7K for kindergarten

[ExPirateShopGirl]

If she is an older child, can you homeschool her from this point forward then register her for first grade in the fall?

Just an idea...

 

[vicki_c]

I am just so overall shocked by all these posts. I had no idea that there were places were K wasn't mandatory and free, and all-day in many places.

Our kids went to K in Florida and Maryland - all day programs, no charge. When we lived in NYS, there was free 1/2 day pre-K program in our district starting the year we moved away.

Apparently, I have accidentally chosen the right states to live in at the right time (of course in MD and NY, you pay the high taxes too - but doesn't NJ also have high taxes?).

 

[Leajess99]

I'm in Kansas and we had that "scare" at the start of the school year. And yes, it was that amount. They were going to offer 1/2 day for free, but all day would cost 7,000 a year. When figured up with what I would have had to pay for daycare and school it would have been cheaper to send her to a private school.

Fortunately enough people spoke up and they lowered the cost to like 500 a year and not offer the 1/2 day.

They said here that Kindergarten isnt funded as much as the other grades, thats why they needed to charge.

Wow, with Kansas having the free K12 virtual public school option, I would be shocked that anyone would pay for public school.

 

[deezeealum]

OP I am also in NJ! I think other towns are going this route as well. Kindergarten is not mandated in NJ apparently.

I read this article about Bernards Township voting to eliminate full day kindergarten. Parents in the town raised $420,00 in four weeks to save the program. Wow!! http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/...25005/NJ-group-raises-money-save-kindergarten

My suggestion would be, if the program isn't restored, is to check out local Catholic schools. In my area many of the towns still have half day programs, and parents seeking a full day alternative with before care and aftercare often go to the Catholic school, and enter the public school in first grade. The school is a lot less than $7K.

I live in Bernards Twp and yes the town did raise enough money to go to the BOE and save full day kindergarten. They were suggesting $2000 per student coming into Kindergarten Fall 2011. They had amny residents who didn't have children entering also donate. Some of the budget cuts they were proposing were cutting 2 kindergarten teachers from each elementary school (we have 4 in district) and cutting to half day. My daughter is currently in Kindergarten and she has 22 kids in her class. They are also looking to cut 2 of the 4 Elemenatry Vice Prinicpals. I am glad that we were able to fund a full day program for 2011-2012 although I am grately concerned about what this means going forward. I do know that before the Twp raised the $, all the pre schools in the area were prepared to open full day kindergarten options to the residents. My suggestions in try some of those options as well. I know it is hard to swallow when you thought you were done with paying for school (atleast till college) I just know that $7000 per student seems ridiculously high and that is coming from someone who lives in one of the best school districts in the state. We could place blame but I'm not getting into a political debate with anyone about our current governor who LOVES private schools!

 

[palavra]

Fundamentally, I really believe that the tax paying public has an obligation to provide a quality education for our children. But I don't feel that the purpose of schools is to provide care during the day for children who have no parent at home. Taking care of children during the day is the parents' responsibility and theirs alone. Of course, many parents choose to outsource all or part of that care and that is absoutely their choice and often the best choice.

In today's economy, many people don't choose to "outsource" (how insulting!)their childcare responsibilities. Many families are forced to have both parents working to pay bills.

 

[Kathi OD]

I am just so overall shocked by all these posts. I had no idea that there were places were K wasn't mandatory and free, and all-day in many places.

Our kids went to K in Florida and Maryland - all day programs, no charge. When we lived in NYS, there was free 1/2 day pre-K program in our district starting the year we moved away.

Apparently, I have accidentally chosen the right states to live in at the right time (of course in MD and NY, you pay the high taxes too - but doesn't NJ also have high taxes?).

Consider yourself lucky. Kindergarten is only mandatory in Maryland. It is NOT mandatory in Florida or New York. You were fortunate enough to live in districts that saw value in full day kindergarten.

Just for the record, NJ doesn't have a statewide virtual school for elementary grades. There is a virtual school for students in grades 6-12 with tuition of $650 per course. AP courses cost $800 per cost.

 

[JoiseyMom]

OP, that is high. I live in an excellent school district (so they say) in NJ. Very high taxes, and we only have 1/2 day kindergarten. Both my younger kids were sent to private full day kindergarten, and it didn't cost 7k!

Good Luck!!

 

[kayrosek]

I've never even heard of that. There is no way we could afford that so I guess we would be homeschooling. We homeschooled our son for kindregarten anyway. If you do end up homeschooling or doing preschool for another year and supplementing I would suggest looking into online curriculums such as time4learning. We use that one along with some supplemental stuff for homeschooling are older kids.

 

[JoiseyMom]

I had no idea I lived in such a bubble! I knew that neighboring towns offered half-day kindergarten but this is the first I've heard of any propositions for having to pay for public school. I've lived in NJ essentially all my life and had no idea Kindergarten wasn't mandatory... and as my oldest in in 1st grade you'd think I'd know these things...

OP, come on down to Monmouth County! Our town offers free full-day Kindergarten and our neighboring towns have a mix of full-day and half-day. At least the ones I know about - but now I'm wondering what else I don't know!

I have got to read the newspaper more or something...

I live in Monmouth and my town only has 1/2, which is why my youngest 2 went to private Kinder!

 

[DCbride]

In the area of South Jersey where I live the local districts offer free half day K, but are also looking into offering extended K for an additional $5,000. My daughter has a few more years but I am looking into a preschool that offers full day K the following year. Even with the outrageous property taxes we pay in NJ, it seems that the majority of the cuts were to education so I unfortunately do not see my younger DD having the same public education that was available to my older two.

 

[mistyandbenjamin]

Private schools in my area in range from around 7k to upwards of 12k when you add in all the fees. We have "great" public schools according to standardized testing but they tend to teach to the middle. The slower children are left behind and the advanced children are treated with endless boredom until they act out. I am a substitute teacher in the public schools on my available days and would never put my child in these "great" schools. I work to pay for the $10K montessori tuition. He is in 2nd and I have paid it for 3 years now and plan to pay through 12th grade. The 10 students per teacher ratio is excellent and it is a tailored education. No two children do the same work and the class is grouped across several grade levels. School is not daycare and you will find that public or private education still requires time. Teachers need help, parties occur, drivers are needed for field trips and kids get sick.

 

[powellrj]

Our school had an every other day option that was free, but if you wanted all day, everyday it was several thousand a year. DD is now a freshman, so its been a few years.

 

[crisi]

When my daughter did full day the vast majority of people doing full day were doing it because they wanted to get out of expensive daycare programs. Full day K let you do the cheap "before and after" school care at about $200 a month. For half day K, we paid almost $1200 a month for daycare on to of it. When that is the motivation, it makes sense to have the people benefiting (working parents) pay. Its still a win for them - a lot cheaper than daycare - and it doesn't burden the school.

Then they changed their motivation. The full day K my daughter went to really only had 1/2 a day of lessons - they added gym which the 1/2 dayers didn't get and they had rest and story and lunch as well, plus some time to just play. The next year they had full day for everyone - no cost - but filled the 1/2 day with reading readiness and other academic types.

 

[leadfootlevi]

A Year? or per month?

Per year.

 

[3boymthr]

Wow! $7k seems outrageous. We have free 1/2 and have to pay for transitional and full day - it's $250 per month. But...I think one of the reasons it has been free is because attending kindergarten has been the state law in Massachusetts since 1973 (I know this because mine was the first graduating class for which it was mandated). They are only required to provide half day for free but many towns provide full day instead. In MA the 1/2 day and full day programs must offer the same curriculum so there is no educational benefit to full day programs but many people elect them anyway. Of my 3 boys only one went to full day and that was because he repeated K and they felt the difference in time would make him feel less like he was doing the same things all over again. Man, that $250/mo hurt. I can't imagine paying $7K. Seriously, I've seen no long term differences between my oldest DS who went 1/2 day and his classmates who went full day educationally.

 

[mafibisha]

A little OT but wish someone would have convinced me awhile ago...
Good bad, expensive cheap. All important.

Its difficult to think too far ahead, but keep in mind....Think its expensive now?

The costs of college will truly. blow. you. away.
Even if you're financially sound. Even if you've been preparing and saving.

Kindergarten *is what it is*.... even though our kids are brilliant and deserve the best right now!

There may be inequities in K - (the *best* kids being a bit bored*) - but the inequities and consequences are much more significant, *life-changing* in high school and especially college.

So unless you have a money tree in your backyardk, don't spend it all in one place! (K)

 

[Irin997]

Wow I had no idea that Kindergarten wasn't required! I live in MD and my DD went to full day Kindergarten for free. They switched from 1/2 to full just a couple years (I think) before she started K. Also to the poster that said K is a waste of time and most kids don't learn anything, it might be your school. By the end of K my daughter could read simple books and went from writing single words to basic sentences.

In today's world, I think K is very important to get the right start on later years of learning. My daughter is learning things now much earlier than I did and I'm only 29 (DD is 9 and in 4th grade).

 

[cdsulhoff]

WOW! I have really learned a lot from reading these post! I'm a shock about K not being mandatory! I thought schooling was basically the same everywhere! I never ever knew that someone had to pay to have their child to be in Kindergarten! Dont seem right!

I live in Maryland as well, We have full time K and it is mandatory to attend or else the law will be at your door! I know my district also have a great head start program which My 3 year old will start next year! They base it on income and disabilities! Well, she will go if their are slots open for her after the the others are filled first!
Head start can be full day,Pre K half day (full day to those who need extra help),full day Kindergarten, well lets say they expect the kindergarten to do more than read their ABC and write their name. They learn how to write a book, read chapter books, add, subtract, and soo much more!
So different from when I went to school!

Makes me grateful for living here in good ole Calvert!

 

[Janet Hill]

Wow as I read these posts, I am amazed at the number of people who refer to public education as free.

Nothing provided by the government is free, somebody pays and pays a lot.

 

[cdsulhoff]

I do have to say with our school we have 2 school for our district! One holds the head start pre k, k, 1st and 2nd
Then they transfer to the school across the field to the other school for 3rd, 4th and 5th!