Is Pre-K free in your area??

[Inigo]

In Indiana, Head Start preschool is available for the at-risk 3-5 year olds, which around here means the poor.

Public School preschool is available for special needs (aka disabled) 3 to 5 year olds.

I sent my kids to preschool at our expense, for the socialization more than for academics. I was able to provide the creativity for them, but I wanted them to have more group interaction that they would get if they were just at home with me all day.

 

[5 for WDW]

Our public school has free Pre-K. It is 5 days a week for 2.5 hours a day. They have both a morning and afternoon session. There are 20 spots in each session. First come, first serve.
We have all day K.

 

[mjkacmom]

Heck no, no preschool is free around here. 3 days 2 1/2 hours is about $130 and 5 day 2 1/2 hours is $200. Worth every penny!

Wow - great prices! 3 days here is over $350, and 5 days (these are 2 1/2 hour days) is close to $500 (unless montessori, which is close to $600). And this is the least expensive preschool in the area.

 

[Plantlady]

Our school has both Pre-K and Head Start. Both are a public service.. meaning.. up until budget cuts happened.. free.

now, we pay for every student that goes to this school. No one gets a "free" education. But, we were the ONLY school in the area, up until this year that didn't have to pay a fee for the school. so, it was bound to happen.

 

[hedgehog2owl]

We don't even have full day Kindergraten.

I would consider that lucky!

 

[Anne34]

You pay for pre-K. School isn't legally mandated until kindergarten so it comes directly out of the parents pockets if they want to send their kid. Around here everybody did.

Oh I should say that preschool, pre-K is free if you have a child with a special need. It's run by the local school district. At least in Ohio.

This is how it is in the chicago suburbs too -- you only get it free if you have a child with special needs. We paid a ton for preschools with 3 kids!

 

[My2Cinderellas]

In Iowa, preschool is only free for special needs kids, in programs run by the school districts, or if you qualify for headstart.

my school district has a few places open for non special needs kids to round out the classrooms, these are filled with low-income kids.

Most people pay for private preschool, many are run by churches. others by the Y's. Cost is reasonable, I think its around $75/month for 2 mornings (9-11:30) a week (3yo) and $100 for 3 mornings a week (4yo). There are also M-F 1/2 day kinder prep programs, these are usually for kids who are eligible to start kindergarten at 5 but their parents are holding them back for some reason.

I'd love to see more free preschools - the benefits of preschool are proven many times over. Spend a few bucks now to avoid spending a lot more later.

 

[happygirl]

Just a FYI Headstart is not a free

 

[mamacatnv]

Special kids get Pre-K (3-5)
Poor kids get Head Start (3-5)
Everyone else pays out of pocket to a private preschool of some sort if that is the road they choose.

K is not mandatory but kids must pass an "entrance" test before being admitted to 1st grade to make sure they are on par with the rest of their peer group.
Public K is only 1/2 day (2.5 hrs) with the exception of a few of the at risk schools which have a full day program. Anyone else wanting a full day program pay for private K.

 

[gymboqueenkaylee]

Where I live, we have exactly one public preschool and if your child is not special needs or you aren't on welfare etc....you can't get your kid in. I have to pay 5000 per year for my child to attend preschool. But, I'm glad though because it really isn't a very good preschool anyway even for the special needs kids. The teachers are bottom of the barrel.

 

[aprilgail2]

Some towns yes around here.But not my town. We don't even have full day Kindergraten.

wow really?? My neighbor was the first year that had full day kindergarten- and he is THIRTY now and a teacher LOL- so its been here for the past 25 years!!! I am glad they had full day when my daughter went, half day was preschool- by kindergarten she was certainly ready for a 6 hour school day!
Preschool was 3 days a week for 3 hours a day and it cost $2,800.00 for the school year.

 

[My3kiddos]

Here public preschool is only for special needs and it takes months of many many meetings, evaluations, forms, etc to qualify. Head Start is free but it's only for low income. My son is 3 and will be attending public preschool in the fall because he's special needs. The school system here has been wonderful and the teachers are excellent.

My son has been attending Montessori since he turned 2 and will continue to go half a day when he starts attending preschool. I do have to pay for but it's money well spent. He has learnt so much more than I ever imagined he would in less than a year. I'm a big supporter of the teachings of Montessori though because I think it helps children learn that there are things they can and should do for themselves (cleaning up for instance). After one of the visits my son had with his future preschool teacher she said he's the only child she's ever had that picks up after himself consistantly.

 

[castleview]

Our public school has a free pre-school that is prioritized for special needs students. Mainstream students can apply as peer models. As the economy has gotten worse, there's a rise in applications. It's a lottery system and you are given the time and days that your child will attend.

Right around the block is a private preschool. Many parents I know have their kids enrolled in the private preschool and use the school one on off-days if they get opposing days.

 

[Plantlady]

Maybe it's a state to state difference, but I don't believe Head Start is just for "poor kids".

If you have a special needs child.. which can be a WIDE range of things, you are entitled to services from birth to the age of 21. You will get home visits until the age of three, then you qualify for the public school's preschool, which often times is head start.

EXAMPLE: I had a friend that had triplets. They were born premature, of course, as most triplets are, and therefore qualified for these special services. She was not low income, yet her girls got to go to head start, because they were "special needs".

I know of a kid with Down's Syndrome. Not low income. Qualified for head start when she was three, because "special needs."

I worked in a head start room last year.. those kids were not all low income. In this town, it is first come, first serve to get head start. But they will accept anyone within the proper age range.

 

[My3kiddos]

Maybe it's a state to state difference, but I don't believe Head Start is just for "poor kids".

If you have a special needs child.. which can be a WIDE range of things, you are entitled to services from birth to the age of 21. You will get home visits until the age of three, then you qualify for the public school's preschool, which often times is head start.

EXAMPLE: I had a friend that had triplets. They were born premature, of course, as most triplets are, and therefore qualified for these special services. She was not low income, yet her girls got to go to head start, because they were "special needs".

I know of a kid with Down's Syndrome. Not low income. Qualified for head start when she was three, because "special needs."

I worked in a head start room last year.. those kids were not all low income. In this town, it is first come, first serve to get head start. But they will accept anyone within the proper age range.

In my town pre-school and head start are different. Pre-school is special needs only and head start is low income and I think that if there are spots left open families who exceed the income guidelines can pay to go but I'm not 100% sure of that.

 

[Plantlady]

In my town pre-school and head start are different. Pre-school is special needs only and head start is low income and I think that if there are spots left open families who exceed the income guidelines can pay to go but I'm not 100% sure of that.

I always thought head start was for low income, until I was actually working in the room.

In THIS town, we do have a preschool and a head start. Both are free. head start has more days, and provides two meals, free to the kids. Both are first come first serve. One is ran by the local school, one is ran by the neighboring town's school district.

in the neighboring town, there is only head start, no school preschool other than head start. There are ample private preschools, all with a huge waiting list.

I guess my point was, I had no idea I was wrong about head start, until I was IN the classroom, with the students.

 

[mum4jenn]

Here Pre-K and PreSchool are not the same. Preschool is age 3 and is not free. Pre-K is free to ANYONE and is age 4. It is an all day 5 days a wek program. Kindergarten is age 5. There is also Headstart that mostly low income kids go to but I don't think it is just low income...not really sure.
PreK is totally free and paid for through lottery funding and is a wonderful program.

 

[december]

No public Pre-K here, although there are public K-4 programs in some parts of the state (Calhoun County has free full day K-4). Head Start is only for very low income in this area, and does not seem to get the kids ready for school. (I teach in the public school system, so this is more than just an opinion). Some of the daycares here are really good at preparing the kids, though. My older kids went to a wonderful daycare, and were more than ready for kindergarten.

I'm 36, and I was in the first group of Kindergarten kids here in central MS, and it has always been all day.

 

[MrsKreamer]

PreK 3 and PreK 4 (where offered) are not free here. Our district only offers PreK4 and it is first come first serve(40 spots) and will be $200 a month. Kurt jr got in and starts in August, full day 5 days a week.

Kindergarten is not even offered at all of the schools. Where we were living, our district started at 1st grade. So we decided to move to a better district.

 

[mjkacmom]

wow really?? My neighbor was the first year that had full day kindergarten- and he is THIRTY now and a teacher LOL- so its been here for the past 25 years!!! I am glad they had full day when my daughter went, half day was preschool- by kindergarten she was certainly ready for a 6 hour school day!
Preschool was 3 days a week for 3 hours a day and it cost $2,800.00 for the school year.

I've lived her for 40 years, 1/2 day kindy, due to lack of space.