The Preschool Shuffle
I envy my parents. It just seems that they had things so much easier then. They didn’t fret and worry about their kids’ education. They didn’t spend ridiculous amounts of time comparing school ratings, curriculum offerings and tuition rates. Nope. They just pointed us out the door to the neighborhood grade school and were done with it. Ah, those were the days.
I, on the other hand, am smack dab in the middle of the Preschool Shuffle. I have either called or visited or both called and visited eight different schools as of today. The most recent candidate offers a full-immersion Mandarin language program from preschool through 5th grade. The next candidate is a German immersion program. It seems kind of nuts to be putting so much energy into choosing a preschool. And once a school is chosen there’s the application process. And, of course, paying the tuition, which I believe is nearly enough money to finance a coup in a small third-world country.
Nonetheless, I’ll do it. And, eventually, D and I will decide on a school, and off the Cupcakes (and our money) will go.
Wish me luck. Oh, and any words of advice would be welcome, too.
Powered by FireStats
mama d said,
November 2, 2007 @ 5:31 pm
You asked: 1. There is no perfect school. 2. You only know what you know, not what you think you know, about a school. Looks like you’ve got this down if you’re actually going to see the schools and talking to a range of parents. 3. Nothing is forever. Pull ‘em if you need to. 4. Think about what you can supplement easily (German, perhaps?) and what you need the school to provide. We’ve decided to let our schools provide the giant jungle gyms, swings, slides, etc. 5. The cupcakes have a wishlist, too! And, they’re ultimately the ones who need to be happy in the location you pick. 6. Don’t look exclusively at the whole of the school population (if that’s a factor), look at who “graduates” at the top of the class. These are the students the school is geared towards. 7. This has been HUGE for us: Look for a communication style that makes you feel safe about placing your kids. No notes at the end of the day? Update reports only when you beg? They only call one contact # in case of emergency? (Can you tell we’re looking for a new school?)
Lynde said,
November 2, 2007 @ 7:33 pm
Karen-
Would you like to talk with my good friend Rebecca Severeide? She has a Ph.D. in early childhood education and is familiar with all of the preschools/elementary schools in the Portland Metropolitan area, including the immersion programs. She is a phenomenal resource.
Lynde
Jenny said,
November 3, 2007 @ 7:51 am
We have no Vietnamese anything except at the baptist church and we are catholic so that is out maybe.
Can’t Wait to visit every day and read!