Kindergartens w/small class sizes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teacher again.

My point is that, for most schools, it's not a tenable situation to run small classes at the kindergarten level with multiple teachers unless they are charging exorbitant tuition. Now, that's not to say that such schools don't exist. But teachers know that if we are being told, "Hey, you're getting only 12 kids next year and a co-teacher," our first assumption is that we are getting a heavy load of needs.

Again, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is a reality.

So, yes, some schools run small K classes as a function of their philosophy. If these are "typical" general ed classes, I would argue that there is more loss than gain in such a situation, but that's just my take. However, to do so, a sacrifice must be made, either by diverting funds from elsewhere or charging higher tuition. Some schools can pull this off, but they are the exception.

Is 27K exorbitant tuition? That is the typical NWDC average tuition at K and I know several of those schools have K class sizes under 15-18, with 2 teachers, and that is not an "indicator" of a boatload of special needs kids in those classes. It is by design and it is what parents are paying for, small classes with lots of attention for their kids.

[Anonymous]

Teacher again-

Didn't I say 15-18 was ideal? It's when you start to get under that that you have to look at the specific make-up of the class. And, even if the class demographics are the same as a larger group, you'd still have to be conscious of the opportunities for socializing, which is naturally harder in smaller groups. Are there benefits to smaller classes? Yes. Are there drawbacks? Yes. There are pros and cons to any situation. In my experience, both theoretical and practical, I would say 15-18 is the ideal class size for early childhood classrooms. And, in my practical experience, smaller groups are often a function of having a higher percentage of students with special needs or students who otherwise have high needs. This is particularly true if there is one class in a given program/grade/division that stands out as significantly smaller.