--my 3yo, my 4yo, etc.

 

I refer to my older dc by their ages, too, not their grade levels, which is something that bugs me as much as "preschooler" bugs you. :)

[Embassy]

I never think of the term preschooler as meaning a child who attends preschool. To me, it simply means a child who is pre-(before) school (school age).

 

:iagree:

[Dinsfamily]

Yep. She's no longer a toddler, she's not yet school aged: she's a preschool aged child, therefore a "preschooler." No hidden meaning or agenda! :D

 

:iagree: I don't have any problem with calling my pre-school-aged child a preschooler. I don't really understand the controversy with the term.

 

I will say that when I lived in the Bay Area, I was often questioned because I was the only one not sending my 2 yr old to preschool. They couldn't understand my decision to keep him home (which didn't have anything to do with homeschooling). Here, in TX, we know many families who keep their preschoolers at home and send them off to PS or private K. A lot send their 4 yos but not all, and it is uncommon for 2yos to attend unless it is daycare.

Edited April 30, 2012 by Dinsfamily
Fixing Autocorrect

[craftyerin]

mine are preschoolers. the whole lot of them. :D

[Ellie]

I will say that when I lived in the Bay Area, I was often questioned because I was the only one not sending my 2 yr old to preschool. They couldn't understand my decision to keep him home (which didn't have anything to do with homeschooling). Here, in TX, we know many families who keep their preschoolers at home and send them off to PS or private K. A lot send their 4 yos but not all, and it is uncommon for 2yos to attend unless it is daycare.

I moved to Texas from San José. :) I'm thinking that so many people have to have two incomes to pay their mortgages that it's much more common for young children to be in daycare, KWIM? And so even the ones who don't need the second income send their dc because so many others do...it's the norm.

[boscopup]

I call them preschoolers. They're pre-school aged. They're not school aged yet. When they're in K, they're school aged. Before that, they're pre-school.

 

Not everyone here sends their kids to preschool though. Many do, but not all. When DS went to private school K, about half the class had gone to preschool (and you honestly couldn't tell which ones - there was zero difference).

 

Around here, if your kid is in "school" at age 1 or 2, it's because you need daycare, and a lot of people call it "school" instead of "daycare". They only do that if they need to work though. They might do Mom's Morning Out a few days a week, but that's not full day.

[MinivanMom]

I have always referred to my young children by their age, so my dd4 is "my 4-year-old" whenever I talk about her in conversation. I often refer to my school-aged children by the grade they would be in public school, because it's simply easier when talking to public school parents. I've never referred to them as "preschoolers", because they didn't attend preschool.

 

In our area it's common to refer to kids as attending K-2, K-3, or K-4 depending on their age. I also hear parents referring to daycare as "school" for the under-2 set. For example, "I'm planning to drop by Zoe's school at lunch to breastfeed her," said in reference to a 3-month-old.

[Dinsfamily]

I moved to Texas from San José. :) I'm thinking that so many people have to have two incomes to pay their mortgages that it's much more common for young children to be in daycare, KWIM? And so even the ones who don't need the second income send their dc because so many others do...it's the norm.

 

I agree with you and there is a much different vibe here in Tx. I'm wondering if community expectations are a factor contributing to the heated preschoolers forum thread. I'm sure there are many more, though. It was strange to me how unacceptable my choice was among my circle of moms.

[Seeking Squirrels]

I use the term preschooler. I don't think it necessarily implies that she is attending preschool or that she will be attending ps soon. I don't think I really call her my preschooler, though. More a description of where we are in homeschooling. When I'm referring to her, I usually say my 3yo. If it was a homeschooling discussion, I'd probably say "I'm doing xyz with my preschooler" For next year, I've mostly been using PreK.

[Rosie_0801]

I think 'preschooler' is a useful term because a five year old could be in preK or K and there is quite a difference in people's expectations of each.

 

Rosie

[momtoamiracle]

I"ve never used the term preschooler, just by my son's age. No prejudice against it, nobody I know uses the term, whether they go to preschool or not.

[rockermom]

I call her a monster! :lol:

 

LOL... my first instinct was to answer with "Robbie". ;)

[MelissaMinNC]

This is a spinoff from the preschool forum-requesting one, because lately, the term "preschooler" has begun to annoy me more and more.

 

 

I mostly call him "Josh" but sometimes "Trouble." ;)

 

Seriously, the term "preschooler" doesn't bother me much - he's pre-school age, so yeah I probably use that term occasionally, for convenience - though it doesn't come up much, honestly.

 

It does annoy me that it seems to be becoming standard for people to start sending their kids to "school" SO young, and for so many days/hours. It's hard to even find a preschool program for age 2 or 3 that's not 4 days a week - why would a 2 yo need 16 hours of schooling a week?

 

BUT - whatever. To each his own. I know plenty of people think I'm crazy for homeschooling, so...I can't worry about other peoples' opinions about this stuff, I have enough trouble trying to just keep us moving forward. :)

[Jpoy85]

I call her my 4yr old. :)

[ALB]

I call him a "preschooler" and have never thought twice about it! :tongue_smilie:

[Caitilin]

:lol:I call mine "Badness"--and sometimes Gideon. :tongue_smilie: "Preschooler" doesn't bother me, though the renaming of daycares as "schools" drives me bananas!

[pitterpatter]

I never have used the term with DD...she's never been in preschool. Guess one could say home-preschooler. When we started home-schooling her this past fall, we considered her a kindergartener since that's the level of work she did. When talking to people, though, we just said she was four.

[Joyofsixreboot]

:lol:I call mine "Badness"--and sometimes Gideon. :tongue_smilie: "Preschooler" doesn't bother me, though the renaming of daycares as "schools" drives me bananas!

 

Oh my! I misread "Badness":lol: Time for more coffee.

[BinahYeteirah]

"Preschooler" doesn't bother me, though the renaming of daycares as "schools" drives me bananas!

 

This is my thought. I sometimes refer to my four-year-old as a preschooler. I'm not sure what the alternative term would be when my older kids insist on categorizing him. He'd be insulted to be lumped together with his one-year-old sister as a "toddler". What I can't understand is how a kid can be a preschooler, yet attending "school". :confused: Me thinks these "schools" are not really schools.

[stripe]

I use the term "young child." But I probably don't categorize this way too often.

 

Near me there are daycares called "colleges" or "universities." Yuck.

[blondeviolin]

I refer to him by age. Everyone I know is in the process of enrolling all of their 3- and 4-year-olds in "school" and I think it's absurd. :001_huh:

[BinahYeteirah]

Near me there are daycares called "colleges" or "universities." Yuck.

 

I haven't heard of any daycares named "universities", but I often laugh at the "academies". I don't know, it just sounds pretentious.

[Jess4879]

I have never called my kids preschoolers. We just call them by their given names.:lol:

[Dinsfamily]

I haven't heard of any daycares named "universities", but I often laugh at the "academies". I don't know, it just sounds pretentious.

 

I wonder if the "universities," "colleges," and "academies" are more academic oriented. Here we have a lot of Mother's Day Out programs which a lot consider preschool but are very play-based. We send our 4yos to a "Kid's Day Out" program because they have awesome in-house field trips and it is a fun year bore starting Kinder at home. We actually attend the activities every year because the director is big on supporting homeschooling families and welcomes all of my kids whether we have one enrolled or not.