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I am somewhat baffled by the preschool anxiety some parents face. No, not the separation anxiety associated with sending your 4-year old for a few hours in a new environment, but the anxiety - let's call it an obsession - some parents have with sending their child to the best preschool.
There are preschool fairs, similar to the college fairs put on by high schools. Some parent groups develop preschool binders with information and parent reviews of local schools. The best preschools have months-long waiting lists for parents to just step inside to visit the preschool.
I may be a slacker mom, but I chose Cam's preschool similarly to the way I chose his daycare the previous four years.
Could I afford it? Price was first and foremost. The list gets quite short when you're not willing to take out educational loans for preschool.
Was it safe? And by safe I don't mean were there cameras set up every 5 feet so that I could spy on the staff from my computer at work, I mean was the facility clean and the equipment in good condition and age appropriate?
Was it convenient? I wasn't about to add 30 minutes to my commute to insure a "proper" Ivy League preschool education.
And guess what? Cam learned to count, to read, to write his name and to get along with others.
These Ivy-League-obsessed parents who begin a mindless academic death march in preschool so that they can say, with a sense of superiority, that their little snowflake attends The Harvard Preschool of Kindergarten Prep Academy irritate me. I don't care what preschool your child goes to, do they say please and thank you? Do they help little Johnny out when he's clearly struggling? Do they share their toys??
I don't know ... I've never seen a college application that requested preschool transcripts ...
I am somewhat baffled by the preschool anxiety some parents face. No, not the separation anxiety associated with sending your 4-year old for a few hours in a new environment, but the anxiety - let's call it an obsession - some parents have with sending their child to the best preschool.
There are preschool fairs, similar to the college fairs put on by high schools. Some parent groups develop preschool binders with information and parent reviews of local schools. The best preschools have months-long waiting lists for parents to just step inside to visit the preschool.
I may be a slacker mom, but I chose Cam's preschool similarly to the way I chose his daycare the previous four years.
Could I afford it? Price was first and foremost. The list gets quite short when you're not willing to take out educational loans for preschool.
Was it safe? And by safe I don't mean were there cameras set up every 5 feet so that I could spy on the staff from my computer at work, I mean was the facility clean and the equipment in good condition and age appropriate?
Was it convenient? I wasn't about to add 30 minutes to my commute to insure a "proper" Ivy League preschool education.
And guess what? Cam learned to count, to read, to write his name and to get along with others.
These Ivy-League-obsessed parents who begin a mindless academic death march in preschool so that they can say, with a sense of superiority, that their little snowflake attends The Harvard Preschool of Kindergarten Prep Academy irritate me. I don't care what preschool your child goes to, do they say please and thank you? Do they help little Johnny out when he's clearly struggling? Do they share their toys??
I don't know ... I've never seen a college application that requested preschool transcripts ...
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10 comments:
I totally understand why parents want the best for their kids. If they can afford it, why not? Why not give your child every opportunity or advantage? I wonder if there is any correlation between kids who attend these school and success in later life. I would have to guess that there is some connection.
We sent Buddy to the private Catholic preschool because we wanted him to attend the school and the best way to get your foot in the door there was to start early. We liked the smaller class sizes and Christian environment (he was a preemie and we felt more one on one interaction would be a good fit for him - and it was). Sissy is going to a FREE PUBLIC preschool - she is learning so much, the environment is very nurturing and the teachers are great with the littles. They engage the kids in so many fun activities, plus they brush their teeth after lunch and are encouraged to be independent. I think it's a perfect fit for her. Typical of being a 2nd child, she is more outgoing than her brother was. But, he is blossoming at the public middle school and making so many friends. Academically, he is the top or near the top of all his classes.
That's a novel idea, isn't it? Put the child first and decide where they will thrive most? ;-)
Oh Dear Lord. I have been fascinated by this subject for years. What the fuck?
Pre-School makes a difference, no doubt about it...I saw the difference when Ryno entered Kindergarten.
He and others who had the opportunity to go to pre-school were a bit more advanced than those who didn't, but to actively petition and drop huge amounts of cash for a "special" pre-school is crazy. It's lunacy...It's creepy and self serving on the part of the parents.
I went to pre-school at home. My mom, dad, and brothers and sisters were my free and very effective pre-school. And, so was Ryno's inexpensive, no-name, close by pre-school.
And as you inferenced, how much does it cost to teach a kid to count, spell their name, identify colors? Oy...
Do they teach the wee ones to spell "Pretentiousness" while there?
They should.
Cheers Dana!!
I'm a pre-school dropout. (The teacher was very burnt out and tended to take it out on the kids. . . eventually I refused to go, and my parents didn't really care that much about pre-school since I could already read/write.)
And I turned out just fine...err...academically speaking. :)
I chose L's school based on the type of kids that attend. I wanted to make sure there were kids with and without disabilities. I know, I'm crazy, not choosing the school with Spanish classes and the gymnastics bus.
I think I read somewhere that a kid that didn't go to preschool catches up to a kid that did by the 2nd week of kindergarden.
I actually know someone who was complaining that his four year old wasn't excelling enough.
I don't think it's so much about giving your kid the best opportunity to succeed, as it is parents pushing their little snowflake so hard and so early that the kids burnout by the time they hit high school. I see it in sports all the time.
But, I also believe that our educational process is too slow. Kids mature too slowly because we design it that way. Most kids could easily graduate high school by the time they're 16. Either than or there should be much more advanced classes in high schools. Especially in economics and science.
Pre-school is important. Applying while your child is still in the womb is ridiculous and scary in so many ways.
I don't think that private necessarily equals best and public necessarily equals glorified babysitting, though many people seem to be of this mindset. I think the idea you're sharing here is more major metropolitan area-based than a general rule. The very best preschool will get your child into the very best kindergarten that will get your child into the very best elementary school etc etc. all the way up to the Ivy Leagues. And in major urban areas, it sadly seems to be the case that this method gives kids the edge. Then again, so does the socioeconomic status that affords the kids the opportunity to attend these kinds of schools, so...
PP does go to a private pre-school that is part of the day care that she has gone to since she was a toddler.
My school has a great program with Spanish and music, but I also enjoy the fact that they almost never close, serve breakfast, lunch, and three snacks and do laundry if PP spills juice on her food or gets dirty.
Is it going to get her into Harvard, probably not? Does it make it easy for me and Hubman to work knowing she is well cared for and many convenient services are offered? yesh!
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