The Settlement Preschool

Before being a parent, I thought for sure I wouldn't end up being one of those parents that stresses out about things like getting my child into the right preschool.  But alas, things changed drastically when I actually became a parent.  I became "that parent" that was worried about preschool!  In my defense, I think it's pretty universal to think that most parents want the best for their children.

In an ideal situation, we would have loved for Amelia to be in a Montessori school.  However, our town is small and there is only one Montessori school in the area.  Even then, it would have been a 30+ minute drive for me (one way) and very pricey.  We looked at a lot of other options, asked other parents, did long, in depth Internet searches, and visited schools. 

We found an amazing school called The Settlement.  It's been in Clarksville for many years and we loved it as soon as we walked through the doors.  The campus serves children from 6 weeks all the way up to Kindergarten.

What I like best about The Settlement is that there is only one class for each age group.  This means there is only one 3-4 year old class in the entire school.  Amelia's class consists of a total of nine students and has two teachers.  I like that it's so personal and they can really focus on the children.

Getting admission wasn't as stressful as I thought it would be.  Coming from DC and hearing horror stories from my mom friends out there had me prepared for the worst.  However, since we started the process so early (last February) we were able to get one of the coveted nine slots in the 3-4 year old class.  When Alex turns three, his admission will be much easier.  He will be considered a "legacy" and will automatically get a spot since he is a sibling.

Amelia's first day of school will actually be on her 3rd birthday, August 20th.  Because of this, she will be the youngest student in her class.  She only made the age cut off by 10 days! Those 10 days were the difference of her starting this year rather than next year.

This worries me a little bit because she is such a sensitive, emotional child.  However, she is very intelligent, gregarious, and focused. I think she will be able to keep up with the older children just fine.  In addition, in preparation for preschool, I've been taking her to an hourly care program on Fort Campbell once a week.  She has been going for almost a year and has been thriving in her class.

Her schedule will be Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8:45am-12:15pm.  In the grand scheme of things it's not a very long time, but I feel it's just the beginning of the long process letting her go.  As silly as it may seem, I will truly miss her.  I've spent almost every waking hour with her since she was born.  Giving her up for those hours regularly will be an adjustment.  I fully plan on being an emotional wreck on her first day of school.

I am excited about spending more quality time with Alex.  I plan on taking him to a gymnastics class while Amelia is in school.  We will keep up our regular busy schedule of play dates and activities.   I know Alex will enjoy all the extra attention ;0)  It will also be so much easier to have just once child.  I won't be running around like a crazy person trying to keep track of the kids.  Hopefully, this will bring a little more sanity in my life.