Good or bad idea for ds to attend two playgroups?

[QueenEagle]

About 18 months ago I put his name down for playgroup (ds1 and ds2 had attended and it's the best in the area by far). ds3 has been offered 2 seesions a week after xmas.

Only problem is he has already been attending one round the corner from me since October which is also very very good. Will him attending 2 different playgroups for 2 seesions each per week be really confusing or good for him? Would value opinions please.

[handlemecarefully]

If he is a confident self assured little chap i can't see any issues with it

[spidermama]

My ds3 goes to two playgroups. One is perfectly reasonable and round the corner, the other is absolutely brilliant, but a short drive away.

It seems to work well for him. My older ds did it too before starting school.

[doormat]

cant see any harm QE
hope he enjoys it

[QueenEagle]

What will I do about things like xmas concerts and the like - would it be too much for him.

Yes he is pretty confident and has taken to the 1st playgroup like a duck to water.

Only thing with the new one, it costs 6.50 per session whereas the current one is 4.75. Bit pricey but think we would both benefit from him going; him as he needs to mix with others and me because I enjoy the break from him!

[LIZS]

How odl is he ? the term before dd turned 4 (when she started Reception full time (she was doing a playgroup 3 mornings a week, as she had for about 18 months, and a preschool group (within a school) 4 afternoons. She was tired but coped well and the different environments were good preparation for the noise and structure of proper school. However you may find you can only claim the Nursery vouchers at one place so could be out of pocket.

[QueenEagle]

He will be 3 just after New Year. Is the vouchers thing applicable to one p/g only or as I thought 5 seesions per week regardless of where they were? If anyone knows, let me know!

[oliveoil]

it's 5 sessions anywhere as far as I know, may be wrong.

But I think it applies to the term that follows when they turn 3, so you may not get it until after Easter. Again, could be wrong.

dd1 was 3 in October, but she doesn't get it until January.

[ladymuck]

Nursery funding can be spread over more than one setting, but you need to let the setting know the name of the other one (in our LEA there is space on the form you sign to claim).

[nikkie]

My dd2 attends 4 ams at playschool and 5 pm at nusery, she is NEVER tired ( I wish) although she sleeps around 11 hours at night now though .She has 2 circles of friend but some overlap, and as it is very small group in the am she gets 1:1 at times
She is funded for the pms and I pay for ams (WFTC)

[Helen38]

You get 5 sessions can be at more than one place. The one that costs more may charge a top up fee as funding is less than that.

[QueenEagle]

Thank you for (I think) clarifying the payments!

ds is 3 on 3rd January which is infuriating as I have to pay for an entire term despite him being 3 before the start of the new term argh! Cut off date is 31st December!

[Lonelymum]

My ds2 went to two different places, the playgroup most of the week and then a nursery one day a week as it was more formal and I knew he needed some formal education even that young. As we were in a village then, it meant that most children from either pre-school went to the same primary (the village school) so I thought it would also broaden his social circle and allow him to know more people when he started school, which it did. He was very confident socially then so he didn't find it hard going to two places although I think he had more fun at the playgroup and the nursery were always telling me he was missing out by not going there all the time! You can't win!

You can use your nursery vouchers wherever you like, you just declare for so many seesions at one place and so many sessions at the other.

[popmum]

Do many people do this then? Am just wondering because am thinking about it myself but felt a bit guilty that if the preschools were oversubscribed (which I think they are round here) then my DD would be taking the place of 2 kids and someone else may miss out - simply cos I was organised and had put her name down at more than one place (because i didn't know which one i wanted her to go to). Any thoughts?

[QueenEagle]

If you've had your name on a waiting list, then why shouldn't you get the place when your child becomes of age?

[Lonelymum]

Popmum, you are only using up 5 sessions presumably, which is your entitlement, so i don't see how you are depriving someone else of a place. I wouldn't do it just for the fun of it though: surely you have to have a good reason for wanting your child to go to two different places?

[popmum]

yes, it would be no more than 5 sessions split between 2 places - in fact 2 at one and 2 at the other. Not really sure there is a good reason to go to both though - only my DD would have more fun, make more friends etc - plus I feel a bit like what we decide on preschool will predetermine the nursery & therefore primary school. So by trying 2 we are in effect trying 2 schools.

It is all so complicated....!

[bobbybob]

My ds goes to playcentre and preschool and doesn't seem to care. Playcentre is very child led and pre school is very regimented and he likes both.