Just like home prices and everything else in the Bay Area, preschool prices are astronomical around here. Every time it has been preschool time for our kids we've weighed our financial options: preschool or health insurance? Preschool or a car payment? Preschool or eliminating our credit card debt? It is never cheap and we almost always skip preschool unless we can find a screaming deal. Lorien did a parent co-op preschool for six months. It was cheap but brutal. Parents had to be in the classroom one day a week, attend weekly parenting meetings, have a board position and help on work days (all Saturday every few months). I was pregnant with Clare and we were paying next to nothing because the preschool had a "student" discount (Will was in grad school). Six weeks before Clare was due I had Lorien "drop out" of preschool. It is a disgrace, I know. How will she ever get into college?
Wyatt got to go to preschool because we got to know this woman who taught preschool out of her home near us. For one reason or another, her class size was down that year and she was willing to cut us a deal so she could take care of an extra kid? It make zero sense to me now but that's how we did preschool for Wyatt. When it was Clare's turn we were still friendly with this preschool teacher and she was willing to take Clare for the same price we paid for Wyatt. Those are the breaks we seek out and take advantage of.
Adell, well we spent the most on Adell's preschool. It was also run by a family friend out of her home. It was amazing and worth every penny. But that was the year we first decided to save in earnest to buy a home...and every month, we were short the exact amount preschool cost to put in our savings account for a home. So, we didn't really save at all. We just paid for preschool...that we loved and Adell loved. Her preschool teacher still had Adell over for special activities. Amazing.
And now we come to Colter. I looked into preschool options but there just wasn't one out there with in our financial reach (and to still keep paying off debt and qualify for a home loan). With every kid we've done a year of "home preschool" or "joy school" with moms and kids in our area. I love home preschool every week except for the week I have to teach home preschool...then I hate home preschool. It is a lot of work. None the less, it is a great time for little kids to have social and educational experiences at home and at friend's homes. We did home preschool with two other friends last year. It was great (except for the weeks I had to teach). Colter loved his friends and his teachers. I hoped to do another round of home preschool for Colter's year before Kindergarten. However, all of our home preschool friends moved over the summer. So we were stuck. No matter, I have a TV, computer and iPad...Colter will be entertained just fine. He just isn't going to get a lot of instructional time in his year before Kindergarten...just screen time for this guy!
Fast forward to the week before Thanksgiving. I get a call from my friend who says she is going to switch preschool programs and would I like her son's spot at preschool? Sure! This particular preschool is dirt cheap and parents don't have to do anything. It is one of those awesome "early childhood education" programs run through the high school. So all of the "teachers" are high school students. The high school is not close to my home but it is dirt cheap and four days a week! Sign my boy up, I'll take it!
Colter started the week after Thanksgiving and seems to love it. He only has friends who are high school students. When I pick him up he says "Bye Shawn, bye Will!" and boys who would be considered adults in the eyes of the law wave goodbye to my baby. It's great? Colter loves it...he will make friends his own age...I hope.
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