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Home ☢ Commentary ☢ Getting into preschool is now harder than college, and more expensive

Getting into preschool is now harder than college, and more expensive

April 8, 2014 By: Lauren Ivy Chiong2 Comments

Playing with the school busI am banging my head against the wall as I write.

My daughter was just waitlisted at ANOTHER preschool.

To be precise, we are actually applying for transitional kindergarten (TK), formerly known as Pre-K, but for all intents and purposes it’s part of preschool. My daughter has an October birthday, meaning she turns five just a few weeks too late to enroll in kindergarten by law in the state of California.

TK has far fewer programs available than traditional kindergarten, and this has been an endless source of stress for me for months. Getting my daughter into a program is harder than ever dreamed possible.

The public programs have parents citywide swimming upstream like salmon, so to speak, racing to fill out applications for the few public TK options available. Those applications are used to either create a waiting list or a lottery. There are hundreds of kids who need a spot, and only a few available in each program.  I am now receiving letters in the mail from places we have applied letting me know that they have no place for her.

Lack of availability is one issue. Cost is another. Parents in Sacramento seem perfectly content to fork over $10,000 and up for private schools for TK for the school year. This is the norm, not the exception.  For their four year olds. THEIR FOUR YEAR OLDS! Have we all lost our minds?

The cost of University of California at Davis for one year of tuition is $13,902 for California residents. It’s an excellent California school. By the time you factor in registration fees, summer childcare for working parents, and fundraising requirements, the amount parents pay for preschool can easily exceed the cost of the local university.

Are you a parent struggling with getting your child into either the right preschool or even any preschool? Tell me your story below!

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Comments

  1. Prerna says

    April 25, 2014 at 10:10 am

    I agree things are not simple like before. TO get in a good pre school the parents also have to work equally hard along with the child.
    Prerna recently posted..PALMOLIVE Thermal Spa Skin Renewal Body Wash ReviewMy Profile

    Reply
  2. robbie antonio says

    June 16, 2014 at 4:54 am

    Oh gosh. I’m not from the US but the case is similar to where I’m from. Preparatory schools are expensive, often more expensive than state universities.

    My husband and I are really considering having a baby, but the future (finances-wise) looks really intimidating. Raising a child sure isn’t easy!
    I’m thinking about homeschooling, but we need to earn double if we want to have a little extra.

    Sigh.

    Reply

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