How much would you pay to send your kids to pre K

[jenrose66]

Jack can start universal pre k this year and he'll be ready for 4 year old pre k next fall.

Anyway, we live in a pretty poor district, one of the worst in the county, but other than that I don't mind our city and it's very affordable.

So I want to send my son to a private prep school. I believe tuition for pre k is $5,000. Education is really important to me and I had a boyfriend who graduated from a different private school in the area and toured his campus many times. You can't compare the difference in education that he got compared with my education.

I want my sons in schools where there are high standards and kids regularly get into ivy league colleges. I think that puts you in a successful mindset and gives you a lot of advantages.

My dh says I'm snobby and school is what you make of it. He says our kids can go to our local district get their educations at community colleges and it's the same as the prep school.

I disagree. While I find nothing wrong with state colleges (I'm a SUNY Buffalo graduate), I don't think you can compare that with a private education.

So am I nuts to want to send my kids to this school starting right in pre k, or can anyone understand where i'm coming from.

 

[helloirishkitty]

I went to a $6,000 a year elementary school, the 4th best high school in the country (which is public), and still ended up at SUNY Buffalo for grad school (to be a pharmacist ).

My very expensive education taught me how to be goal oriented. It helped me get into my high school which helped me start college as a sophomore at William and Mary. But, it also taught me that money buys A LOT of things (like entrance to Ivy League Schools) and I often felt out of place because my parents scrimped to send me there and didn't have the high paying jobs my friends' parents had.

I don't think you're being snobby, but a lot of kids walk out of private prep schools feeling entitled and that they don't have to work for their education. It takes a strong parent to make their child snap out of it.

That being said, I will be sending my son to the same private school, without any expectations for the outcome. I think the tuition is 8,000 now, but he's already on the list for his preschool class, and he won't be born until the end of August.

 

[KirstenB]

I'm assuming that you want him to continue at the same prep school for kindergarten on up? Our children are in public school, but we have several friends whose kids go to private.

One friend in particular found this pretty easy and do-able with just her son. But she has 2 kids now. They go to a private school that's 11,000 per year per child. She's feeling pinched now.

My question is: is this do-able for you for both your kids for the duration? Yes, I realize your dd is a baby, but someday she'll be ready for school too.

Anyway, best of luck whatever you decide.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We can't afford a private education (8-12,000+ a yr for high school) or Ivy League schools for our kids, so we try to place ourselves in a good public school district.

If you can afford a private education and your child is a good fit with it, then I don't see an issue, well except with your dh.

 

[SandrA9810]

I did both. And while I think that the school did better at advanced teaching in elementary school, i did not feel it measured up in high school. I actually flipped through three high schools. And the public school in the better school district was the best. Had a better opprotunity for extra activities. Lots fo clubs, lots of things to do. And yeah, it was like over a 1,000 to be in the colorguard for my freshman year. It was well worth it because I had to keep my grades up to stay in.

And while the private school was nice and had good teachers, it didn't stack up to what was available at the public schools, like my final school was part of the IB program, international bachlorette program which offered classes well above high school level.

You gotta remember too, most kids that start in elemantary school stay there for a long time, and well if you ever did transfer your kid out, that means your kid is gonna have to start all over with new friends. And that might be a tough deal for them. It made 3rd grade the worst year of school for me.

If you're in a not so good school district. You can always go to the district and request an area transfer. You have to provide the transportation. But it is an option that I took in high sschool when I decided I didn't want to be in the private school, and my "home" school was not very good. So I asked the princepal of the school I wanted to go to if I could attend there and he let me in.

 

[beachbunny]

I absolutely understand where you're coming from. Tuition for my high school alma mater is $17,000/yr from K-12. There are "feeder" pre-k's for kids trying to get into K - and those tuitions run $10,000/yr. Is it worth it? I think so. My alma mater boasts 100 percent college acceptance rate, the current President of the USA, the founder of E-Bay, the founder of AOL, and many, many other notables.

 

[Uuaww]

I went to a private K-8, then switched to a bad public high school in Oakland. I turned out ok, but it was an experience. I am a firm believer in school is what you make of it while in high school. But they need a solid base.

 

[torinsmom]

If you can afford it, send your child to private preschool. I teach public pre-K/K, and although I feel we do a good job, there is so much bad behavior to deal with that I feel I only spend 20% of my time teaching! In public, we have to put up with the problems, whereas at private, those kids are weeded out(and sent to us, LOL) The main problem I have with most private schools in the lack of socioeconomic and racial/ethnic diversity. I feel that is important in building the whole child.

Do you have any good charter schools in your area? Sometimes they will be good option as well, and they are free.

Marsha

 

[pyrxtc]

I too think school is what you make of it ? Will you be driving him into school ? If so, how about asking to be a student of a nearby town school ? My sister and both brothers went to school in different towns than where we lived. Both were better schools than what was offered in my town. I think 5 grand is WOW for pre-K. I would use that money to help buy ourselves a new life in a town that has a better school system.

 

[mjkacmom]

My kids go to public, but we have a good public school district. If we didn't, we'd pay for private, or move.

 

[Robinrs]

Do your homework first. Some private schools are no better than some public ones. And the amount of money they charge is not a barometer of their excellence.

We sent my niece to Montessori in NY from pre K to the 9th grade. By the time she was in public high school she was smart enough to teach the teachers!! She's since gotten a 4 year scholarship to Stanford (was also accepted at Harvard) and is now a financial analyst.

On the other hand, here in Atlanta there are LOTS of private, very expensive schools, without the quality teaching I expected. I did my homework when my son was ready for school because we also owned a home in an area with abysmal schools. I ended up selling my home and moving to the best school district in my county. He is going to the 10th grade now and excelling and I'm THRILLED I moved.

 

[katieam1]

I sent my two year old this year one day a week (which she loved) to like a play group for 2 hours and it cost me $500. I will send her again in September and she will go two days a week for $900 then when she is 4 I can send her every day if I wanted to and it would be $2000.

 

[RN4Babies]

Hmmmm....I guess my kids are doomed to be failures in life, seeing that they are in public schools, and my son is going to the local community college in the fall for respiratory therapy....oh, the horror and shame!!

I'm a neonatal intensive care RN, and I volunteer at a literacy center and for Habitat for Humanity. As you can see, my public education and nursing degree from a community college got me nowhere.

My neighbors pulled their daughter out of a highly regarded private school when she was voted "best dressed" her freshman year. She now trudges to public school with the rest of the neighborhood kids; she herself has stated that public school is a lot less snobby than private school was, and she has a lot more options and opportunities for extra curriculars and community involvement.

 

[DVC_Princess]

Well, I think the bottom line is that you can get a good education at a good private school or at a good public school. If you live in a school district with a poor public school program, then you're smart to consider private school. And I think that tuition sounds reasonable.

However, automatically believing that private school is better than public school is a misconception. I went to a public state school for college (engineering) that is ranked top in the country. I also went to MIT for graduate school. The education that I got at a public college far exceeded that of many of my friends at private institutions (including some in IVY League).

I also went to a private high school and when I got to college found that the public education many of my peers received in highly ranked school districts was far superior to my private education. So the bottom line is to find out the facts about the private school's programs and don't make assumptions (b/c as your dh said that does make you sound snobby - sorry if that sounds mean, but u asked ).

 

[FayeW]

Personally, I think it is ridiculous to pay any amount of money for a private pre-kindergarten. Why spend a ton of money so your kid can learn colours, numbers, some basic patterning and do a bunch of lame crafts?If you have the option of public pre-k and kindergarten for free, I say take it and put the money you would have spent aside towards the tuition for private school later on. It's not like they are going to be teaching them advanced algebra and he's going to be behind if he goes to public school.

 

[EthansMom]

When I have considered paying for private school, I thought it was important that whatever I do for one child, I should do for our other child... so, I shouldn't pay out for private school for one and not the other. Also, I don't think it's worthwhile to pay for an expensive private school education for earlier years but have nothing put away for college.

For our family, the best decision has been to spend moderate amounts on preschool (there isn't any free preschool here) and to put the kids in public school for grade school. We are saving/investing money for both kids' college educations.

We also spend time/money on enrichment activities such as summer camp, sports, music lessons, science activities (visits to local observatory, setting off rockets as a family, building a Lego robot, etc..).

IMO, spending $$$ to send your child to an expensive preK doesn't guarantee future performance in school. Your money might be better "spent" if you put it away in a 529 plan. Spend some time working on reading at home and your child could be doing well for Kindergarten.

ETA: Around here, the good private high schools cost around
$25k each year for day students. I just can't see paying that kind of money for one year of high school to the detriment of college savings.

 

[freckles and boo]

I am sorry but there is no way I would ever spend $5000 for preschool. Preschool is about social skills, pre-academics, and fun. I deeply value education and we chose to live an outstanding public school district so we could save for our children's college educations. A child can succeed where he or she is planted as long as the parents set the bar high. Private schools are a necessity in some areas, but if you believe that they are universally better you are very much mistaken.

 

[clarabelle]

Hmmmm....I guess my kids are doomed to be failures in life, seeing that they are in public schools, and my son is going to the local community college in the fall for respiratory therapy....oh, the horror and shame!!

I'm a neonatal intensive care RN, and I volunteer at a literacy center and for Habitat for Humanity. As you can see, my public education and nursing degree from a community college got me nowhere.

My neighbors pulled their daughter out of a highly regarded private school when she was voted "best dressed" her freshman year. She now trudges to public school with the rest of the neighborhood kids; she herself has stated that public school is a lot less snobby than private school was, and she has a lot more options and opportunities for extra curriculars and community involvement.

Just because you choose not to send your kids to private school -it doesn't mean you should make fun of those who do.

Those prices sound outrageous to me -but It sounds like it may be part of the "norm" for the area.

Parenting is about choices. There was a summer camp thread yesterday where people who chose to send their kids to summer camp and to defend their choices. I don't understand why we have to be so hard on each other

 

[amid chaos]

Preschool should be a safe and enriching environment where the child learns social skills.....how to get along with others, be sensitive to the needs of others, show kindness, share, learn to sit for short periods and attend to someone speaking, reading or teaching.

I think that can be found for alot less than $5000.

 

[Sleepy]

13 years ago a local private preschool cost us about $350 a month. At the time, we chose private preschool because he needed the special attention that daycare was not offering since they were not certified to teach. Also, headstart was the only other option, but it was geared toward childen who needed a boost that my child did not qualify. As soon as he finished private preschool, he started public kindergarten. Yes, I would have taken free public headstart if it was offered to us back then.