Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Too good to be true??

I took DD3 to check out a preschool last weekend. It's at a private school just a few miles from my house and I absolutely loved it. In fact, I keep wondering if this place is too good to be true. Here's the lowdown and tell me if I'm missing anything.

There are only 12 kids to a class with 2 to 3 teachers per class. The classes have mixed-ages, so the preschool class will be ages 3-5 (I love this because DD can be around older kids who hopefully speak better than ND 3-yr-old since DD tends to mimic who she's around).
Each child is tested before entering and given their own personalized education plan.
I briefly mentioned some of DD's more atypical 3-yr-old qualities, like reading, simple math, and advanced language and they said they would definitely give her work geared more toward kindergarten.
They accelerate children who learn fast, even the wee little preschoolers.

I was so impressed with the variety of activities and the fact that DD can be advanced to fit her own learning. Every other preschool around here, aside from the too-far-away Montessori schools, just groups kids by age with no alternative learning opportunities for accelerated youngsters.
Is there something I'm missing here that makes this sound too good to be true? Oh yeah, Kindergarten and up costs 6K a year! Ouch. We'll have to just to cross that bridge when we get to it.

I told DH that this seems like a nice way to offer an accelerated approach without the hassle of public school. I know getting early K entry can be a tough task with public school (although not impossible) yet this private school seems ready and willing to take DD wherever she may go. I realize there may be some times when the school and I will not see eye-to-eye (no relationship is perfect, is it?), but it sure seems to be like a nice place to start.

If I can only get my MIL on board -- she was hoping we'd send her to a church-based preschool, even though she'd never tell me that to my face. And I cannot get her to take DD to school on the one day I work because she "doesn't want to be responsible for two children in the car during the winter." How did this woman ever raise 4 kids of her own??? And in case you think I'm being a little hard on MIL, keep this in mind: we live in a safe, rural area with low crime, low traffic and great snow plows! Sigh!!!

That does sound like a pretty nice deal.

The skeptic in me wonders:
1) What happens when DD3 passes up the K level curriculum?
2) How does their teaching staff ratio change once DD3 is not in the 3-5 room?
3) How high does the school go?

Best of luck with the school and the MIL.

Hi HoosierMommy!
Sounds great! Enjoy it! Can you have DD tested before you commit to paying for the whole year? Just to make sure that they have curricula. Also, make sure that this testing doesn't just 'stop' when it seems 'high enough' but goes all the way into territory that she doesn't know.

Maybe you can hire someone for the driving? Is DH availible to do it on his lunch hour?

Maybe a carpool with another Mom?

Smiles,
Grinity

FWIW, I know that $6K sounds like a lot (and it is) but I'd die if we could find a school like you describe for that price. It's at least double in our area.

JB

Sounds great. But a gentle note about MIL, she DID raise her 4, and may not want to have the responsibility of transporting the kids. Honestly, take it from another grandma, most of us feel more cautious with the grands than we did with our own. I hope you have a good relationship with her, and between her and the kids.

Thanks for your insight, OHGrandma. I try not to be hard on my MIL, but she hasn't been very supportive when it comes to our kids. She tends to undermine what we want on a regular basis. She watches DD3 and DD8mo. two days a week (that's all I work outside the home), so she'd only have to take DD3 to preschool one day a week. It's MAYBE 5 miles away, if that.

MIL doesn't adapt to change very well and has the belief that being GT just makes it easier to go through school -- my DH was her only GT son and MIL is not GT herself so she has a limited understanding. When I've explained why this school would be such a good fit for DD, she tries to find faults with it (Does it have extracurricular activities? Sports? I think ages 3-5 is a big age range for one class, etc. . .)

We kind of went through this when I was pregnant with DD8mo -- we asked her months in advance if she wanted to watch both kids when I worked (BTW, we pay her VERY well - more than if we took them to a daycare). She never gave us an answer -- DH had to drag it out of her and this was just weeks before I was to go back to work. Her response was a pessimistic-sounding, "Well, I'll see how it goes." All I want is an honest answer so that I can make arrangements elsewhere if need be.

In general, we have a great relationship but sometimes MIL drives me crazy.


momofgtboys -- to answer your questions/skepticism about the school:
Yes, the school goes up to 5th grade so they have the material for her to keep advancing at her own rate. If she stays for K, there are 8 kids to a class.

JBDad, where in the country do you live?? I'm curious if it's a regional cost-increase for the school or if I just found one heck of a deal in my city.

I do think much of it is regional. Cost of living tends to be cheaper in IN than in Philly! (Of course, you probably are making less money in IN, too, if my not-so-distant knowledge of IN salaries still holds water...)

Oh, and it sounds like you need to learn to hear what you MIL is really saying. When she drags her feet and says "we'll see how it goes," it sounds like that means a pretty firm "No" in MIL language. I have to learn stuff like this all the time. I'm really bad at it. But, sadly, my problem is with learning to read my OWN family! :p

Sounds great--I'd try to make it work!

And also, ds's private school is more than twice that, too ... I'm also guessing regional differences. 6K would be awesome!

Why must my MIL be so confusing? I try to say what I mean without creating communication mysteries while at the same time being considerate of others' feelings. It's a hard balance, but it makes me genuine so if you ask me my opinion, you know I'm not just saying it to be nice. It frustrates me when others don't show me the same respect. That might sound rude, but I don't mean it that way. And I love my MIL, but she can be absolutely infuriating, especially when it comes to our children.

Oh, I so hear you! But not all people think as we do, sadly. And so we must learn to read between the lines.

This is really a bad case of the blind leading the blind, though. Seriously, I STINK at reading between the lines! On a happier note, you and I would probably get along famously...