would have liked to be part of this school

[dex_millie]

but I need to accept that the school is not for middle class people like me or maybe I am below it. I can't see sending one child and definetly not 3 children. I love the school but 10/11K a year. I was just looking around the Reston, VA area. I have no idea what to do with DS next year. His b-day is in Oct. (making 5 next year). Is there some secret finacial aid out there that we don't know about. I sometimes feel we make too much to qualify but to little to afford a nice school like montessori.

My son just seems like he would strive more at a montessor school rather than a traditional.

[Rose-Roget]

Right there with you. Don't know the secret. Ds would thrive in a good M school, but we have to settle for a free "alternative" (which really isn't comparable in quality). Let me know if you figure out the trick.

[CatsCradle]

My DD's Montessori is about $13k per year and there is a huge mix of kids from varying incomes at her school. At first glance, one would think it was for only upper middle income families, but families seem to make it work, so don't be too disheartened by the perceived elitism. We only have one DD, and that is all we can afford. There are some children in DD's class that qualify for need-based scholarships. There are approximately 100 children in DD's Montessori (two campuses), so I think that is how they can swing scholarships for some of the children.

I've mentioned this in other posts during my time on MDC, but being able to afford DD's school means that we can't afford a lot of other things. We currently live in a one bedroom apartment and we can't afford to upgrade at this point unless we pull DD out of Montessori. We don't have a car and don't plan on getting one until well into the future. We made the decision that DD's schooling was important to us and based our budget around that. We're as middle class as you can get by this region's standards. We're not living like paupers because of DD's schooling, but we have to put a lot of standard-of-living stuff on hold until she is older. We actually make too much to qualify for a scholarship, but we have to juggle our budget a lot to swing it.

I would check to see if there are any Montessori schools in your area that have scholarships or reduced-fee programs. Have you spoken to the school of your choice directly about this?

[mamadebug]

We have one child in a private Montessori, and we sacrifice a lot for him to go there. I don't know how we could afford to send three kids. A few thoughts -

There may be some financial aid. If the school is a non-profit, it would be more likely than if it is a for profit. You may also be surprised by who can qualify for it.

Some schools give discounts for each sibling after the first child. Sometimes the discounts aren't enough to make much of a difference, but sometimes they are.

I know a couple of families at DS's last school (also Montessori) that could swing paying for one kid to go to school, but once it was time for the second kid to go, the mom went back to work to pay for it. I am a SAHM right now, but would need to go back to work if we were to have 2 kids in Montessori (or any private school).

As a former teacher, I know a number of other teachers who took jobs at private schools of all sorts so that their kid/s could go there for free or a reduced rate (usually a benefit of working at a private school). If you aren't a teacher, maybe you could see about being an aid or an administrative person.

It really isn't just for "well to do" people. One thing I really liked about DS's last school was the feeling that it wasn't just for wealthy people. The tuition was high, but I know that many parents gave up a lot, and sometimes lived what didn't appear to be a middle class life, so that their kids to go there.

[texmati]

I dunno... I live in a relatively low COL area, and that's about what we spend on part time childcare. And we don't consider ourselves wealthy by any means! def not upper class. lol! It could be that parents are already accustomed to shelling that much out by the time their kiddo hit's schooling age.

Oh! and I see what you mean about 3 kids. I don't think we'd be able to swing that as easily. At that point, one of would be working just for tuition and a few extras.

[cakemama579]

Originally Posted by CatsCradle

I've mentioned this in other posts during my time on MDC, but being able to afford DD's school means that we can't afford a lot of other things. We currently live in a one bedroom apartment and we can't afford to upgrade at this point unless we pull DD out of Montessori. We don't have a car and don't plan on getting one until well into the future. We made the decision that DD's schooling was important to us and based our budget around that. We're as middle class as you can get by this region's standards. We're not living like paupers because of DD's schooling, but we have to put a lot of standard-of-living stuff on hold until she is older. We actually make too much to qualify for a scholarship, but we have to juggle our budget a lot to swing it.

I'm with CatsCradle on this one. I am a full-time student, and DH is a retail manager. We are the definition of middle class (if not on the lower end of it). We make it work financially by juggling a lot of balls in the air at once. Fortunately I have a full scholarship for my education, giving us room to take out student loans to cover our DSs tuition. Plus, his grandparents are helping out whenever they can. Its all about the sacrifice, we live in a tiny house and dont take vacations or shop, etc.

3 children would definitely be a challenge, although perhaps you could find a school that offers rebates to siblings? Scholarships might also be available, so don't be afraid to ask and apply. Chances are your school wants a diverse group of people-- Montessori is a philosophy that should not be limited to the extremely wealthy, and most good M schools recognize this and want to attract all sorts of people.

I know there are a lot of mamas on this board who home-school their children in the M fashion... maybe that would be something you might consider? Shot in the dark, but I thought I would suggest it anyway.

[SomedayMom]

I would definitely not assume that all of the families at said school are wealthy. My boys are in a private M school and I know that many of the families sacrifice a lot to be there, many are on FA (most private schools DO offer FA). Heck, we can pay the full tuition and it sometimes still makes my head spin what elementary school can cost (we'll have 3 too!). If you think the school will fit, ask about FA. It can't hurt.

[jen&james]

another thing to check out before worrying about how to pay is if you will be accepted. If it is just a primary school they may not let the child in for just the 3rd primrary year. I know the M school we were at would not accept children unless they were there for at least the 2nd primary year and they made no exceptions to allow a child who is not ready to move on. If they weren't ready for the 3rd primary year then they would be asked to leave since they wanted their 3rd primary students to only be top of the class. This is what happened to us. I had DS in a private M school for his 2nd year and we loved the school but the old ladies who owned it decided he wasn't ready to move on the third year and keep up with all the kids that were there for the first 2 yrs so they asked us not to come back this year. I was so upset and hurt by the rejection that I pulled him out right then and there. We hve been homeschooling ever since and incorporating Montessori into our days. Unfortunately when a M school is privately owned they can make whatever decisions that fit for them and many don't have any scholarships to help you financially. I am sure that Maria Montessori would not have agreed withthe way our situation was handled. My son loved his class and was flourishing there but not moving fast enough for them.

[ldsmom06]

We are middle class and have 2 out of 3 in Montessori and its is expensive but worth it for us. We will have our youngest in it too when she is old enough. We might end up with 4 or 5 kids in M school total so that kinda scares me but if we can make it work we will. We plan on having them go through all of elementary. While researching schools I have seen a few that offer scholarships. We most likely will be moving out of state soon and one of the schools I am interested in give 5% off for second child and 10% off for third. I think my ds would not do ok in a public school so for us he is our number 1 reason to try our best to swing it. Good luck!

[carmel23]

Are there charter schools in your district? How friendly is your state to charter schools? I know at a federal level, they want to support more charter schools.

Montessori public charter school is our answer.