Preschool - private or public (suggestions)

[Texas Ag 93]

[quote=paraag;46901440]
I have toured
1- Primrose - super expensive, five star day care than academically oriented preschool
2- Ricks - didn't like the fact that they let kids drive curriculum depending on their interests, which may not always be great
3- Local private preschool, not a big fancy name but highly rated at least online

My now 6 year old, who is in public Kindergarten, attended ECE at a DPS school as a 4 year old. Overall, I thought it was pretty good. It got her into the same campus as her sibling, who was in 1st grade at the time. That, frankly, was the biggest benefit.

She also had experience at a Primrose School in both 3K (the Stapleton location) and private kindergarten (we are now in Texas). In her 3K class, I agree that your assessment that is was more like expensive daycare, however, the Primrose kindergarten was quite academically oriented, IMO. In fact, it's curriculum was much more academic than her current public school kindergarten. She and several of her classmates attended Primrose last year, and they are all at the top of the class, which I think is not uncommon for kids who have done the private Pre-K's and kindergartens.

[paraag]

3K class meaning pre-school or junior Kindergarten? your review got me thinking if I should pursue Primrose, even though it seems very expensive almost 350 per week and no half day option or less than 5 days

[quote=Texas Ag 93;46902939]

Originally Posted by paraag

I have toured
1- Primrose - super expensive, five star day care than academically oriented preschool
2- Ricks - didn't like the fact that they let kids drive curriculum depending on their interests, which may not always be great
3- Local private preschool, not a big fancy name but highly rated at least online

My now 6 year old, who is in public Kindergarten, attended ECE at a DPS school as a 4 year old. Overall, I thought it was pretty good. It got her into the same campus as her sibling, who was in 1st grade at the time. That, frankly, was the biggest benefit.

She also had experience at a Primrose School in both 3K (the Stapleton location) and private kindergarten (we are now in Texas). In her 3K class, I agree that your assessment that is was more like expensive daycare, however, the Primrose kindergarten was quite academically oriented, IMO. In fact, it's curriculum was much more academic than her current public school kindergarten. She and several of her classmates attended Primrose last year, and they are all at the top of the class, which I think is not uncommon for kids who have done the private Pre-K's and kindergartens.

[Texas Ag 93]

[quote=paraag;46905176]3K class meaning pre-school or junior Kindergarten? your review got me thinking if I should pursue Primrose, even though it seems very expensive almost 350 per week and no half day option or less than 5 days

Ugh, not sure why I keep messing up the quote feature on this thread...sorry.

My youngest was at 2 different Primrose schools in two different states. Preschool/3K at a Primrose in Denver, and the private kindergarten (aka 5K) here in the Houston area, where we moved to about 18 months ago.

There were a lot of consistencies in both the Primrose locations we were at. As you probably know, these for profit early childhood centers like Primrose, Goddard etc are independently owned franchises, but they follow very consistent curriculums and practices. My experience was that the toddler and early preschool years were still very play based, and the private Kindergarten was a lot of academic work, including worksheets and workbooks. After all, there's only so much you can do with a 3 year old. Incidentally, the cost I paid at both Primrose locations was relatively consistent, roughly right around $1,000 per month. I think the costs actually go down as they progress through the school because of lessened staff demands.

Your comment about not having 2 or 3 day a week options, though, is a valid point. I think it's hard to find anything other than M-F at many of these types of schools, and trying to force it when most, if not all, of the other kids are going M-F, can put your kid as the odd man out relative to his peers, missing activities and events etc. My kids have attended several preschools because we have moved to new cities 3 times in the past 5 years, (which sounds more disruptive than it actually was). Seems like at every school, it was easy to find 2 or 3 day a week options for the toddlers and 3 year old's, but by the time 4K rolls around, the standard is usually a M-F program.

[paraag]

Thanks for detailed information.

Any experience with
- La Petit
- Goddard

Do they cost more or less same as Primrose?

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by paraag

Thanks for detailed information.

Any experience with
- La Petit
- Goddard

Do they cost more or less same as Primrose?

Sorry, don't know much about either. Hopefully, someone else can chime in. The only other preschool I really had experience with while in Denver was the 4K my oldest was in at Temple Emanuel.

[caverunner17]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

If you want your child to attend an Ivy League school, then private is the only way to go.
It is never too early.

I hope that's sarcasm. I'm a graduate of a public school system in IL and were on the Track/XC team with half a dozen kids who ended up going Ivy/Stanford.

Originally Posted by paraag

Who doesn't want their child to go to Ivy League ?

Any idea which preschools (accepting age 3 and above) are good?

I have toured
1- Primrose - super expensive, five star day care than academically oriented preschool
2- Ricks - didn't like the fact that they let kids drive curriculum depending on their interests, which may not always be great
3- Local private preschool, not a big fancy name but highly rated at least online

I am more interested in STEAM + sports kind of education than music, dance etc.

Your child is 3-4 years old. Let a kid be a kid. I hated reading growing up, but loved airplanes and ships. So my preschool teacher then got kids books from the library about planes and ships, and then I liked reading.

If your child has an interest in dance or music, why stop them? There's more than one way to be successful in life, and worrying about college for your child when they're just a little kid might be pushing it a bit too far.

Personally, I'd look for a school that has the best balance of play and learning and see if your child can visit and see what they think of each. They're going to spend the next 17 years of their life in school to prepare them for the real world - social interactions and basic structured learning that will lay a foundation for the rest of their education is, IMHO more important than if they learn the basics of science or get into more advanced math at age 4.

[emm74]

Originally Posted by paraag

really? isn't it FCFS?

Any idea or comments about Rocky Mountain Prep?

I can't speak for other districts, but in DPS, admission for ECE is via lottery, with more applicants than there are spots.

[paraag]

Originally Posted by emm74

I can't speak for other districts, but in DPS, admission for ECE is via lottery, with more applicants than there are spots.

yes i did realize that about DPS. But for Cherry Creek School District, i was told admissions to ECE are on first come first serve basis.

[paraag]

Originally Posted by caverunner17

I hope that's sarcasm. I'm a graduate of a public school system in IL and were on the Track/XC team with half a dozen kids who ended up going Ivy/Stanford.




Your child is 3-4 years old. Let a kid be a kid. I hated reading growing up, but loved airplanes and ships. So my preschool teacher then got kids books from the library about planes and ships, and then I liked reading.

If your child has an interest in dance or music, why stop them? There's more than one way to be successful in life, and worrying about college for your child when they're just a little kid might be pushing it a bit too far.

Personally, I'd look for a school that has the best balance of play and learning and see if your child can visit and see what they think of each. They're going to spend the next 17 years of their life in school to prepare them for the real world - social interactions and basic structured learning that will lay a foundation for the rest of their education is, IMHO more important than if they learn the basics of science or get into more advanced math at age 4.

i do agree to let kid be a kid but i don't want my child left behind. sadly world we live in is no longer a place where income inequality is minimal or negligible. i wont be there forever to provide and care for my child. i agree perhaps i am pushing too far, but i believe early childhood education is most important and strong academic foundations at early age goes long way but as a parent i can't help but be concerned about almost everything related to my child . i liked Ricks Center but i am unsure if children driven curriculum is the best way to move ahead.

[caverunner17]

Originally Posted by paraag

i do agree to let kid be a kid but i don't want my child left behind. sadly world we live in is no longer a place where income inequality is minimal or negligible. i wont be there forever to provide and care for my child. i agree perhaps i am pushing too far, but i believe early childhood education is most important and strong academic foundations at early age goes long way but as a parent i can't help but be concerned about almost everything related to my child . i liked Ricks Center but i am unsure if children driven curriculum is the best way to move ahead.

The very act of putting your child in preschool and making sure they are learning at an age-appropriate level is more than enough to keep them "competitive".

If a child isn't motivated to learn because the subject matter isn't interesting to them or presented in a way they can't relate to or understand, then they won't grasp it. It's so much easier for a child to learn "If you have 10 carrots and eat 3 of them, how many do you have left?" than "What is 10-3?"

Having a girlfriend who is a middle school teacher and many friends in elementary ed from college, I completely understand your want for your child to get a "head start". But the reality is that just having your child in a structured environment with other kids in a "play to learn" environment is more than enough -- any structured learning will be done during formal education years.

Here's a good thread on this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Parenting/c...really_make_a/

Pretty much everybody agrees here (including input from public school teachers) that being supportive as a parent is more important than anything else in your child's education and that pushing your child into something they don't want or aren't ready for will not be a positive experience for them and help in the long run.