None of my kids are in preschool yet, and it is already kind of stressing me out. See, our city sucks at preschool. It didn’t used to suck. And not all parts of the city suck, but our neighborhood does. At least when it comes to pre-elementary school. The preschool and early learning programs in our neighborhood shut down in 2012, and now if you can even get into any program, you have to schlepp the kids quite a distance, which seems ridiculous for living in town.
Part of the whole reason we live in the city proper, is to NOT have to drive far for things. We have gone our entire marriage with only one vehicle. The first couple of years, I used it to get to work and my husband walked to work. However, we moved and he has needed to use the car for work since 2005. Even after two kids, I got by just fine all day with no vehicle since we always lived within walking distance of the necessary shops.
But, now that our oldest needs preschool, it is a whole other game.
Elementary school is not an issue. We have three great schools in our neighborhood. But, no preschool. Preschool is not part of of the public system here, so the Early Learning Center program was the way to go. Except they closed the only location down here. And shut down the community center program as well. I suppose it was due to lack of enrollment. This section of the city has pushed out working families and replaced them with hipsters. (Who litter their coffee cups and PBR cans all over my yard.)
So in order to get my son to some sort of school, I have to go private or Montessori. (Or haul butt across town twice a day which will take as much time as the entire school session.) Unfortunately, nearly all of them will still require us to buy a second car, which is a huge added expense. We knew this day was coming, but unfortunately cannot afford it this moment due to our ancient money pit of a house. So in addition to the car, monthly tuition at all of these preschools, even the cheap ones, is more than rent was on my first five apartments! In fact, preschool tuition is now twice as much as what I paid for my bachelor’s degree tuition. It is no wonder the percentage of kids who go to any kind of pre-K is so low. No one can afford it.
I feel kind of stuck because I know these kids need more stimulation than I can provide. I am so introverted and quiet, that I feel their delayed speech is mostly due to me simply not being chatty enough with them. Which is also why I could never home school. I tip my hat to those who can.
Anyway, I think I found a place that will work. It is play focused and does not require parents to be present the whole time. That is another beef I have. Every program that had an income based, scaled tuition, required a parent present. And you couldn’t have your other kids with you. And there was no other childcare. So basically, you had to be a privileged SAHM with no other children and no other responsibilities. All the while paying people $50 per hour to watch you play with your own kid. (what?) So, I am checking out this private school with play focused learning. Lucky already knows his letters, numbers, colors, and shapes, so I really just want him there for interaction and discussion. It is three days a week, with each day only being around three hours. For the price I might be able to get both toddlers in there, which would mean a nice few hours a week to give the shop/house/yard/other kid/etc more focus.
BUT, we still need another car to get there, at least in winter. AND, we still need to GET IN. I’ve already had some laughable Baby Boom Diane Keaton moments at the playgrounds, so this could be fun.
How are the early education opportunities in your area? Do you find the suburbs to be more preschool friendly than the inner city? And while I am at it, what kind of car do you have if you need to fit three giant car seats in it? There is an eight foot snow drift against the back of my house , so four wheel drive is kind of a must.
It is such a hassle for parents and kids to have to travel far just to get to the right preschool. No wonder a lot are talking and pushing about improving early childhood education this time to give quality education for those who can’t afford private or Montessori way of teaching. My daughter went to a private preschool and it was a good thing that there is one nearby and yes I have to double the work just to pay for her tuition. This is something everyone should be aware about and I hope the bill about preschool for everyone will be a success.