OT: Can't decide 1/2 day or full day kindy for my almost 6 yr old

[hoosiergirl7]

That's for public school??? That's just insane. DS is going to full-time pre-K in the fall at a private school (we are opting to educate our kids privately) and his tuition is going to be $400 per month/10 months for a total of $4000.

I guess public school isn't so public anymore. At least in MA. If you're going to be spending $2600 to send her to kindergarten how much more expensive is it to send her to a private school or a montessori school?

If it were me having to fork over $2600 to send my daughter to a public school then I would seriously consider spending the extra $$$ to send her to private.

 

[mom2aredhead]

that is crazy...you need to move to ohio...we are only going to be paying $70 for 10 months to send our dd~5 to all day kindergarten...

Or come to NY - we have free 1/2 day pre-K Universal Pre-K and free all day kindergarten (8:20am - 2:20pm)

My son will be starting in September. He'll turn 5 in the fall. Our cutoff is 12/31, so he'll be one of the younger ones, but based on how he did in Pre-K, I'm confident he'll do OK.

According to lots of opinions here, I already did him severe permanent damage since he's an only child that was bottle fed, slept in a crib, never had a mac stroller and didn't go to Montessori pre-school, so I may as well keep the trend going!

 

[kcromley]

just my opinion, but something to consider. My eldest daughter did 1/2 day, then transferred to a school where almost all students had done full day. She spent some time adjusting to that situation. If I had to do it again, if I knew most of her peers would have full day kinder, I'd make sure my child had that too. good luck.

 

[dreamer17555]

Wow public schools pay for full day K? I am in shock. Here all the public schools are full day kindergarten. And yes a lot is expected out of them but that doesn't mean they don't have a blast. Children are hard wired to love learning and exploring, if it encouraged at home they will do fine and love it.

Also you might want to look at what the first graders are doing in your area. With half day do you think your child will easily adjust to both the added demands and the extra length of time? I think full day K is great and preps them for the next year.

Schools do expect more out of kids and that computer, review, art time is also very important. They are learning and also practicing social skills. My DD just graduated K and in her class 90% of the kids left addicted to Magic Tree House books and able to read them on their own, to understand flow charts, and to do flash cards with addition and subtraction up until 20, and their writing was amazing. I couldn't believe how much Cat grew under her teacher and she loved! going to school. In fact Cat's teacher was awarded Teacher of the Year for the district and she earned it.

Anyway what I am saying is it might be smart to make K a little harder (full day) so that your child doesn't have to struggle so much in first grade.

-Becca-

 

[bethy]

See for me I decided that I'd rather my child be one year older and more mature before she had to make the adjustment to full day school.

 

[Just2DisneyKids]

As a high school teacher, I never said to a parent "Oh, so he/she only went to 1/2 day kindergarten? That expains a lot." LOL

That so sums it up and so made me laugh!!!

 

[DevilDuckie]

According to lots of opinions here, I already did him severe permanent damage since he's an only child that was bottle fed, slept in a crib, never had a mac stroller and didn't go to Montessori pre-school, so I may as well keep the trend going!

bestparentever.com


Here is the exhaustive list of how you have ruined his chances for a happy life.

 

[mom2aredhead]

bestparentever.com


Here is the exhaustive list of how you have ruined his chances for a happy life.

I love that site! I forgot - he didn't have the swedish high chair either - destined for a life of failure!

 

[carj]

I had no idea that anyone had to pay for Kindergarten! We are in Texas. Our district has full day Kindergarten.

I used to teach in a district that had half-day K but they are doing full-day as well now. Even then you couldn't pay to send your kids all day. The whole point of having half-day was to have half as many teachers and because it was more developmentally appropriate.

My daughter will start Kindergarten next month and I am LOVING it! We are going to feel like we got a raise! This will be the first time in 8 years that we haven't paid for preschool or childcare!

 

[kristilew]

I guess public school isn't so public anymore. At least in MA. If you're going to be spending $2600 to send her to kindergarten how much more expensive is it to send her to a private school or a montessori school?

If it were me having to fork over $2600 to send my daughter to a public school then I would seriously consider spending the extra $$$ to send her to private.

I agree. Yes, in NC kindergarten is part of the free public school system. But a lot of parents opt to send their kids to private kindergarten, usually an extension of a good preschool program. (This is used a lot of times for boys who could go to K, but maybe need one more year to mature.) I would do a cost analysis and see if you might be better off with a full day private kindergarten.

Also, this is just MHO, but I think so much time is wasted in public school, with all the stuff they "have to do." I would worry about how much learning actually would get done in only half a day. On the other hand, that's a good argument for home schooling, isn't it?

 

[kldmom2000]

Are the schools that you are all talking about Public Schools?

Yes, they're public schools... I would have NO problem paying that fee if it were a private school. It's the fact that it's a public school and the other 6 public schools in our city have full time free kindy that *I* help pay for already with our taxes but yet if we choose to send our child to the school in our district where we live, we have to pay an additional fee because we don't have as many "low income/poverty" students to categorize us under the Title I "No Child Left Behind Act." We are regular middle-class people-by NO means rich . The city only gets a specific amount of funding for the Title I act, so they chose 6 out of the 9 elementary schools that had the highest percentage of lower income families in their districts to give the funding to for kindergarten. As I mentioned in a previous post, approx. 85% of the students from the 3 schools that have the tuition based kindergarten are indeed full time. Combine that with the other 6 full time kindergarten schools and you're left with approx. a mere 5-7% of kindergarteners that are 1/2 day out of the whole city... I just don't want her to be at a disadvantage when she gets into 1st grade...

That's why this is such a hard, hard decision.... I prefer to send her 1/2 day and have her home with me and continue to do educational things with her. DH thinks she needs more "structure" and routine that a full time class would offer. I know if I try to sit down with her to do the workbooks we have, she gets very impatient and walks away. If I'm helping my older DD with her homework, she is very inquisitive and wants to listen in which is why she's picked up things such as knowing currency, time, etc...

Decisions... decisions.... you have all made such valid points and I'm reading everything you've suggested! Thanks for all the advice/input so far!!!!

 

[tigger_03]

Holy crap, that's a lot of money for kindergarten!! In the district we live in it's only all day kingergarten (if I remember correctly). DD still has a little over a year before she can go. I believe it's half day kingergarten in the other district here.

Good luck on your decision.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

We went through this with my DD last year. I did not send her because she was academically already ahead. She too was old. She has an August birthday, and our cut-off is Aug. 1. The teacher was pretty blunt at the beginning of the year saying she wanted kids who were struggling to stay the whole day. They did a lot of enrichment and review the second 2 hours. We used the time for gymnastics and just being with mom! (She did ask at least once to stay the whole day, but we said no.)

We only have two weeks until first grade!

 

[FSUDisneyGirl]

If you want to keep her home, I say keep her home! It seems that she will not be behind because of all of the special time you will be spending with her. I teach elementary school, and I see that a full day of structure is just too much for kids that age. I really don't think that she will be behind at all. Since she's missing gym, music, art, etc., maybe you can get her onto a sports team, or piano lesson, or a local children's chorus (can you tell I teach music ) so she is able to experience that. If she can do a half day of kindergarten, I think she'll be quickly able to adjust to a full day of 1st grade.

 

[dreamer17555]

We only have two weeks until first grade!

Man we have a month here and I cannot wait. She is starting to drive me a little nuts here. She has gone through dozens of books and six workbooks and has been swimming and taking dance but still claims to be bored. I so pity her teacher next year.

-Becca-

 

[Malela9]

I teach kindergarten at a private school ( $500 a month) that is full day. In California the cut-off date is Dec. 2. We have a very academic program and I feel that the extra time I have in my full day program gives me the time to teach the subjects more thoughly. No Child Left Behind has put alot of pressure on all schools , public and private, and I don't like that I have to push as hard as I have to.
Yes, I think that it would be lovely to have another year to enjoy your afternoons with your daughter. However, she may get to school and really enjoy being there. She may ask you to stay so she can go to computer, the library and all the other extras the full day kids get. As kinder teachers we know it is a long day for our kids. We teach our programs so that the kids have fun, but still learn. I agree there is more to life than school, do remember the new friends your dd is going to make next year and the time she might want to spend with them.
I think she will have no problem adjusting to either option you choose, she is older-always a plus for teachers. Please don't bash full day kinder, and do consider it. My kids (students) always have a great time. I even have students that don't want to stay at home sick because they want to go to school. I would ask your dd what she wants to do, and be positive about both options. Kindergarten is always a fun year for the kids (that's why I teach it!) she will have a blast either way. Good luck!

 

[pfp258]

I am an early childhood educator and am sorry that more schools are going to all day kindergarten. Please consider reading the book "The Hurried Child" by David Elkind. As a society we need to stand up to the competitiveness and our urge to "hurry" children through their lives. I teach at a play based pre-school and wouldn't have it any other way. Too many parents are pushing academics too early. Children learn from experiences like going to the library, cooking at home, nature walks and playing in a park. Full time school will come soon enough.
And don't believe that somehow your child will be left behind academically. Each day, read to them, have meaningful conversations and give them experiences that will enrich their lives. It will take them far in life.

 

[dreamer17555]

I am an early childhood educator and am sorry that more schools are going to all day kindergarten. Please consider reading the book "The Hurried Child" by David Elkind. As a society we need to stand up to the competitiveness and our urge to "hurry" children through their lives. I teach at a play based pre-school and wouldn't have it any other way. Too many parents are pushing academics too early. Children learn from experiences like going to the library, cooking at home, nature walks and playing in a park. Full time school will come soon enough.
And don't believe that somehow your child will be left behind academically. Each day, read to them, have meaningful conversations and give them experiences that will enrich their lives. It will take them far in life.

But isn't play learning for a child and can't learning be taught in play? I am BIG into my DD's education and because of that she is way ahead of her peers but she loves to learn, sure I break out some work books but we also worked in the kitchen when I taught her fractions (is there a better way to teach fractions- I think not ) played store when she was learning coin combinations, has math games and state games, she loves to read to me and for me to read to her and trust me she would rather do "school work" with me than to be in front of a TV.

Not to hijack the thread but wont a good teacher also know that play is learning and that learning can be play?

I think the really issue here is the cost. It is a lot. It would be nice if you could send her half a day until Xmas break and then full time after that. It would allow her to get used to the long days before the harder routines of 1st grade kick in.

-Becca-

 

[vcgirl925]

We don't have full day options in my town. It's only 1/2 day, five days a week. But my son will be going to his 2nd year of prek this fall and he will go 5 days a week for 2.5 hrs. So his transition will be easier considering your dd only went 2 1/2 days a week. I'd say just put her in 1/2 day and she'll be fine.

 

[DisneygirlTeacher]

Wow, our K has been full-time and there is no fee for as long as I've been teaching first grade! Yes, it's a public school, too. To be honest, first grade is so curriculum oriented now and the expectations are so high that I think the children need an all day K program. I don't agree with many of the mandates that the state gives us, but we must follow them. Most of my 6 year olds come in and can't read and we work and work and they do so well by the end of the year. Plus, first grade is such a great year to teach socialization, cooperation and working as a team. Now, I'm sad because I had such a awesome class this year and hated to let them go! They all told me they wanted to be in first grade again and I would have taken every single one of them back! Good luck in whatever you decide!