I have tried very hard to maintain my competitive composure while parenting a city child. I do not pay much attention (or at least I try not to) to the competitive parents--"my child is bilingual"; "my child can read"; "My child wears $250 True Religion originals"--but now I am on high alert.
My search for a pre-school has begun. All of a sudden I find myself in uber-competetive mode, mostly thanks to this list. As R just pointed out, half of these schools cost more than one year of his undergraduate education per year (for three half days a week). They also have extensive waitlists.
And so it begins.
Apparently some parents go on these waitlists BEFORE they are even pregnant. Some of the apps include the following fine print:
"Candidates complete a session with a professional evaluator, followed by a group screening with other hopefuls."
Are you kidding?! Sam is a powerhouse and a personality force, but I hate the idea of her competing with other children for these coveted spots. Must my child be fluent in four languages? She can identify all of her letters, should I seriously put that on her application?
I suddenly feel like I am through the looking glass and am longing for the days of finger paint and art smocks.
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5 comments:
Just say no. There are other preschools out there. Seriously. When I collected preschool apps, I chucked the ones with questions like, "Describe your child's greatest successes," because my child was 18 months old at the time and that question was ridiculous. And I didn't want to be around people who didn't see how ridiculous that question was. Now my kiddo is in a great local cooperative preschool, having fun. You don't have to buy into the rat race!
Good luck! I would just focus on what you think is best for your family and forget about all the other hoopla out there. Kids need to be kids!
I totally agree with mimi37. Bridget attends the same cooperative preschool as did Jacob. You simply can't beat $82 tuition for 2 days a week, 9-12. Come January, I'll up her attendance to 3 days a week.
What makes the tuition so affordable is the fact the teacher is the only one who earns a salary; however, the preschool is cooperatively run by the parents. We all have to commit time to helping out in the classroom, attending monthly meetings, and performing family duties.
We are all one big, happy family, and the kids have a mignificent time. I wasn't looking to put Bridget in a competitive environment. I simply wanted a place for her where she could play with friends a few times a week and learn how to get along in a group setting.
There are A LOT of choices out there. Just shop around until you find the right one for you.
The world's gone mad when a preschooler needs a CV!
Good Luck!!
That is insanity. There is plenty of time for that degree of competitiveness once Sam is ready for college. For preschool, it's crazy.
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