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Pre-school and fees

Pre-school and fees

Old Aug 7th 2008, 10:56 pm
  #31  
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Default Re: Pre-school and fees

Originally Posted by ironporer
We have the exact same dilema...and all want $130-150/week. F***ing ludicrous for places that pay their "teachers" $7 / hr!!
F***ing ludicrous is correct! I'm going without for this, I hope my son will appreciate it!
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Old Aug 8th 2008, 11:32 am
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Default Re: Pre-school and fees

Originally Posted by JULIEROSE
Yes Lord Lionheart I checked all schools in the county within a 25 mile range of where I live and they range from $225 to much more. If we had a State pre-school for 3-4 year olds my son would have been attending one last year. Unfortunately, the State of Virginia does not give free pre-school so we have to pay and go private. I just don't want my children to have to suddenly go to Kindergarden full time when they are 5 for full days. I want to ease them into it and have them get used to a school a few mornings a week first.

I have found a private school called Busy Bees with great reviews from other Mothers in the area. It is for $225 for 4 half days a week. The school is not in my town but the next village about 15 miles away. My moms club have given the teacher great reviews and three have some of their kids there. She takes them on field trips and they get a year book and many have come on great so with writing skills etc. Even though I am being cheap (I cannot afford more than a few hundred a month right now being a military one income family) I think it is a good school and my son will have fun, learn lots and enjoy it. I hope... I would rather save the $15k a year pre-school fees for college later on.

We only have half day Kindergarden here, makes it easier for the kids but can be a pain if they are on the afternoon one. Busy Bees sounds like a great place!
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Old Aug 8th 2008, 11:40 am
  #33  
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Default Re: Pre-school and fees

Originally Posted by bevinva
We only have half day Kindergarden here, makes it easier for the kids but can be a pain if they are on the afternoon one. Busy Bees sounds like a great place!
I wish they did the half day here for kindergarden but they go straight into full days.
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Old Aug 8th 2008, 12:58 pm
  #34  
 
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Default Re: Pre-school and fees

Originally Posted by JULIEROSE
Yes Lord Lionheart I checked all schools in the county within a 25 mile range of where I live and they range from $225 to much more. If we had a State pre-school for 3-4 year olds my son would have been attending one last year. Unfortunately, the State of Virginia does not give free pre-school so we have to pay and go private. I just don't want my children to have to suddenly go to Kindergarden full time when they are 5 for full days. I want to ease them into it and have them get used to a school a few mornings a week first.

I have found a private school called Busy Bees with great reviews from other Mothers in the area. It is for $225 for 4 half days a week. The school is not in my town but the next village about 15 miles away. My moms club have given the teacher great reviews and three have some of their kids there. She takes them on field trips and they get a year book and many have come on great so with writing skills etc. Even though I am being cheap (I cannot afford more than a few hundred a month right now being a military one income family) I think it is a good school and my son will have fun, learn lots and enjoy it. I hope... I would rather save the $15k a year pre-school fees for college later on.
Virginia does have state preschool, but I believe that it is income-based. I know that our local public school has a pre-K 4 program and there is some sort of state daycare just around the corner from us. You might want to check out the following website about the Virginia Head Start program.

http://www.headstartva.org/about/index.htm

$225 for four half-days a week sounds reasonable to me and is about what we paid when our kids went to preschool (youngest daughter just finished pre-K 4 program last year and that cost about $290 a month, though it was for 5 mornings a week).
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Old Aug 8th 2008, 1:11 pm
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Default Re: Pre-school and fees

Originally Posted by Lord Lionheart
Are you sure you have checked all resources? There are a lot of pre-schools here in CA where people feel a need to compete with the Jones' and pay ridiculous fees of $15K a year to give their toddler the right start. ( and they can afford it). We sent our kid to a State school, the cost was $90 a month.
Here in LA it seems it's the parents that feel the need to get their kids into 'the best schools' at a very early age ...................... when all they do is paint pictures, sing songs and count to 10. Social Darwinism and being competitive starts very early here in the States.
We prefer to let our kids be kids and have a childhood. Even in the State school my wife and I laugh at the attitude of some of the parents trying to push their 3 and 4 year olds. I've commented that it must be unbearable when the kids get older and actually start competing for scholarships and places on sports teams

Ditto here in VA in certain circles re: competitiveness. Also, it's true to say that just because a school costs more, doesn't always mean it is better (let's say I've learnt from experience .

The best recommendations on pre-schools often come from other parents.
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Old Aug 8th 2008, 9:47 pm
  #36  
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Default Re: Pre-school and fees

Originally Posted by bevinva
We only have half day Kindergarden here, makes it easier for the kids but can be a pain if they are on the afternoon one.
Half day in Yarmouth ME, but full day in most of the other nearby towns, and I think they're switching to full-day kindergarten here by the time my son goes to school. Or should that be 'hoping' they're switching?
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