Whaaaaa? That can't be right! - private pre-K?

kit_kats_mom wrote: I called a couple of the private schools in our area to find out about availablity of pre-K for Katherine (missed the deadline by one day ) and the rates. The public schools will not budge on their dob requirements so in order for her to start pre-k she'd have to go private or homeschool.

There are only two private schools that offer pre k in our area.
Well, one school is, get this...$8600/year (that's 10 mos) and the other, Montissori, is $6890/year! That is just outrageous IMO. I would never be able to retire if we did this. Then Iwas thinking you know, if K gets the private education, won't Lauren be entitled to it also? Well, that's just out of the question...really can't afford that.

So, little miss K will be enrolling in public pre-K the day before her 5th birthday and she will be bored out of her flipping mind and hate school from then on out. Goody!

luvbug00 replied: Here they evaluate the children who miss the age requirements by giving them a test and see if they are ready or overly ready ( in some cases) and place them accordingly. I would ask if they have any enterance tests and if so can Katherine take them.

kit_kats_mom replied:
BTDT, the state will not budge on the pre-K because it is voluntary and so many people are jumping on it since it is esentially...free daycare. I was told awhile back that they will not start testing for placement unitl second grade but I'm not sure that's true. I need to look into that more.

luvbug00 replied: I'm sure you have tried this too but maybe a church preschool program?? ( does the YMCA have one I wonder...?) I don't attend church but the ones arrround here will take anyone, As will most of our Temples and they don't teach biblical stuf they just let the kids play and explore. I went to one as a child and we played in the sand box and learned our ABC's all day, that's pretty much it.

DansMom replied: Oh Cary, move to Ann Arbor! You know Daniel and Katherine are getting married some day anyway---this will be the easiest way to facilitate that. The school cutoff here is a very late December 1. You will never see an alligator in your back yard. Google is putting an office here and hiring 1000 people. Plus there's two universities and loads of other employers. Cedar Point is a pretty good amusement park in nearby Ohio. Come on!

On the serious side, that really stinks Especially if she's destined to be bored.

3_call_me_mama replied: AWE Bummer! Hope that you find somethign that works! And maybe Lauren wont' know that K wnet to private pre-k adn since she's a jaunary she'll make the cut off and neve rbe teh wiser! Here the cutoff is Dec 31/Jan 1. Basically you have to turn 5 on or before Jan1. Some of teh neighboring towns have a sept 1st cutof. But they also assess and test and each child is taken on an individual basis.

kit_kats_mom replied:
ROFLMBO

They are destined to be married and have little itty bitty children. LOL However, I have one word for you. Brrrrrrrrrrrr

I'm not about snow at all. Thanks for making me smile. I'm in a really negative mood today for some reason. I needed that pick me up.

coasterqueen replied: Why would she be bored or hate school? I'm confused.

I see nothing wrong with public pre-k, that's where Kylie is going to go and she won't be going til she's 5 either.

I see it as a way for them to be a kid one year more . They have their whole lives to go to school.


Sorry it's not working out for you though.

kit_kats_mom replied:
She may not be but she is already starting to read and it would just be bad if she gets into public pre-k and she isn't challenged.

I'm probably just reflecting my own fears onto the whole situation but It's something I really worry about since I dropped out of HS due to sheer boredom. I transferred from CA to FL and they were teaching stuff in 10th grade honors classesthat I'd already learned in 7th grade. I was bored to tears so I quit on my 16th birthday, got my GED and started college. It ended up working out for me but I know that is not always the case. I'd hate to see her do the same thing.

jcc64 replied: Fla has some pretty wacky ideas about early childhood. My brother's kid, also a real brainiac, was almost 6 by the time he entered K b/c of the ridiculously early and inflexible cut-off for school entry. He was bored, tbh, and still is. (he just finished 1st grade, and so did my other nephew in NJ, who is a whole year younger).
My parents were both lifelong public school teachers, and it is common knowledge among educators that Fla schools lag behind other states, particularly in early childhood. You probably make up the difference by having a good post secondary system. Idk, Cary, maybe you have to get a little creative with the finances or go after a scholarship or some kind of barter, but I'd try to find a way to get her in somewhere for the year. You and she will both be climbing the walls, otherwise.
The pre-eminent private preK up here is $14K/yr- can you believe that???? That's where my boys went, but back in the day, it was a much more modest crunchy progressive school. Somewhere along the way, someone decided it wasn't elite enough- now the parking lot is filled with bmw's instead of Vw micro-buses.
Corey obviously will not be attending that program, and I do feel badly about not giving her the same opportunities as the boys, but there's no argueing with the numbers. She's going to our public preK program up here, and while I'm certain it's not quite up to the standards of the private program, she'll never know the difference, kwim? I wouldn't worry about total equality for the girls- every circumstance is different- and with a Jan b-day- Lauren won't be in the same boat. I would remove that factor from the equation. Good luck.

Kaitlin'smom replied: are they both 10 month programs? how many days is that? and what are the hours? Just wondering Kaits pre-school is not cheep but its one of the best. Was just tring to compair price for my own wackyness.

dont feel bad with Kaits b-day late Dec she will be neirly 6 before she starts K if she goes to public school. Her current pre-school has a great pre-K and K program just not sure if she can get into public school for 1st early. Guess it depends if she is ready also.

redchief replied:
They have scholarships for pre-K? Man, I'm getting old!

Kaitlin'smom replied:
yep some offer them. One school I checked out used a sliding scale based on you annual income.

luvmykids replied: What about another preschool? Around here "preschool" is pretty vague but a lot of places have specific classes for more advanced ages, they call them "4's" and "older 4's". Also, in my little bit of research lately, I haven't found huge differences between some preschools and pre-K.

I'm sorry, I hope you find something that works.

BAC'sMom replied: To be eligible for enrollment in Public Pre-K where I live, a child must meet the age requirement and either be Limited English Speaking (LEP), educationally disadvantaged, or homeless. We only have two private Pre-K schools here in town with tuition from $225-300+ per month. Needless to say my children did not go to Pre-K they just went straight in to Kindergarten.

Good Luck to you.

Jamison'smama replied: Jamison is signed up here in Ohio for PreK--our cut off date is Sept 30. In Texas, the cut off is Sept 1 and she is signed up for the regular preschool program (we are still hoping to move). Do you not have smaller parochial/church run schools that have PreK?

amynicole21 replied: $6k isn't so bad actually... it's what I paid in full time daycare for Sophia last year, and will again this year $8,600 is ridiculous though. When does the school year start there? It's already started over here...

mom21kid2dogs replied: WoW!! That's really high! O's tuition is $1800 a year for Catholic school. The high school is only $4800 a year~guess it's a bargin compared to what you were quoted. The difference in the education here between public and private is huge here, too, though. Hope you can find a program that stimulates her well!

C&K*s Mommie replied: Being 5 in Kindergarten is not bad at all. Christian will be 6 before she can enter kindergarten, and 5 for pre-K at public schools here.

But that still is a large chunk of money to shell out for pre-k.

MommyToAshley replied:
I get what you are saying, Cary. I don't think your fears are unfounded. We are lucky that here in Ohio the cut-off is September 30 and Ashley makes it by a few weeks. She's like K and is reading and is on the academic level of most kindergarteners now. I know she would be bored if she had to wait another year to start Kinder. But, from a maturity standpoint, I worry about her... not so much now but when she is in the older grades. I am going to send Ashley to Kinder on time though. She will turn 5 the day before or after she starts Kinder. I think I would worry either way (whether she just makes the cut off or just misses it)... why didn't we think about this before we decided to have Sept babies.

coasterqueen replied: I get what you are saying too Cary and you'll just have to decide what is more important, whether the money is worth it or not.

I think the whole thing is a toss up whether you send them early or not. DH and I were both sent to Kinder at age 4. We turned out perfectly well. Although I went to preschool and was extremely bored all the way through 6th grade. The teachers constantly were trying to convince my parents to move me up a grade, they decided against it thank goodness. I was not bored in highschool, though.


Dh never went to preschool and was never bored in school. He is a genius in my mind and was always in the excellerated programs all the way through school. I think this is why he doesn't care whether we send Kylie to preschool or not.

And each child is different. Lauren might not end up as advanced as K is. I can already see Megan is too much of a clown to even think about learning like her sister does. I'll have one who likes to learn and one who will be the class clown.

Anyways, good luck with your decision. I'm sorry if my earlier post offended you. I was not aware of the school system in your area. I know our public schools in town are horrible which is why we wanted to live where we are now, where the public school system is very good, although very ritsy.