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I had posted earlier about choosing a kindergarten for dd3.5. We just learnt 3 weeks ago that dd's current Montessori school is closing the end of this school year. Which means I need to find her another school by end of this month. Arggh! I feel like crying. We have visited 3 schools already and dd has given them all 0 points ( compared to million points for her current school). Anyway, I am conflicted and need help. The school I really like, Montessori, is 1/2 hr commute and most expensive. Other cons are larger class size (20-24 kids per classroom). The second best is 10 minutes from work and home, a tad cheaper and on paper is very good- environmental stewardship, constructivist teaching, etc. however, the teacher is a dictator. She had to control every single activity of every single kid. She was task focused and wanted to get through the checklist for the day whether or not the kid is ready to move on. Stark opposite of Montessori focus and you are done when you think you are done. Dd has really long attention span and can spend all day, ie 3 hours, on just one activity. What should I do? Please help me think straight. I am losing it:(

Personally I would avoid the second school like the plague! I can't begin to tell you the damage that kind of environment caused my DD...

On the other hand, two hours of driving each day is a whole lot. Do you think it's likely that there are other parents at that school who live near you, who you might eventually be able to carpool with?

What's the third choice? Even worse than the first two?

Is this just for a year, or longer?

DeeDee

Pemberley, thank you! You confirmed what my gut was trying to tell me. I really don't care if my kid doesn't learn one new thing at school for the next 2 years as long as she does not lose her natural love for learning and discovering. I suspect the dictator teacher would kill that innate curiosity.
MegMeg, agree with you on the commute. Hence the dilemma. We live in a really good public school district and we moved before we had dd. Not sure at this point if we will decide to send her to public school in two years,when she turns 5 but want to keep that option open. So moving closer to the Montessori school, while an option, would put us in a bad public school district. And yes, the third option is not that viable. Very good part-time Montessori program that is 1/4th the cost of the other Montessori. However, it is still 1/2 hour away and is only 2.5 hours/day, which means I need coverage for another 2.5 hpd. Not going to work. I work 4hpd.
DeeDee, at least for one more year. She will turn 5 in 2014 and eligible for public school. Like I said, we want to keep that option open but if we feel like she is thriving in the private school, we don't want to change it either. Both option 1 and 2 go up to 8th grade.

Usually there are other good preschool options in an excellent public school district. Can you work the grapevine and see what other people are doing, what they like?

There is a wonderful but little known preschool here, for instance, that is always looking for typically-developing kids to be in classrooms that also include kids with disabilities. The program is unusually rich-- fabulous playground, gardening, horseback riding, all sorts of stuff-- but you wouldn't know about it unless you were really looking...

In your shoes I think I would cast a very wide net for close-by options. My own preference would be to not spend 2 hours in the car per day for preschool.

DeeDee

p.s. regarding the part-time problem: We have also done very well by hiring college students as wrap-around care. If you find a bright, curious college student, they often have a car and are mature enough to provide really interesting educational experiences.

DeeDee

DeeDee, thanks so much for your advice. I knew that I would be changing schools in a year from now and had started some research. However, the school closing hit us by surprise and now I have just a month to find a school. It took me 9 months to find the school she goes to now so I am not that quick with this stuff. But like you suggest, I will cast the net to find these hidden gem schools. The idea of student help opens up the third option for me because the part-time montessori (option 3) is actually a lab preschool in a community college. Thanks again!

Do they not have preschools where you are where the kids just get to play? Sand, water, mud, playdough, bikes, puzzles etc? I think the second option sounds awful but Montessori is very restrictive from what I have seen.

I was going to suggest a lab preschool! DD's was at a high school and it was an amazingly wonderful experience. Child centered, developmental and totally free form. DD spent much of her time writing, directing (and of course starring in ) her own plays. It was really amazing. It was of course a "hidden gem" you only learned about through word of mouth. That one definitely gets my vote! And if it is at a community college you may even be able to hire a student or 2 from the preschool. They tend to be education majors or something related to pediatric medical fields. I think you may have a winner here!