School Daze

As I mentioned earlier, on Monday Robin and I visited a local preschool and put Keeley on its waiting list. It's a co-op school, which means that the parents are expected to put in time helping out with the classes and other activities in order to keep costs down. It also seemed like a low-key, nurturing kind of place, with that rustic Berkeley feel...like a rambling hippie compound as opposed to a cell block for preschoolers. There were little garden plots, rabbits and chinchillas in wooden hutches, and an abundance of arts and crafts projects in progress. Apparently the school's focus is on learning and socializtion through play; there isn't a real curriculum, in the conventional sense.

If all goes to plan, Keeley will start in September. She'll go twice a week for 3 hours at a time. Robin will also do her tour of duty in the classroom, so she won't be far away. The two of them may also sign up for a "toddler program" the school has, which consist of playgroups for the parent and child. The purpose behind this program is basically to introduce the child to the school slowly and gradually, in order to minimize separation anxiety (mainly in the parent).

What an odd feeling. Where did the time go? One minute Keeley's a little baby who nursed and wore sleepers all day, and the next minute she's getting ready to enter the system. Robin cried in the parking lot when we finished our tour; I tried to comfort her by reminding her that it was only for 6 hours a week and that she'd be right there with her.

But I understood where she was coming from. That night I laid awake for a while, deep in melancholia. I guess it was because of the knowledge that Keeley's babyhood was truly coming to a close.

Tempus fugit, indeed.