It is that time of year. Chatter has been exchanged for months but now the anxiety is really beginning to build for us moms of two year olds. Yes, it is the dreaded question: "What preschools are you looking into?" While one would think the prospect of preschool would be a fun and exciting thing, instead, it has become kind of like a casino game. Whether you hit the preschool jackpot depends on luck and timing.
First of all there are the schools with the waiting lists. Some moms get their little ones on these lists before they are even little ones. Do you have a fetus? Throw "Baby X" on that preschool list or else he/she may not get in until he is 5! Some of these schools are elite private schools but others are just your little church schools down the street.
Second, you run into the dreaded lottery system schools. This means that your child's name basically gets put in a hat and the lucky draws fill up the new classes. There is no consideration to.. well, anything.
Lastly, there seems to be lots of schools with a mix of the first and second type of entry system. Your child might get priority for taking two year old classes there but that only applies if there is room etc.
So anyway, the bottom line is there is no sure-thing preschool.. or at least none that are any good or that I have heard of! Perhaps if you are a widely known big-time donor for that school...
This results in lots of poor Mamas (and Dada's) running around in a preschool-induced state of fear. Then, you add the potty policies (can I teach my kid to not pee their pants by September??), the question of part time or full time (Monday through Friday or two times a week?), and what kind of program (Montessori, traditional, etc..) and you can imagine that it is an interesting time for all involved.
I had my own discovery today regarding my friendly little elementary school which is situated about five walking minutes from our house. They have a preschool and a lottery system. I have come to terms with the lottery system but what I didn't know is that even though Natalie makes the cut off for having preschool that year (it is December and she has a November birthday), she wouldn't be allowed to attend until the day of her birthday. However, if I wanted to send her, AND I made it through the lottery, our family would have to "hold" her spot by paying the preschool for August, September, and October before she could even step through the door in November. Wow. If we pass on this, we would wait until the next August to go to preschool there..if we got in.
It is easy for me to criticize but when I think about it, I can't come up with a perfect system for accepting children into preschool. If it was based on academic competency then that could be pretty upsetting for kids who don't get in. Also, it wouldn't exactly be fair to children with less educational experiences or with parents that need to put food on the table and can't afford much time spent on ABC's with their toddler. Waiting lists are frustrating but at least they are fair.. unless you have to hold your place with cash. Lottery systems are probably the fairest but make preschool acceptances so unpredictable. I suppose preschools are doing the best they can so until some miracle happens and the system becomes perfect for everyone, I will keep plugging along and filling out my daughter's applications... and I better get "The Potty Book For Girls" thrown into our reading rotation!
First of all there are the schools with the waiting lists. Some moms get their little ones on these lists before they are even little ones. Do you have a fetus? Throw "Baby X" on that preschool list or else he/she may not get in until he is 5! Some of these schools are elite private schools but others are just your little church schools down the street.
Second, you run into the dreaded lottery system schools. This means that your child's name basically gets put in a hat and the lucky draws fill up the new classes. There is no consideration to.. well, anything.
Lastly, there seems to be lots of schools with a mix of the first and second type of entry system. Your child might get priority for taking two year old classes there but that only applies if there is room etc.
So anyway, the bottom line is there is no sure-thing preschool.. or at least none that are any good or that I have heard of! Perhaps if you are a widely known big-time donor for that school...
This results in lots of poor Mamas (and Dada's) running around in a preschool-induced state of fear. Then, you add the potty policies (can I teach my kid to not pee their pants by September??), the question of part time or full time (Monday through Friday or two times a week?), and what kind of program (Montessori, traditional, etc..) and you can imagine that it is an interesting time for all involved.
I had my own discovery today regarding my friendly little elementary school which is situated about five walking minutes from our house. They have a preschool and a lottery system. I have come to terms with the lottery system but what I didn't know is that even though Natalie makes the cut off for having preschool that year (it is December and she has a November birthday), she wouldn't be allowed to attend until the day of her birthday. However, if I wanted to send her, AND I made it through the lottery, our family would have to "hold" her spot by paying the preschool for August, September, and October before she could even step through the door in November. Wow. If we pass on this, we would wait until the next August to go to preschool there..if we got in.
It is easy for me to criticize but when I think about it, I can't come up with a perfect system for accepting children into preschool. If it was based on academic competency then that could be pretty upsetting for kids who don't get in. Also, it wouldn't exactly be fair to children with less educational experiences or with parents that need to put food on the table and can't afford much time spent on ABC's with their toddler. Waiting lists are frustrating but at least they are fair.. unless you have to hold your place with cash. Lottery systems are probably the fairest but make preschool acceptances so unpredictable. I suppose preschools are doing the best they can so until some miracle happens and the system becomes perfect for everyone, I will keep plugging along and filling out my daughter's applications... and I better get "The Potty Book For Girls" thrown into our reading rotation!
