Wanna talk about Preschool

[jenrose66]

I just signed my oldest DS up for preschool. He'll be 4 in July.

We didn't want to use the Universal Pre K in our district because we live in a terrible school system. My mom argues that it's just preschool and we shouldn't pay for it when he can use the district preschool for free...but I disagree.

Anyway we've been looking a lot online and we attended a few open houses. We found a school in the next town over so it's only a ten minute drive. As soon as I walked in I fell in love. The teachers were older and experienced, the classrooms were spacious and in good shape. Everything was decorated, they have a gym and an outdoor playground.

The cost for 3 days a week at 3 hours a day is $1550 for the entire school year Education is really expensive...I can't imagine what we'll be paying when we start elementary school...but I guess that's the price you pay for living in a bad district.

So would anyone like to share your preschool experiences? How did your children adjust and do you think they really do better in kindergarten because they went to pre-k?

I didn't understand what the big deal was with stuff like preschool until I became a mom. Now I'm just so excited. Jack's going into the world...he'll be making friends. This is all new stuff for him since he doesn't have family his age and has never been in a daycare. I mean we go to the playground but never actual meaningful interaction.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

Oh. My. God. I'm in shock. I literally stared at the screen for a few minutes....speechless. Is that a month?? $1500 a month?? That's my mortgage. I'm going to go outside and kiss the wonderful, low cost of living ground....wow. My kids went to a wonderful preschool.....best in the area. It cost $75.00 a month for 3 days a week, 3 hrs a day. I'm sorry....I know I'm sounding like a spaz. I think I'll come back later and try and answer your questions more coherently.

 

[taylor3297]

I need to be thankful too. We pay 175 a month for 3 days a week, 4 hours each day and lunch. The school is excellent and my son loves going. I didn't even pay $1550 when my son was an infant in daycare where the ratio was lower than the state requirement. I am in total sticker shock! I am with the other poster, my mortgage payment isn't even that much.

 

[jenrose66]

Oh. My. God. I'm in shock. I literally stared at the screen for a few minutes....speechless. Is that a month?? $1500 a month?? That's my mortgage. I'm going to go outside and kiss the wonderful, low cost of living ground....wow. My kids went to a wonderful preschool.....best in the area. It cost $75.00 a month for 3 days a week, 3 hrs a day. I'm sorry....I know I'm sounding like a spaz. I think I'll come back later and try and answer your questions more coherently.

I'm sorry...it's $1500 for the whole school year. I should have proof read my post. I actually typed up the post and my computer erased it (We have a new laptop and the button placement is off and I keep losing my stuff). Anyway I retyped it and it looks like I left off the per year part

I guess if we divide the cost by 12 months it's about $125 a month. Which actually is pretty expensive for us. I plan on cutting the cable (who needs over 200 channels) and getting rid of the home phone, that should help us cover some of the cost...that and our income tax refund.

 

[lillygator]

at first WOW - but then WOW, that's CHEAP!

 

[karenos]

Honestly, $1500/year is less than half what I paid for preschool for my DS 7 (2years ago). I do live in NJ - high COLA area. Both my children went to a cooperative, play-based preschool.

Just my 2cents...
karenos

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

I'm sorry...it's $1500 for the whole school year. I should have proof read my post. I actually typed up the post and my computer erased it (We have a new laptop and the button placement is off and I keep losing my stuff). Anyway I retyped it and it looks like I left off the per year part

I guess if we divide the cost by 12 months it's about $125 a month. Which actually is pretty expensive for us. I plan on cutting the cable (who needs over 200 channels) and getting rid of the home phone, that should help us cover some of the cost...that and our income tax refund.

Wow....I can breath!!! That sounds realistic!! whew! I was thinking that things were cheaper in NC but that sounded ridiculous!!! $125 sounds perfectly reasonable.

For us, preschool was more of a social thing. My children never went to daycare, so I was worried about them adjusting to another adult and other children. Their preschool was more of a "playschool"....it wasn't curriculum heavy. They learned letter and numbers, how to hold a pencil and scissors, and how to write their names, etc. Both of my children's kindergarten teachers remarked that the children who went to preschool adjusted much quicker to school.

 

[hornedfrog]

I pay $404 a WEEK for two kids in preschool (3 and 5 - the 5 year old starting 'real school' in August). This is a deal for me as when they were smaller it was higher. It has been, for years now, a bill higher than my mortgage. I've checked and for the oldest it will be $70 a week for pick-up and after-school care once she starts K. I am counting the weeks!

 

[kidshop]

Preschool isn't cheap, but I don't send dd for the learning. It is time off for me and social and play time for her. She has done a Mother's Day Out program year round which is $150/month year round for two 4 1/2 hour days.

Next year 3 year old preschool will be $180/month for a 10 month year for two 5 1/2 hour days. This will be more learning based, but still lots of play.

Thank you for making me add that up for the per year cost. It sounds much better by the month!

We will be doing 4 y/o universal pre k! It's a shame your district isn't very good. Do any churches in your area offer it? We have a lot of faith-based programs here that aren't run by the school district.

 

[RunningGirl]

I'm work at a preschool, and I do believe it's valuable for a 4 year old. In order to help your DS adjust, I'd try to get together for some playdates with kids who will be in his class over the summer. (We always send out a class list in April for the following year.) We also encourage parents to bring their children to play on our playground during the summer.

Hopefully your preschool will have a parent meeting/open house before the school year and the director will give you some helpful tips about how to help you and your DS get ready for a great school year!

 

[lillygator]

I am surprised you don't send for learning as well..........

 

[emma'smom]

We pay 2700.00 a year for our dd4's preschool (5 days a week from 9-12). It's worth every penny!

I"m sure some folks will say that kids don't need preschool---but I would definitely beg to differ. I think that preschool is absolutely essential.

It is a time to learn social skills, early academic concepts (and this does not mean working on worksheets), and being a citizen in the "culture of school". Thus when the get to kindergarten, they are comfortable with the classroom environment (taking turns, etc).

At this stage, my dd's wanted to be in "school". They were enthusiastic about learning and every experience was new and exciting! What a wonderful time in a child's life to build a foundation for a lifelong love of learning!

 

[kidshop]

I am surprised you don't send for learning as well..........

I do all the basics with her at home. She knows all that stuff already. IMO, preschool's biggest value is in social interaction and learning to get along in a group setting (listening, taking turns etc). I don't think the focus should be curriculum based. I prefer play based.

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

I just signed my oldest DS up for preschool. He'll be 4 in July.

We didn't want to use the Universal Pre K in our district because we live in a terrible school system. My mom argues that it's just preschool and we shouldn't pay for it when he can use the district preschool for free...but I disagree.

Anyway we've been looking a lot online and we attended a few open houses. We found a school in the next town over so it's only a ten minute drive. As soon as I walked in I fell in love. The teachers were older and experienced, the classrooms were spacious and in good shape. Everything was decorated, they have a gym and an outdoor playground.

The cost for 3 days a week at 3 hours a day is $1550 for the entire school year Education is really expensive...I can't imagine what we'll be paying when we start elementary school...but I guess that's the price you pay for living in a bad district.

So would anyone like to share your preschool experiences? How did your children adjust and do you think they really do better in kindergarten because they went to pre-k?

I didn't understand what the big deal was with stuff like preschool until I became a mom. Now I'm just so excited. Jack's going into the world...he'll be making friends. This is all new stuff for him since he doesn't have family his age and has never been in a daycare. I mean we go to the playground but never actual meaningful interaction.

The three day/ three hour/day program at our preschool is around $400/month....roughly = to $4,800/year.... Consider yourself lucky... And when I had two kids at the preschool I was paying almost $900/month times 12

They have a free, public preschool where you live??? I've never heard of that!!

I'm sure prices vary, but I would look at a couple more preschools for price comparisons in your area...

 

[minkydog]

Yeah, if you can get a good preschool for $125 a month, go for it.

 

[Disneycrazy!!]

My son will also start preschool this year. He will go to a Baptist school and the tuition is 1800 a year but 5 days a week, 8-2:30.
I think they have a huge advantage over other kids who don't attend preschool. We know kids who are in kindergarden now and didn't even know their ABCs or numbers before going. Our son who is 2 years younger already could count to 20 and knew his colors and many other things that their kids had no clue about.

 

[freepixie]

I just signed my oldest DS up for preschool. He'll be 4 in July.

We didn't want to use the Universal Pre K in our district because we live in a terrible school system. My mom argues that it's just preschool and we shouldn't pay for it when he can use the district preschool for free...but I disagree.

Anyway we've been looking a lot online and we attended a few open houses. We found a school in the next town over so it's only a ten minute drive. As soon as I walked in I fell in love. The teachers were older and experienced, the classrooms were spacious and in good shape. Everything was decorated, they have a gym and an outdoor playground.

The cost for 3 days a week at 3 hours a day is $1550 for the entire school year Education is really expensive...I can't imagine what we'll be paying when we start elementary school...but I guess that's the price you pay for living in a bad district.

So would anyone like to share your preschool experiences? How did your children adjust and do you think they really do better in kindergarten because they went to pre-k?

I didn't understand what the big deal was with stuff like preschool until I became a mom. Now I'm just so excited. Jack's going into the world...he'll be making friends. This is all new stuff for him since he doesn't have family his age and has never been in a daycare. I mean we go to the playground but never actual meaningful interaction.

Just curious, what do you consider terrible about your school system? I see on your think you are in NY state, they have about the same standards as we have here in PA, I was just wondering what is so bad about your system?

At least in my hometown the free preschool systems tend to be better than the private systems. I work for a public system, but have had experience in the private systems prior to this job. I have found the public systems have to maintain higher standards for all the review teams that come and go thru the centers, whereas many of the private schools do not have review teams and nothing to hold them accountable for the education of the children. In our center we need to constantly account for what we are teaching the children, have they achieved these skills, and if they have not, why not? In the public system it is constant record-keeping and accountability. They come up with new forms for us every couple months!

I'm not saying one is better than the other, there are many factors to consider, but in my experience it has been in favor of the public systems.

Just wondering what makes your public system so bad?

 

[smschex]

We pay 2700.00 a year for our dd4's preschool (5 days a week from 9-12). It's worth every penny!

I"m sure some folks will say that kids don't need preschool---but I would definitely beg to differ. I think that preschool is absolutely essential.

It is a time to learn social skills, early academic concepts (and this does not mean working on worksheets), and being a citizen in the "culture of school". Thus when the get to kindergarten, they are comfortable with the classroom environment (taking turns, etc).

At this stage, my dd's wanted to be in "school". They were enthusiastic about learning and every experience was new and exciting! What a wonderful time in a child's life to build a foundation for a lifelong love of learning!

Okay, I'll take the bait. I don't think preschool is essential. It is one of those things that depends on the child and family situation. My four kids are living proof. They attended a structured mother's day out program one morning a week and Sunday school every Sunday, but otherwise were home with me until kindergarten. When they started school, they knew how to stay in their seats, listen to and follow instructions, take turns, and interact appropriately with other children and with adults. They had all the necessary academic skills and were actually ahead of most of their peers.

It did not hamper their subsequent success either. The oldest was a National Merit Scholar and has a full scholarship to the university of her choice. My DS15 has a 4.2 GPA, and DD13 and DD10 are A students.

I am not against preschool at all. It can be vital to some kids. I just don't want parents to feel that they are handicapping their kids for life if they can't afford preschool or choose not to send their children.

 

[NikitaZee]

Okay, I'll take the bait. I don't think preschool is essential. It is one of those things that depends on the child and family situation. My four kids are living proof. They attended a structured mother's day out program one morning a week and Sunday school every Sunday, but otherwise were home with me until kindergarten. When they started school, they knew how to stay in their seats, listen to and follow instructions, take turns, and interact appropriately with other children and with adults. They had all the necessary academic skills and were actually ahead of most of their peers.

It did not hamper their subsequent success either. The oldest was a National Merit Scholar and has a full scholarship to the university of her choice. My DS15 has a 4.2 GPA, and DD13 and DD10 are A students.

I am not against preschool at all. It can be vital to some kids. I just don't want parents to feel that they are handicapping their kids for life if they can't afford preschool or choose not to send their children.

I agree with this. My 9 year old son went to pre-school, my 5 year old daughter didn't. My son was very shy and clingy, and pre-school helped him to step out of his shell. He was definitely more prepared for kindergarten - he knew his alphabet, he could count up to 50, he knew how to write his first and last name, etc. My daughter stayed home with me, and she just started kindergarten in Sept. She is very sociable by nature, and made friends immediately. She didn't have the pre-school academic experience, but she can now do everything my son could do when he entered kindergarten. So there's no real disadvantage in that area - they 'catch up' very quickly at that age.

OP, the pre-school you're looking into is a good deal at $1550 for the year. If you like it, send your son. As I mentioned above, my son was really shy and had a hard time adjusting - he cried every day for about a month (he was 4 when he started). It was very hard for me to leave him crying in the mornings, but we stuck with it and it ended up being a great experience for him. It also made the transition into kindergarten easier, because he had made friends and there were familiar faces in the classroom on his first day. Good luck

 

[mamamary]

That price seems pretty reasonable to me. As for going to pre-school, my kids did 3 days a week at 3 yrs old and 3 days a week at 4 years old. I liked it for the social aspect. My kids didn't really need it to learn but I'm sure they did learn some. Can't say if they would have been worse students or not but they both always (well mostly for my son) bring home straight A's.