How do you feel about putting your child in a private school until they reach kindergarden?

Question

this is the way that i see it... my baby is 9 months old.. and i am paying $600 a month for child care.. just a regular daycare.. but i have found out that there is a private academy school that will start kids at 2 years old at $575 a month.. and they actually teach the kids instead of just feeding them and watching them run around.. they do everything that they do in preschool and give them breakfest, lunch and dinner, and also give them activities to do at home with there parents.. now i think this is great... her son is 4 years old and knows how to spell his name and can count to 125 by himself.. i think that is awesome.. but some people are against this.. why is that? i believe that children should get all the learning they can at 2 and 3 years old.. that is the most crucial time for them.. and it will help them when they get to preschool and beyond. so what does everyone else think?

Answer 1

I think it sounds great!  

I do have to say, very young kids have to learn social skills first.  That is one of the reasons why many parents are against a school type structure when children are so young. Too many kids are brilliant with no social skills whatsoever, and thats not a good thing.  2 and 3 year olds should be learning manners, and how to treat their peers.

There does have to be time for kids to just be kids and hang out, make friends, learn to share and just have a good time.  If your child will still have that time, I say go for it!

Answer 2

The terms "daycare" and "preschool" can sometimes mean different things. Some day cares just let the kids do whatever and provide the minimum basics as the law requires. I don't care for that type of day care at all. Other day cares have more structure and actually do some learning activities. then there are preschools which are taught by differing phylosophies, and may have a lot or a little bit of educational content, but usually have more structure. You want to check out what they will actually be doing...

I think people who are against it think that early preschoolers push kids to hard and too soon, but most are very age appropriate in what they teach (a good preschool is going to have teachers and faculty who are educated in early child developement- they know what the kids are ready to learn)-- social skills, sharing, playing together, conflict resolution, table manners, fire safty, ect.

Some preschools may teach what we think of as acedemic skills such as writing their name, letters, counting, colors, shapes... while others may not. And a lot of preschools divide the children by age and teach different things to different groups. Most preschools have plenty of built in "free play" time where the children sellect there own choice of activity.

"Homework" for preschoolers is usually activies to do with mom or dad, such as finding things around the house that make an "mmm" sound, coloring pictures of sea life, or blowing soap bubbles in a straw. (People who are against preschool homework usually have a preconcieved nnotion of what "homework" means, but for preschool, it's really just a parent/school connection type activity)

There are many different types of preschools, such as Montessori (which I personally adore) which gives children meaningful activities within there capablities and teaches practical skills that encouage a child's growing independence. Places a strong focus on each child's individality and individual growth and needs. A goal of the Montessori method is to help the child maintain their natural joy of learning. And the children do very much enjoy the types of activies that they take part in, in this setting as well as the individual attention they recieve. (another advantage over some daycares)

There's "Bank Street" which is actually a specific school where the focus is on progressive education methods. It's a training ground for the best teachers and a highly sellective and esteamed school.

The Waldorf Method focuses on a child's physical, emotional and cognative developement and has a strong spiritual element (not religious). What we try to do is keep the children's imaginations alive," Johnson says. "That means we don't push academics in early childhood. We have the children play and do things with their hands, like making bread and puppets rather than putting a child in front of a computer and giving them intellectual concepts."

The Reggio Emilia Approach focuses on project oriented curriculum. Teachers' long-term commitment to enhancing their understanding of children is at the crux of the Reggio Emilia approach.

My suggestion would be to visit the preschool and see if it's a place that YOU feel comfortable leaving your child. Have them explain their educational philosophy and methods of discipline and conflict resolution ("what do you do if one kid bites another"). If you feel like it's a good environment for your child, I would definatly go for it and if other people have negative things to say, you can chose to correct their misconceptions or you can simply say, "Thank you for your input." and/or "We've made the decision that works best for our family."

Young children, especially those w/ older syblings or neighbors usually enjoy going to school and take pride in it, it makes them feel like a "big kid" to ride the bus, carry a backpack, do coloring sheets for homework, and have a teacher instead of a babysitter.

Answer 3

Kids are capable of all kinds of things. I own a large daycare / preschool. It is the only way to go! We present all the academic stuff in a fun, playful, and nurturing way. Play is imperative at this age, and it doesn't take long to integrate letters, numbers, name writing, sorting, classifying and all the other important stuff into fun games. The kids don't even know they are learning! With  qualified teachers, kids will also learn the really essential stuff for kindergarten - like problem solving, verbal skills, increasing attention span, learning to get along with others , how to sit during "circle time" and listen to a story. Most kindergarten teachers (I was one for years) are grateful when kids can count to 100 or write words or even read, but they are just as happy with a class who can follow directions and get along with each other.  In other words, kids who have been in a preschool leearning environment know how to learn, and are ready for whatever the teacher presents. I say definitely move him on - find a place with a good balance of fun and learning.

Answer 4

I would rather put them in preschool other then daycare also. Daycares only teach so much, if anything depending on how good the daycare is.

But it really scares me when you say breakfast lunch and dinner? Your child would be there that long? Unless your just saying for those who work late.

Answer 5

I think it's a great idea! Most of us would love the option of staying home with our kids, however when that is not a choice, you want to choose the best place for your child, and this one sounds fantastic.  We put our son in a private Montessori school and he absolutely loved it! The kids had so much fun, it was almost like they were "tricked" into learning! LOL  Get this, he was counting to 1,000 and reading at a 4th grade level at age 5!! Not a prodigy, but pretty darn good! LOL Another side benefit are his social skills.  He is very adaptable to any crowd of kids, and can jump right in and start interacting as if he's known them all his life.  If you feel good about this place, the kids seem happy, and the parents are happy, then you've made an excellent choice.  P.S. When your child is ready to go to public school, you may want to let the teacher know that your child is a little ahead and may need a little "extra" to keep her challenged. :)

Answer 6

Some people might be against it thinking that 2 and 3 are times of a childs life that they need to have fun. I think that if you learn early you will understand things better and make better progress. i went to a private school from when I was 3 to 2nd grade. I loved it, i learned things I wouldn't have learned if I hadn't have gone to private school. I loved it, when I finally went to public school, I was a little scared, but someone from my block was going there to, and we had become friends. i was scared at first but I learned so much. I would say that private school at an early age is an awsome experience, and then to public school, so they can get used to the difference between them.

Answer 7

I'm all for it!  My son was in an in-home daycare until he was 2 1/2, he got all of the love and attention there; but they have to progress.

I put him in a private preschool and he flourished.  Trust me, it is not all academics that goes on in these schools.  They pay a lot of attention to the needs of young children and allow them time for play, interaction and nurturing. But, they do this all with STRUCTURE which is the key to happy and successful children.  Some will argue that preschoolers should not do homework....I disagree.  The homework that they do in these schools is NOT that demanding and can foster parent child learning skills in the home.

DO IT and if you don't like the results...pull him/her out.  Good luck!

Oh..and the requirements for kindergarten in a private system are stricter which will leave them better prepared for the first grade.

Answer 8

It dont matter because they young, and dont too much kno the difference. They have no choice they're only 5.

Answer 9

Lets see I really like your topic. I am going to give you my oldest child as an example. I made certain I did not put her in daycare. Learning starts very early and it keeps them in the routine of learning. I can definitely agree with learning it is never too early to learn. For example in Jamaica kids go to school at the age of 2 and that is why they graduate at 16 or under. If America would only standardize the learning age here it would be great. I also must say learning does not stop in school. My daughter who is now 8 born in Oct getting straight A's in the 3rd grade was working a computer by the age of 2 completely. She was operating my computer and hers. Her school however did not put them in computer school until the age of 3. I told them she will be teaching the computer class. As well as I found another school that used the Jamaica standards and yes she was in computer classes amongst other things. So it's all up to you and how much your child appreciates education as a learning tool. I only want to comment on going from private to public is sometimes redundent. So that is the only fault I have in going from daycare to private and back to public. So your job will be to make sure you find a public school with the same carriculum. I recently moved from Florida to Georgia and some public schools here are really slow in some other counties. I have heard people tell me they moved to my area simply because the schools in their area is really slow or behind. So research, research and lots of research. There are plenty of websites out there and unfortunately I can't recall any where you can do a comparison with the schools in your area. That is why I always make it a point to move in a great school zone if I am going to stick to public. I like to know i have the choice of putting my child in either public or private school. Best if luck to you and your decision. You do have a little ways to go. I have a soon to be 2 year old and I am going to do the same thing I did for my oldest.

Answer 10

School beats daycare, and you said the price is right, so go for it, if that's your thing.

I wouldn't do it--kindergarten comes soon enough, and it's so rewarding to teach your child academics and ethics to prepare him or her for kindergarten yourself.  

If you have $600 per month just to spend on daycare or preschool--then you could be working part-time and spending more quality time with your child.  It is so satisfying to watch your child grow and learn what we teach them.

Why on earth should strangers be the ones to see every landmark in your child's life?

Answer 11

As a parent and former kindergarten teacher I think it's a great idea. Too many kids come into kindergarten with hardly any basic knowledge at all. Some day cares are ok and do teach some basics, but what I see in most is that the child only plays and sleeps....some even turn the TV on and say it's "educational TV" !

If you're gonna pay that much you might as well get your moneys worth - just don't let them do all the teaching..........remember, Parents are teachers too !

Answer 12

They are just little kids and need to have time to just play around. The truth is that kids learn more from play than from going to school. I think that it would be a much better idea for you to put him in a simple daycare or babysitting thing if you can't care for him. For example, when I was young my dad watched my for half the day, then when he went to work I went to the babysitter's house (there were maybe three kids besides my brother and I). We had a grand time there and loved her and her family very much, and she taught us some things too. Plus it cost my parents rather little. I am so glad that that is what happened because it worked out well; if you can do that for your son then I advocate that above the other. I mean they are little kids; it won't matter if they can count. My parents read to me and I watched some educational programming, and by the time I was in kindergarten I could read, write, spell, count,  and do some adding. Quality time with your kid will be MUCH more helpful in both the emotional and educational veins.

Answer 13

If you do he/she might just might turn out to be a wimp because of speclail addition they get at privet school.