For some history- As some of you may remember, Nathan used to go to my SIL's before I went on maternity leave. I loved being able to leave him with family, where I knew he was safe and having fun with his cousins, but I did not like the drive and I was looking for a setting where he'd have to interact with lots of kids. At one point, I actually did put him in a regular child care center, but I pulled him out and put him back with Kara after just one week- it didn't feel right.
I decided about 6 months ago that we were getting close to the time when I'd like for Nathan to start going to school part time. Even when I was planning to go back to work, I thought I would find a program for him just for his own enrichment and enjoyment. Sure, I can teach him at home, but he misses the social interaction and classroom setting that he would otherwise get. Over the past few weeks, I had researched child cares (important to differentiate child care from pre-school), knowing that I would have to find a place for the boys when I start school in May. I felt like Goldilocks- this one's too big, this one doesn't feel right, etc. One was right by UCF and came highly recommended, but the waiting list was 6 months long and I didn't love the infant room, nor did I much care for the administration.
So, here I am, trying to figure out how to get what I want without breaking the bank or having to make crazy drives across town- the added hitch is that most "pre-schools" don't accept infants, and even many day cares have scaled back on infant care due to the ratios. I did find one place that would be acceptable, but it would cost an arm and a leg, plus with anyplace I go, I would have to decide up front how many days to send them, and that may change with my school schedule. I don't want them away from me on days off, and I certainly don't want to pay for days I won't use. I also felt pretty strongly that Montessori was a good fit for us, so I was leaning in that direction.
Ultimately, I came up with a plan to send Noah to my SIL's (so glad she has tentatively agreed to watch them!!), Nathan to pre-school part time, and then Nathan will go with Noah to my SIL's when he's not at pre-school. I pared my list down to three pre-schools, school "A" is a very small private Montessori school that I just discovered, "B" is a large well-established Montessori, and "C" is a large private school right near our house.
I rather felt as if I was on House Hunters, inspecting each one and weighing the pros and cons. Of course, in House Hunters they never find one that's exactly what they want, and looking at schools is no different.
When it came down to it, school C was VERY expensive, but they offered "financial aid" on a case by case basis. Each case was decided individually by the director once you presented your financials. Being that there was no set criteria, social justice alarm bells started going off in my head and I decided that I couldn't send Nathan to a school that didn't have a fair and equitable policy for financial aid. Also, because it's a large grade school, drop off/pick up seemed like it would be a nightmare (I would have Noah with me too). The classroom was nice, but the teacher was barking orders at the kids and I didn't like that. The room was small and overstimulating too. The final straw was that they don't accept VPK, and since I don't want to keep changing schools, I would need to pay for VPK completely out of pocket. No thanks.
School B, which I'd had my heart set on, turned out not to offer anything less than a 5 day program. I had decided I didn't want Nathan in Montessori 5 days a week just yet because a) the cost, b) my schedule, and c) I think he needs to have some "fun" time to balance the structure and organization of Montessori.
School A, which I only just decided to even check out because I was initially unsure of their location and I'd not heard of them before, turned out to be perfect. It's small, only three classrooms, and the director has been teaching Montessori for 30 years. Though the classrooms are sparse and there is a definite undercurrent of order, I like the academic concepts taught, particularly the focus on scientific inquiry and exploration. They offer part time programs, and miraculously have openings. I can send my own lunch (sounds weird but at most child care centers you can't, and they feed the kids school lunch type garbage). My biggest concerns are whether there will be a lack of social interaction, and whether it will dampen Nathan's "whimsicality," but I want to give it a chance. The classrooms are multi-age and they do offer VPK, so that's a plus. Also, they begin at two, so I could put Noah there right at two (possibly). They have an open door parent policy, meaning not only can you come visit the room, but you can also drop in and work with your child. I did see one dad there working with his kid, so that was pretty cool.
The drive once I start school won't be fun if I have early classes (and I'm sure I will), because I will have to go down towards Avalon Park, out to Chuluota, then back to UCF. I'll only have to do this until Aug 2013. It's only a year. It's only a year. It's only a year. LOL.
Because I think he's ready, but mainly because I don't want to lose our spot, I have registered him for two days a week beginning in January. I took him over today to turn in our deposit and check it out, and he seemed immediately comfortable- he even asked if he could take off his shoes and go play (thank you Kindermusik and Amaya Papaya, now Nathan thinks playtime anywhere should be preceded by removing shoes). The director offered him a book while he was waiting for me to complete the paperwork, and he was thrilled that they had Dr. Seuss' Fox in Socks. The director sat down next to him and talked to him about the book, much the way I would. No bubbly preschool teacheriness, no handprint art on the walls, but lots of kids industriously working away at their tasks and seeming very happy at the same time.
Oh yeah, and I was so nervous about the whole thing that I forgot to even ask which two days a week to bring him!!!
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