Preschool and Private Education

[DallasMom11]

Has anyone started applying to preschools yet? I'm 28 weeks and my husband has already started putting our little boy on wait lists and making donations to the
schools. Is this common with preschools?

Also do you mommies do a full day or just a half day then use a nanny. Most of the schools use the latter method as the norm but I have very little experience wilh American protocol with primary education.
Please feel free to let me know your experiences.

The school we are currently looking at costs 30K a year. Is this normal for preschool?

[DallasMom11]

Thank you Sanja, healthy babies is #1 for all mothers I hope!

Smichellec: I will give it a read, but I understand that going to private school = Ivy League = billionaire. For all I know my son wants to be an artists or a musician and I wouldn't get in the way of what makes him happy.

[smichellec]

Read "Where you go is not who you will be" by Frank Bruni. CNN just had a great segment on this. You should look into what he has to say.

[DallasMom11]

Bonita, I think the preschool we were looking at starts at 3. It's a Montessori school so they don't really place kids by age but rather skill. It's a really interesting concept that really helps kids that are a little behind catch up and for those in front accelerate. What's even more interesting is that it doesn't even feel like a school. The kids are learning while playing.

[sanja25]

She is doing what she thinks its best for her kid as we all are
If i had that kind of momey i would spend it differently on my kid
But who m i to judge her ways of raising her kid?
Wish you a healthy kid and the smart one too

[MrsHinesD]

I truly think that you and your husband are delusional and are focused on things that are not of significance. Your child is not even on this earth so you should be hoping and praying for a safe delivery. You guys are focusing on status and most people do not spend that much on a year of college. My husband and I are very well off and would never in a day spend that amount of money on pre school and furthermore we both come from blue collar back grounds and attended public school and have been afforded the same opportunities as those who have went to so-called "elite" schools. I work with colleagues from the elite such as Harvard and Yale and yet I still sit at the table with them with my Northern Illinois University Education. Education is what you make of it and the return on investment is great with determination and effort. Lastly, how about thinking about how you would be a great mom and have good influence on your child instead of considering a nanny. I feel that being a good mother and making sacrifices with your time is more admirable than finding an over priced preschool for an "unborn" child to attend and looking for a nanny; lets try raising you own kid. I live among the elite in a very upscale neighborhood in Illinois and have yet run into parents with your shallow thought process but I guess some people need to do certain things to feel good about themselves i.e. Plan on sending their unborn kid to a preschool that costs 30k a year. Once again come back down to earth because most of us on here are pregnant, trying to get through the rough days of pregnancy or moms with genuine concerns that are more immediate and pressing. Well ill end my comment because I don't want to come off as negative but I think your comment and question would be more appropriate for women in your social circle and class that you and your husband are trying to leave an impression on and or fit in with. I hope that you have the most important thing and that is a healthy baby.

[BonitaMichelle]

I think school starts at 14-16 months old. The baby only goes like 10 hours a week. They learn to interact with other children,  create things, and developmental skills. Private religious schools are a great place to start.