Preschool questions

[littletree]

For the past few months now we've been looking into preschools. DD is 3 as of Sept 19 so we're also faced with the issue og cut-off dates for kindergarden enrolllment. If we put her in Preschool in the fall she will need 3 years before kindergarden! Thats all good but they all seem to be way to expensive for our student/part time jobs budget. I've looked into a few cheaper ones but you couldn't pay me to put my kid in there. There is a public program but she wouldn't be able to start that untill she's 4 (as of their date, Aug 31).
She talks about school all the time and how she wants to go. She's so bright and I feel like she would do great in a school evironment. If anyone has any ideas, advice, anything would be appiciated.
Also, we're in Boston (Cambridge/Somerville), and were wondering if there were any homeschool preschool groups around.

Thanks

[momtokay]

we're waaay on the other side of the country from you, but around here there are lots of preschool coops that are less money than regular preschools but you have to volunteer. they are great though if you don't mind helping out. the local community colleges have a system of them. you might try checking yours to see if they have something similar. good luck in the search!!

[Ponoma]

The preschool co-op idea sounds intriguing.
How does it work? Do the parents take turns
leading lessons? Is it held in someone's home?

[Kirsten]

Co-ops are great but in ours you had to be three by August 31st. They had a few kids whose parents fudged the birthdays to get them in early and it was a BIG issue when it was discovered. Now you have to show a birth certificate to register.

But the preschool where my dd2 goes now (it is a drop off and expensive) will accept kids for the youngest class at age 2.5 so maybe there are some around for you too? But even if they did take her early and it was affordable, you would still be looking at three years of preschool. Being young in the class is no great gift - even if your child is very bright academically and breezes through preschool, that first year of full day school is challenging when they are getting tired and frustrated. You can't rush maturity stuff. I learned the hard way with my dd1....

Anyway! Co-op preschool will meet for two half days a week for the 3s (three year olds turning four during the school year) and three half days a week for the 4s (four year olds turning five during the school year). Half day is two and a half hours usually. There is one teacher and some parents working each day. The teacher is a professional, there every day. The parents take turns. Schools are different - the one we used when each dd was three had half the parents there each day. So on one day you have the teacher, 18 kids and 9 parents. Next day, same teacher, same 18 kids, other 9 parents. Another co-op preschool we looked at had the same type of thing only with 3 or 4 parents per day so you didn't have to work one day a week, only one day a month (or was it twice a month?) Co-ops are great and very inexpensive. Ours was $38 a month when dd1 was there - had gone up to $50 a month when dd2 went (four years later). They are generally run through community colleges (we don't have one in our town but one 30 minutes away runs lots all over the place).