This decision should not have been so agonizing! Yet, it was. First, there is the consideration of the money. The huge amounts of money. It costs a small fortune to get your kid into pre-kinder in a private school.
Secondly, I had to give up more time with her before she officially starts "school". She is growing up quickly, so I thought if she didn't get into pre-k, I would keep her in a two-day-a-week Spanish immersion program she has been attending the past year and a half. That would give her some away from us time and keep her with us a lot of the time to enjoy the last year we had together before "big kid" school starts.
In this town, you have to qualify based on need (money, disability, etc) for public pre-k. We didn't fit into any category, so free pre-k wasn't an option. Then my next option was religious schools, namely those of my own denomination. My church was too expensive as were a few others I checked. I considered trying for my own church's school anyway and did fill out all the paperwork but was wait listed due to missing deadlines. I had no idea these things happened in JANUARY! I was too pregnant to have a properly functioning brain and stand by that excuse!
I did get a call from them to bring her in for testing but it was scheduled for the day she had an emergency dental procedure (that was a last minute decision right before my due date). I called the lady to reschedule that morning and she said she would call me back. I nursed my daughter back from her surgery and then popped out another kid. After a few weeks I realized that I never got a call back and that window was probably closed. I didn't mourn too much since I knew I couldn't afford it and probably wouldn't qualify for scholarships.
My other option was a phone call I had made to a place called The Acorn: A School for Young Children. By calling, I was put on their list and went ahead and did the tour in May (with one month old infant in tow). It looked like a wonderful place, but being on the wait list meant taking whatever opening came up--if indeed any did come up. Based on the fact that the tour was full of preggies, shopping around for schools for their unborn children, I felt a *tiny* bit late in the process.
One grandma was there for her one year old grandson. Her darn daughter was dragging her feet in getting her baby a spot secured in the school (a tour is mandatory and held only twice a year), so she went herself to get the process underway. I was looking for a spot THIS YEAR and just got put on the list. I wasn't holding my breath.
Good thing I didn't because I got the call yesterday, a full three months later. A spot in the lesser preferred five day a week class opened up. I was not first on the list, and because they balance classes (boys/girls/ages), there were a few other four year old girls in line ahead of my own. I was "lucky"!
More days per week = more money. And of course, the days are half days. It is a morning spot, so she would be gone early until 11:30 a.m. The good thing is that her sister is guaranteed a spot when she is old enough (3 years) and that I can keep Elena there for Kinder should I wish to do that. I do wish (if we can afford it) since its a tiny place and mommy isn't ready to put her kid into a big bad public school with big kids!
So after considering it, I decided to take the spot and went down there today to leave a nice chunk of change down to hold her place. More due in August and more due in September (and ever month after that in regular tuition payments). I had both girls in tow and I felt good about the decision, which made writing the check slightly easier.
Elena got to meet her teachers and take a tour of the place and she was in LOVE with it. She didn't want to come home with me after seeing the kids at play (in the summer program they have which ends today). She tells me, "Mom! I didn't know there were so many kids in this town!" :)
Yes, little one, there are many things you do not know. (She would never admit this because she thinks she knows EVERYTHING.) BUT that is why she is starting school. She has a lot to learn!
The early childhood classes of yesteryear were different. Children who are disadvantaged (Second language learners, physical/mental disabilities, etc) are believed to be the ones who need "early intervention" or a "head start". Children who come from poor families are often thought to need the help as well.
While my daughter doesn't fall into this category, she does fit into the new think when it comes to early starts in school. She is intelligent, social and some might say (and have said) gifted. She has had a large vocabulary for a couple of years now and does not need to have the playing field leveled before kindergarten. What she does need is stimulation and enriching learning experiences. She needs to play in a structured environment and be ready to settle down when the serious learning (writing, reading, etc) begins in school.
She also might get something I never got--a leg up. I was always thought of as gifted as a child and I went to gifted schools but was never really challenged. I was bored and without breaking a sweat, got very comfy in my place and didn't think it was worth it to push myself. Why should I? It was fun to coast. I got the good grades and had fun because I didn't have to try as hard as others did.
Once I got to college, I realized something I never knew. I wasn't really *that* smart. I mean, I was, but I wasn't as exposed to things as others had been. I wasn't confident when I compared myself to the other people around me and it hurt me greatly in how things played out in the years that followed.
The students I met in college were nurtured from early ages, read earlier than I did, and read far more authors than I ever knew existed. I read what was required, and nothing beyond that. These students went to summer programs and camps and were learning all the time. I was home with siblings, helping my mom with the house and my younger brothers during summers. We played outside, got really tanned and watched too much television.
I am hoping I can create an eager lover of learning in my daughter. I want to give her many opportunities to learn, but also to be comfortable around the different people who are more "privileged" than she is. She won't be able to do all the camps and won't go to swanky private schools, but she can do what we can afford to do here and there to benefit her.
This is one small thing. (Well...maybe NOT so $mall.) It is one, possibly two years in a very small school with one teacher for every five children. The place is nurturing and fun and I have no doubt she will thrive there. I won't be able to take breaks between classes (I teach), will have to spend a lot more time grading, and we will have to tighten our belts (super snugly), but I think its a good cause and I hope in the long run, it benefits her.
I am hoping she feels comfortable and confident in every situation she faces going forward. She already has the great confidence that goes with "knowing everything" and being a four-year-old. She has a very nurturing home life that has made her feel safe and strong. Hopefully, things continue on this path so that she ends up a stronger woman than I thought I was! :)
