Parenthood: How Primrose Can Shape Our Education Journey In School And At Home

“-This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of Primrose Schools; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.-”

One thing that I’m more passionate about than styling is my children’s education. Most days, you will see how we live our lives every day style wise, but today, we are going to get a little more in depth because it’s something that we as moms always think about. I choose to write about executive function skills and Primrose Schools for a few reasons, one of them being that I am a Primrose parent. This decision was not taken lightly and actually became the only answer after trying many daycare options. So my stance is twofold. I am basically obsessed with Primrose Schools and everything they stand for, but I want to educate you on the executive function skills that are a huge focus in their classrooms because this is what my kids are learning and because you can also teach them at home.

Executive Function Skills

These skills are important to me as a parent – learning how children develop so I can know and be educated on how my kids work. Executive function skills focus on remembering instructions, juggling multiple tasks, and focusing attention. There’s a recent study out, that shows that these skills are more highly valued in entry-level job candidates than ‘hard skills’ and job experience. This fascinates me, because as I watch my children grow into little people that learn more every day, it’s important to me to understand that learning and development have a huge impact, and that we have the ability to shape skills early.

• Adaptability
• Teamwork
• Problem Solving
• Critical Thinking
• Self-Control
• Memory

The age that my kids are at now, each have different developmental stages that are important and making themselves apparent. With Jackson, Self-Control is one thing we work on all the time because melt downs and demands are a routine in our every day lives. He’s 3.5, so when he doesn’t get something he wants immediately, we are trying to coach through the full out tantrum and talk out being patient and strategic. I also have to explain why it’s not a good idea to eat bowls and bowls of ‘chocolate bunny’ cereal (a current favorite) because it’s not good for him, but that we can have a little bit at a time.

An important skill for Elston’s age that we are becoming aware of, is adaptability. Yes, attributes like memory and problem-solving are important for a young toddler that is slowly figuring out life (as they know it lol), but right now I see how important it is for Elston to feel comfortable in her world. This skill is so important to me to be able to function, as an adult and be successful in an ever changing world that can sometimes be frustrating, now and later in life. If a child can adapt yet still maintain who they are as an individual, that still makes life easier to be successful in. Elston is in a clingy stage to mommy, which is completely normal for 19 months, but I would like to make transitions easier for her, and adaptability is a coping skill that I want her to use when doing so. You can learn more about those skills HERE.

Choosing Childcare

I will start from the beginning so you can get a feel for my children’s education journey and why Primrose is my go-to source for their education. I actually attended Primrose when I was younger, for a few summers, so I was familiar with the name. I knew they had their own education standards and programs, and were a cut above. But I didn’t think more of that until I had children and mother bear kicks in and you only want the very best for your kids. It’s terrifying as a first time mother to leave your children with anyone, let alone people you barely know. I cried the first month when I went back to work, because I just didn’t feel 100% about leaving Jackson where he was. We were in Chamblee and at a daycare that was ok for the time being, but i knew I wanted more in a program once he was older.

When Jackson was 6 months and we were moving to Suwanee, I had to find a new daycare.  I visited 4 daycares in the area, getting tours and comparing pricing. The Primrose in Suwanee won me over with the visit because of cleanliness and the front desk people alone, but boy was I blown away. Spoiler alert: This was our first primrose, not our last, and I actually had the same amazing experience again, quickly learning that this was not a one time thing. Robert and I were both working and saving for our house, so cost was very important. I remember being ‘encouraged’ to choose the most cost efficient school by many different people, including Robert at first. As I did my research, I learned that the standards that they held their staff to, their child-to-teacher ratio, and education curriculum was the best I had seen. The owner talked to me many times throughout the deciding process and I knew that this was the school for us because of how it was run, which just fell into place with the high standards I already saw. The entire time that Jackson attended, I did not cry or worry once about where he was, what he was learning, or attention or love he was getting. It actually gave me peace going to work every day knowing he was in such good hands. When we moved across town once our house was built, I was so upset to leave this school, thinking I would never find another one like it…. I did.

Fast forward to a few years later, and a whole different lifestyle and career (read about that here), it came the time to choose a school again. This time, I had two babies. I visited 7 daycare schools this time. Since this was a complete life risk and somewhat optional as I am growing my business, cost was a huge factor as well. I walked into a Primrose (not exactly close to our house) with just the thought of trying it and comparing to the others I visited, to put everything into perspective. The owner pulled me into her office and wanted to listen to my story. I was hesitant because I had both kids with me and there was no way I would be able to concentrate, let alone talk. The directors offered to take the kids (without even me asking) to the playground and gave them snacks (they way to their heart) so I could talk. The owner asked about everything from our kids to my blog, to my concerns. I basically told her my life story and she listened. I knew this place was run incredibly well from education to the staff that takes care of our children. I left knowing this was the place, but had so many factors to consider.

One being it’s the furthest away from our house, and two – the high-quality care would be an investment for our family. After going back and forth so many times, I chose a place close to our house. It was 3 days a week and cheaper, I was trying to be a team player for our family. I quickly learned that it just wasn’t worth it. Jackson cried every morning for a week, and I saw myself on visits, that it wasn’t up to par education wise, as well as atmosphere.

I learned a lesson in my journey as a mother on a few different levels. I learned that I will always put education first, no matter what it takes. I also learned that I will listen to my mother’s intuition a little closer. After a week, I pulled the kids from their daycare, and enrolled them in the Primrose. I drive 30 extra minutes to take them, and work hard to send them there. But one thing that I don’t do is worry about anything. I know they are around the best staff, they are actually eating their vegetables (LOVE the Primrose menu and thank goodness for peer pressure), and get updates on what they did and learn every single day. I have a folder of their curriculum and what I can expect through their school year. Can they just stay here until college?

To learn more about Primrose Schools, executive function skills, and for parenting tips and resources, visit their blog.

my dress is Sail to Sable, boots are Sebago, kids’ outfits are Janie and Jack

I wanted to share some photos from the kids’ school! (see below)

GIVEAWAY!

You have your chance to win prizes from this post! Think of it as the perks of reading a long winded post, or believing in children’s education like I do!

I encourage you to subscribe to the Primrose newsletter, as it can help in your journey as a parent. By doing so, you will have a chance to win a $250 Barnes and Noble giftcard and 5 children’s books! Enter the sweepstakes HERE!

<!– ClickMeter.com page views tracking: Primrose — >
<script type=’text/javascript’>
var ClickMeter_pixel_url = ‘//pixel.watch/9kj2′;
</script>
<script type=’text/javascript’ id=’cmpixelscript’ src=’//s3.amazonaws.com/scripts-
clickmeter-com/js/pixelNew.js’></script>
<noscript>
<img height=’0′ width=’0′ alt=” src=’http://pixel.watch/9kj2′ />
</noscript>