Kindergarten or grad school?

[*MamaJen*]

So I just realized that the Waldorf kindergarten I'd love my son to attend costs more per year than the masters degree program that I'm planning to attend.
I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around that one.
Maybe I can go to grad school, graduate right as he's ready to start kindergarten, and start making scads of money so I can afford the program. Or maybe I can just find a cheaper school. I'm really disenchanted with the public schools in our area, though. They've just banned free play in kindergarten, and there's no way my kid's going there.

[williamsmommy2002]

Wow, I don't blame you for not liking the public schools. We have been very fortunate to live in a pretty good district. My friends live a not so great one( about a mile from us) and chose a private K for their child. It was a pretty good school and was not that expensive. They were big on play. Maybe you can find ione that isn't quite Waldorf inspired but is still child centered.

[lauren]

Maybe you could still go and observe at the public schools to see what you think when you are actually on site. Sometimes we can hear things from others that don't make sense out of context. That really is a lot of money (even though you haven't shared the amount, I know what grad school costs!) Sometimes public schools can surprise us. Also, there may be a magnet or charter school nearby.

[peachweenie]

Is there possibly a Waldorf-inspired charter school in your area? Or check out other charter schools that might still have some free play in their curriculum. Good luck to you!

[Lingmom]

Originally Posted by lauren

Maybe you could still go and observe at the public schools to see what you think when you are actually on site. Sometimes we can hear things from others that don't make sense out of context. That really is a lot of money (even though you haven't shared the amount, I know what grad school costs!) Sometimes public schools can surprise us. Also, there may be a magnet or charter school nearby.

I agree! We heard something similar about schools in our district and it really worried me until I spoke with a few kindergarten teachers who said that it's over-exaggerated... and even if some crazy policy did come down from the district, there is no way that a good kindergarten teacher would truly not allow their kids to have recess and free-play. We still decided to go with a non-public school, but it's worth checking it out.

[tammylsmith]

Will you be getting any school loans? I went to grad school on loans, so I pay the loans monthly now, and it doesn't affect our lives too much. (I also ended up cutting back to a part time job after dd was born, so those grad-school high wages? hah! Oh well, wouldn't have it any other way) That might allow you to buy some time so that you can do both. Check out the Waldorf school and the public school carefully. The brand name doesn't mean your child will be happy there. Each case is individual. My personal opinion is that the early years only come once... do it right the first time, but there are many, many personal factors that you have to weigh in on. Just collect more information and see if the answer becomes more clear to you.