What to Do When You Can't Afford Preschoolby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 10 Dec 2008 12:38 PM
Research does show that early childhood education in the form of a quality preschool program does give children an edge over those who do not attend. But with preschool costs soaring, not everyone has the option of sending their child to preschool. Before you panic, let's review a few things. First, those studies that talk about the advantages of preschool don't take into account children who learn at home in a loving home environment. There is no reason that you could not teach the same curriculum at home. Even if you don't plan on homeschooling, you can introduce your child to letters, numbers, colors, shapes, songs and writing his name. The Internet is full of free resources to help. Attending playgroups or just taking your child to the park will introduce her to a social environment. Check out the Homeschool Blog for more information. Second, you may have the option of free preschool through your state's Head Start or Early Learning Program. Just do a search for "free preschool," or "Head Start" along with your state name. It is true that recent budget cuts may make qualifying for these programs more difficult, but it may be an option. Third, to get back to homeschooling, many homeschool organizations offer a co-op, where parents get together and teach anywhere from one to three days a week at a central location. Generally there is a tiny annual fee and the commitment to contribute time to the group, such as teaching a class or volunteering in the nursery. Would you like to see more on this topic or any other? Please leave a comment. Mary Ann Romans.Finding Money When You Need Some Does Your Preschooler Still Nap? Scratch Painting with Preschoolers
Just look to the right of this blog and find the subscription center (it looks just like this picture, although you'll have to find the "real" one just above the category listing ). Click on "Subscribe via Email". You'll be instantly subscribed and the email address that you registered at Families.com with will receive an instant notification whenever we post a new Baby Blog! Don't miss a thing - subscribe now! Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantbaby tags User Comments  drnewmom (307) 10 Dec 2008 12:50 PMI am very interested in preschool information. I have a new baby and have been thinking ahead. I did not go to preschool and in kindergarten I remember learning my ABCs. My neighbor has a 7-year-old and was telling me nowadays, kids are expected to be able to read by the time they get to kindergarten. I mean, I read to him daily and will continue to do so, but wasn't really thinking about structured lessons before school. Just what do kids need to learn by the time the go to school? Why are they expected to know so much more that "we" did 25 years ago? I can see the benefits of preschool, but I can also see an increase in illness. My little one was born 3 months early and a respiratory illness could send him back to the hospital (the reason we pay for a private sitter when I work). Anyhow, I probably won't homeschool formally, but may be interested in it as a pre-school resource. Thank you for addressing this topic!  Mary Ann Romans (26791) 10 Dec 2008 12:59 PMThere is a lot of pressure on children today to meet academic benchmarks, regardless of whether or not they are ready. Much of it has to do with the NCLB Act. How ready they need to be will depending on the school district. In one kindergarten they may only need to know colors and basic shapes, in another they may need to write using "kindergarten" spelling. Look for future posts addressing this readiness issue and thanks for the comment! wells25 (147) 10 Dec 2008 04:19 PMPeople wonder why the drop out rate is so high now a days. These kids are basically going to school for 2 more years and learning a lot more stuff than we did. By the time they get to 16 or 17 they are burned out. I wish they would just teach them what we were taught. It would enable them to be ready for society and probably wouldn't cost as much.  Valorie Delp (49340) 11 Dec 2008 04:59 AMSorry--but I don't buy the burn out theory. I think there are a lot of other factors to consider regarding homeschooling. Kindergartens do NOT expect a child to read before they get there. They do expect them to know their letters and letter sounds. To be honest, what I see more and more is aggressive parent syndrome. They want their child to be the best and if one kid reads--then by golly gosh they want it to be theres. NCLB doesn't even test for reading in K. . .however, there is pressure for K teachers to have a class reading by then end of K. Mary Ann Romans (26791) 11 Dec 2008 11:38 AMAgain, I think it depends on the school district. A neighboring district tests incoming Kindergarten students, which puts a lot of pressure on the parents. One part of the test does include "sight reading," or recognizing simple words. Valorie Delp (49340) 11 Dec 2008 02:00 PMBut see I would say why does that put pressure on parents? Assessing a child where they're at shouldn't put pressure on the parents--yet it does bc they *think* having their child in the *lower* class is a bad thing. Parents frequently fail to recognize that reading is very much developmental. (And educators, unfortunately aren't entirely permitted to tell them! Mary Ann Romans (26791) 11 Dec 2008 02:07 PMIt puts pressure on the parents because they may think that they failed their child if that child is not accepted into school at the "normal" age.  Dale Harcombe |
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