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panicking about tuition
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Anonymous
| sent commit letter in for my dc to one of the smaller, less expensive privates. elementary. still a stretch for me. single mom. got some financial aid. have a decent public option but was having trouble getting excited about it and feeling comfortable that they would offer much differentiation for kid who is clearly ahead. but now wondering if it matters so much at the elementary years...and maybe i should be saving my money for middle/high school. part of me really buys into the idea that the early foundation is really key. |
Anonymous
|
OP,
Is it either/or? Private now then public or vice versa? It is so hard to know what she'll need by Grade 6! Maybe try one year, and reassess? |
Anonymous
| If you're buying into the idea that early foundation is the key, then maybe you want to place her where she will be excelling early on so that the skills become ingrained. FWIW, as the mom of a middle schooler, I agree with you that early foundation is the key. But, the problem is that even really bright kids like mine don't always pick up the critical skills that are taught in first and second grade without lots of repetition. And, without those skills, they can't function from third grade on. I pushed mine ahead and then ended up spending a ton of money at the beginning of middle school for tutoring to catch him up on the skills that he missed in first and second grade. |
Anonymous
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OP, a commit letter means you owe the school money right?
Stop having second thoughts. Your child is in, you sent a commit letter -- it's done. It'll be great. In the future, if you are panicking about tuition, that's a pretty good sign that the school is too much of a financial stretch for you. if your child was MISERABLE in the local free public school, you woudln't care. You'd be happy to stretch financially for a good fit. But you don't know that your child will be miserable in public school. Maybe your cihld will be perfectly happy! |
Anonymous
| OP, what's the school? We are looking for a "less expensive" private. |
Anonymous
| OP, don't do it. I regret the decision I made three years ago to put dd in private school. The costs are dizzying and it is not worth worrying about where you'll find the money. |
Anonymous
why don't you switch back to public? |
Anonymous
| I think most kids do fine in public in the early years, especially bright kids, as public put almost more focus on basic skills which are crucial to getting. Then you put your money into private later when the extras and the depth of curriculum are more important and are noticeably more impressive than public schools. I am a teacher who has taught in 3 fancy private schools--the kids who came in at later grades from the public schools were often stronger in their skills than those who had started at the private in pk/k. So I would say save your money and sanity for a few years. |
Anonymous
| I agree with 08:16. I'm no teacher, but as a parent I decided to keep my children in their (admittedly excellent) public school through 6th grade and to pay tuition where, IMHO, it counts: middle and upper school. Have not regretted the results, as my children have been doing well academically and I saved about $320,000 tuition on each of them. |
Anonymous
| I think it depends on the child. For one of my DCs we went private for the early years based on her personality and learning style. It was absolutely the best decision for her. It gave her an excellent foundation and a love of learning. She got into on of the "Big Three" for HS but we went with our local MoCo public HS, and she is at one of the top 3 private liberal arts colleges on scholarship (and was accepted to Ivies). |
Anonymous
| We did private k-8 and are now in public MoCo for HS and it is working out really well. Frankly we assumed DC would stay in private all the way through but by the time HS rolled around our public school was a better fit (and being free was an added bonus). |
Anonymous
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Back out of the school. If there is a waiting list, you could negotiate with the school to get out of the financial commitment. Especially as a single mother, do not get into a financial crisis to send your child to private when you have a good public option! Think of the airplane analogy -- put your safety mask on first, then help the child. You should be completely financially secure (fully funded retirement, emergency fund, no (or very small) mortgage) before spending on private school.
Just remember, when we were kids, the real "learning" in school didn't even begin until 6th grade (the theory back then was that cognitive abilities were better served through experiences/play/imagination) until approx. 6th grade. Do what is right for you financially first, then figure out school. Good luck. |
Anonymous
| Check the contract. You probably just lose the deposit that you just sent in as long as you inform them in writing by June 1st that you are not going. So you really have until June 1st to figure this out. More stewing. Good luck! |
Anonymous
We will. She has friends and so on and she is doing well, the switch will come in MS, and her sister will be public all the way. |
Anonymous
Sorry, but I think you sound a little preachy. I am a single Mom and would happily work extra and sacrifice to pay tuition.I chose to have a child, my DC did not choose to be born to a single Mom. My child comes first before my investment portfolio. Our public is terrible and with the shrinking tax base everywhere most publics are making cuts in Art, Music, Honors programs across the board. If your child is lucky enough to get into a Private and you won't have to swallow the BS of teaching to the test, go for it! |