[Mamaof2rugrats]

What do yall think? Is preK worth the expense? I never figured myself for a mother who would send my child to preschool. It's a fairly rare thing here and I always planned on homeschooling. My daughter is now 4 and begging to go to school. My husband is due for a military move in about a year and she will start in at DOD schools on base after we move so this would give her a head start. We already do alot of Prek and K workbooks at home so essentially we are doing PreK at home now. My husband does want her to go for the socialization factor alone though. I did look into dance and it was going to be around 100/mth for the classes and then extra for the costumes,etc so really I think preschool would be cheaper in the end. There is a church preschool about 2 blocks from our house that has a cheap preschool program 3 hrs a day/3 days a week for 100 a mth. I had also considered sending her there next yr for their K program which is 300/mth but she will only go half a year before we have to pull her out to move. Is it worth it do yall think when we are doing PreK at home? The gymnastics classes though if we go that route to get her socialized more so are less often and more expensive so that doesn't seem like the smarter of the two. Head Start is nearly nonexistant in our area and full with high risk/lower income children so that isn't an option. What do yall think? Did yall send your children? If not were they involved in any activities for socialization? Thanks!!!!:grouphug:

 

[Nana2two]

Well if the 3 day a week church prek has openings that would be the best and for $100 a month wow that is really good.Even though head start has no opening its not just for high risk or low income. I do know several families that make $40k a year and their kids attend 3 days a week.I do think they go by the most needed first.

 

[Momto5RN]

depends on the child and the circumstances and teh cost IMO

my older 4 went to our small towns preschool run by the young womans league - it was a real pre-k state certified etc but non profit - was in a town owned building etc so it was maybe 600 for the year 3 days a week 2.5 hours a day .

my youngest had food allergies that led to bowel issues because he had diarrhea for so long he could hold his BM higher in his bowel but once it came doen to the end of his bowel he was unable to recognize it so wore pul ups still at 4 .
we were working with GI specialists etc ( they also thought he might have hirschsprungs ) so i didnt sedn him i didnt want him to have an accident and be known as the kid who pooped his pants in school.

he was fine by K the first few week he had tio get use to a routine of sitting etc but he did fine.
they could do full day or 1/2 day K at my kids school and he only did 1/2 for first two months then he wanted to go all day and we let him.

my youngest had bowel issues

 

[mauimagic]

In my humble opinion as a preschool teacher for children with disabilities - unless you child has special needs and would benefit from early intervention or your child never has an opportunity to interact with other children - keeping them home provides a wonderful base. Parents who read to their children, provide their children lots of opportunities to hear language on a daily basis and learn the value of themselves and others - those are the richest environments!!

....and I am passionate for what I do because my students are parents deserve/need more support as they start on their journies.

 

[frugalwarrior2]

I did pre-school co-op. I worked 2-3 days per month incl. cleaning church bathrooms for a lower price. We had to provide snacks 2-3 a month also. It was a small group of moms supervised by a certified teacher and a trained paid aide.
My DS was shy (very funny to me now) and very clingy. We had very few neighbors kids and NO cousins his age. So I thought the socialization helped. Both of us. DD was in kindergarten and this way he wasn't lonesome. i was paying about $50. per month 13 years ago so it is about comperable at $100. IMHO.
Mostly it was play,some letter recognition,address learning,phone number, that sort of stuff. We also did some awesome field trips. I still have a lovely one of his driving a fire engine w/ an ear to ear grin.
Yes,I would highly recommend this.

 

[lisaflex]

i think all kids are different. dd did three and four yr old preschool then a young 5's program. all good.

beofre that, we always did story time at many librarys and free kindermusik classes and some other art classes the childrens museum and we had regular play dates from the age of one on.

3 and 4 yr old were done at a catholic school which imo she didnt get much out of (would have been different at our public district). but, still, got her used to the idea of big girl school.

all kids are different. just wish we could have only spent what you are looking at...lol. anyway, it allworked out in the long run for us! whatever you decide i am sure will be the right decision for you and your family

 

[Mamaof2rugrats]

The Head Start here is full so that isn't an option. This is the cheapest by far preschool around. Most are 100+ wkly so this sounds like a great deal. Also, it is at the church school I went to for several yrs as a child so I'm familiar with it and it's a good school. I just am not really sure preschool is needed. We will have to think on it more.

 

[akolb]

My mom always tells me how I wouldn't let any of the other children in Mother's Day Out answer any questions so the teachers told her to have me tested for the Gifted program and start me in PreK.

My little sister was kicked out for biting. I will always hold that over her.

 

[nodmicks]

I sent both my kids to preschool at church. It was 2.5 hours 2 days a week. It was only $64 a month at the time.

I did it because in my opinion my kids needed the social aspect before kindergarten which is all day here. My kids had never been in daycare. They did have playmates but were not exposed to "new" kids ever without their parents present. I thought it would be good to help get them ready for school.

 

[kattails]

the whole socialization issue is why I have kept my kids in public school. and boy do I regret leaving them in public school. I can't speak for all school districts, but here in our school district the kids only get to talk at recess and lunch. well, they only have recess 3 days a week and only get to talk at lunch if someone hasn't acted up in class and caused everyone to receive "silent lunch". basically you eat your lunch and don't speak a word, even if you weren't the one that caused trouble in the classroom.

that's not a whole lot of socialization. my son is in 5th grade and has 1 friend in school, whereas he has at least a dozen friends from playing basketball, baseball, etc. through parks and recreation programs.

if I were you I would keep her at home and get her involved in something she enjoys....gymnastics, sports, swimming. she would not only get to socialize with different aged people, but she would also be doing something she enjoys, building self-confidence and self-esteem. good luck on your decision

 

[brennasmom]

I would agree it depends on the child. I have 2 children. One did pre-k and one did not. My son really benefited from the social aspect of Pre-K.

You may check into doing a "visit" where your child can spend some time in the classroom and see if it would be a good fit

 

[dancemommy]

I would absolutely send my child to preschool. I would focus less on the academics of it too. I think much of preschool is learning how to go to school. How to take turns. How to follow instructions. How to be apart from your family. How to make friends. How to use the restroom away from home. How to ask questions and ask for what you need. All of those types of things. So important.

 

[Marie78]

I'm considering 1/2 day pre-school for my DS in 2 years. I think it will help him to meet other kids and to get used to a school setting before kindergarten. I am a SAHM, so I want to make sure he gets some time on his own and at home.

 

[AmyBoz]

I'm an advocate of pre-K. If you can find a solid pre-K near you that isn't too expensive, why not give them the opportunity? If it doesn't work out, you can always pull them out!

 

[lisaflex]

i agree about the seperation thing. it is a good experience for them at an earlier age.

 

[Pianolady]

We sent both our kids to two years of church preschool 3x a week for 3 hours. The teacher was a retired Kindergarten teacher, and was just wonderful. She really knew what she was doing.

We lived in a small town with very little interaction with other kids, so it was a wonderful experience for our kids. I think it gave them a huge head start in development and education. Both are now in college.

Dd also tried dance from age 3-6. The teacher wasn't good, the dances as the children got older didn't reflect their age group or abilities. Our daughter was 6 years old wearing a big red bow in her hair and wearing a red polka dot dress pushing a stroller on stage. There was no dance involved, just a bunch of kids walking around in a circle, and she was learning nothing. She was embarrassed even at age 6. We dropped that class. After moving to a new town, the dance classes were fine, the teacher actually taught some dancing, but dd quit after a few years because she never really recovered from her negative experiences of her early classes. She felt "behind" everyone else, and she was. Check teacher references for both the dance and preschool, that's really the key to whether it's worth it or not. Ask people on your own, don't use references the teacher provides. A bad start can be worse than not going.

 

[McD]

Wesley is on his second year of preschool. He absolutely loves it. Last year, we paid 90$ a month for 2 hours, 2 days a week. This year we pay $125 for 2.5 hours, 3 days a week.

Wesley loves it. I would do it again in a heartbeat. He's learning new and different things then what we focus on at home. At home, we do lots of reading, writing, basic math, colors, shapes, letters, etc.

At preschool, they read to the kids, do some writing, colors, patterns, shapes, letters, etc. but they also do science, sensory, art, dramatic play, constructive play, etc. They incorporate so much more into their 2 1/2 hours.

It's also getting him ready for kindergarten in terms of learning to raise hands, follow the leader, all that. He enjoys it so much.

 

[Guest]

My son just started pre-school, although our situation and reasons for doing it were different from yours. Personally, if my child was asking to go to school and I could afford it, I would. If she was asking for dance lessons or swimming lessons and I could afford it, I would do those too. Maybe she really enjoys the learning that you are doing at home and that's making her really excited to go to school? I would actively encourage all kinds of education.

Also, as others have said - it's also about learning to be away from your parents, using a different bathroom, waiting in line, taking turns, listening to the teacher, etc. It's not that you can't teach your child colors/letters/reading/math, it's just that it's difficult for you to teach group dynamics.