Andy42

Hi there Everybody,
I'm hoping someone can help as i have been combing the posts and wiki links to find an answer, but first a bit of background.....

I have recently been offered by my current company to re-locate to Michigan to head up and open a local office etc...
The re-location is expected to be only 2 years and the company will pay for all visas and transportation etc.

Now the only issue we have is our eldest will be turning 4 half way through the stay and will be 5 when we return.
obviously in the UK he would start school at the age of 4 and would have finished his first full year when we plan to return.
So if we take up the offer he will miss the whole of the first year of school.

Is there a equivalent in the USA so he can come back without being a year behind?
Am i missing something?

Thanks for the help.

Rete

Children start formal school here in the US at the age of 5 which would be kindergarten.

We do not have pre-kindergarten in most states. If it is offered, you will find that they are for underprivileged children. However, there are many private schools/child care centers that your child could be enrolled in at age 4. Some of these places are quite expensive so be forewarned.

This has been spoken of many times over on the US forums and we have several well-versed members with children will be joining this discussion shortly.

Britexmom

Montessori or similar type schools (catholic schools here in Texas have a pre-k program that is very much like the reception class in the U.K.) will have a preschool program that is probably going to have your child at the level they need to be for returning to U.K. School system.
Avoid Mother's Day Out programs as they won't have the structure and advancement that you are looking for.
There are also various online programs and software that you could use at home with your child.

Anian

The cheapest preschools are religious, but the one my kids went to made them atheists due to the absurdities. Otherwise, it's expensive, but the socialisation is really good.

Teach your kids the alphabet and how to write their name and they won't be far behind the rest of their class.

Andy42

Thanks to all so far,

We are more concerned about the learning to learn and being at school part of the experience, and just from your replies so far, i have been able to start looking at Pre-K classes (it helps to Know what to look for Thank you!).

kins

I'm not convinced you need to send your child to full-time pre-school for that equivalent of the UK Reception year TBH. You can spend time at home making sure they have the relevant reading/counting skills. I think with that they'd slot into Year 1 without many problems even if they haven't done an equivalent of Reception.

I'd look for a local coop nursery that offers something like 2-3 mornings a week so that your child has some experience of a learning environment. But I wouldn't stress about finding a full-time setting.

I think 5 is a much better age to start full-time school than 4 (I have children who've done each).

Rete

If that is all that is required in the UK of them when they exit their first year of schooling in the UK, then I don't see what the issue is. Just about every child I know or have known has been able to recite and recognize the alphabet and their numbers from 1 through 30 by the age of 5 before entering kindergarten in the US. Granddaughter who went to JCC 3 mornings a week since the age of 3 knew them before age 4 and was reading books never seen by her before prior to age 5. The JCC and camp were great for social skills.

Chesten

Why don't you take a look at the early years foundation stage profile to get a sense of what expected levels are. Then take a view if you want to cover topics at home or pay privately.

We've just enrolled our 3yo in a Montessori programme but doing half days for now. It's v different from the structured set up at his UK preschool. TBH at this point it's the socialisation (his and mine) that's my first priority!

Pulaski

There are several franchise chains of "daycares" that take children from the age of six weeks until they are old enough to start school after their fifth birthday. We put our daughter in one immediately after her second birthday, and the progress from her first weeks there until she left to go to school was continuous and seamless. The "classroom" went from the sort of mayhem you'd expect a room full of two year olds to create, to something that was exactly like school would be a couple of weeks later in early August before she started school. Each year she moved up a grade, and the classroom activities became progressively more organized and school-like.

Along the way she was taught her alphabet (by letter name, not phonetic sound), some reading/word recognition, and basic counting and number recognition. By the last year the classroom activities were almost indistinguishable from kindergarten class as school - a daily routine that started promptly in the morning, time spent sitting around the teacher and a whiteboards, time spent listening to stories, singing and music making, show-and-tell activities, painting and crafts, etc.

Given that such daycare facilities are widely available across America, it is inaccurate for many children to say that school doesn't start until after their fifth birthday, because for many children their school career is pretty seamless from the age of two.

The facility that our daughter went to was a Bright Horizons, but there are several others such as Kids R Kids, Petite Academy etc., and no doubt regional and independent daycares that offer similar programs. They aren't cheap and five years ago we were paying $1,000/mth in NC* - I would imagine it is close to $1,200 now, and likely more in Pennsylvania. I hear that it is often $2,500/mth or more in larger cities in the North East and West Coast.

* The original decision was based on my wife returning to work, and us wanting a safe, nurturing environment for our daughter, not just some dumping ground, but it turned out very well for our daughter with a very easy transition into school proper.

kodokan

This is a very sensible approach; don't feel you'd need to replicate full-time British schooling. Having had one kid start school at 4 in the UK, and one at 6 in Switzerland after a 2-year part time kindergarten program; I far prefer the latter. It doesn't matter a jot for their long term learning anyway; my daughter couldn't even read beyond basic c-a-t type words when we moved to the US when she was 7 but was caught up within a year and is now - according to the latest ridiculously dubious comprehension test - reading 5 grade levels above her actual one. Education is a very looooooong game, it turns out.

Bob

For the shits and giggles, how much are folks paying for pre-school around the country?

Hard pressed to find a place that isn't $400+ a week for half day, part week down my way. Cousin up in Maine, were paying $650 a month for full time pre-school at a small place near them last year.

Then again, summer camps are bonkers too. The missus knows someone who runs a world class cheer academy up in Maine and they're offering a summer camp that was a couple of full days a week for $95 for a six week course. A similar course at our local academy was closer to $3K.

Anian

No one is offering two full days of anything for six weeks for $95. That's sounds more like the per day cost for group training. Unless it is one of those subsidised Bible camps.

Rete

Sleepy Hollow, NY offers day camp for $800 for 7 weeks, 5 days a week, 8 am until 3 pm. $200 extra if you need your child to remain until 5:30 pm.

Pulaski

I think Bob is saying it's $95 for two days each week. .... We pay just over $200/wk (it was $210 last summer, not sure yet what it will be this year) for little Miss P's summer camp program, with field trips most days included, but a season pass to the local theme park is on top.

Bob

It is the cost for 6 weeks.

It is however, just the beginner, young kids class. It seems that some of the help is done by the older kids, who get a discount on their academy costs.