Arie Luyendyk Jr. Shares Why He and Wife Lauren Put Daughter Alessi, 4, in School Early (Exclusive)

Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s 4-year-old daughter, Alessi, is taking on Pre-K this year, and the former Bachelor star tells The Messenger why he and his wife Lauren Luyendyk decided to give her an early start.

"She spent a lot of her early years in COVID, you know, like any other kid right now," the pro racer explained while discussing his partnership with Scotch. "For her, it's all about socialization and just getting used to making friends, and that's kind of the biggest reason why we put her in school early. Just because she didn't really have that for the first two-and-a-half years of her life."

He continued, "She was at home at the time, and it was just us. So it is good to kind of let her make some friends and get out of the house."

Still, Arie and Lauren, who also share 2-year-old twins Senna and Lux, don't pressure Alessi to go all in. He told The Messenger that he and Lauren pick Alessi up early if she's ready to go home.

"She's 4 — no one has started kindergarten yet — so let's travel. Let's not get too tied down to school just yet. They're going to go to school for so many years," he said.

Still, he added, "It's so hard as a parent to know what's right. But we have so much fun with her, so we're like, 'Hey, if you don't feel like going, you don't have to go.' This is the time when we don't need to push her too much. So if she's having an off day, we just pick her up."

As for how Alessi is doing with her transition, Arie said, "I think she is happy. You know, I think it's important."