Get Schooled

By catlady

August 1, 2006 05:38 PM | Link to this

From my observations, I don’t think pre-K as it is configured now would have met the needs of any of my 3 children.

By Carl

August 1, 2006 05:41 PM | Link to this

Two of my grandchildren were in pre-k during the 2005-2006 season. I was somewhat disappointed that they were still way behind in recognizing letters and numbers and being able to sound out the letters they did recognize. This is a fundemental rule of learning to read and for some reason it’s not being taught.

Perhaps instead of giving school teachers more money when they are already the highest paid in the South and ranked 15th in the nation for high schoolteacher wages, the cirriculum and method of teaching should be changed?
I taught my youngest son to read when he was 4, using the teaching system from 1898, and he was reading books to the class in kindergarten. He’s been in gifted, honors and AP classes (perfect 5’s)ever since (1st through 12th) and will graduate in 2007.

By fed up

August 1, 2006 05:55 PM | Link to this

Nope, my youngest will be in a church half-day pre-K and will most likely stay there for their half day K program. Thanks to No Child, K has become ridiculous. We had kindergartners last year in some classes with an hour of homework a night and a ridiculously short recess.

Childhood is cut too short as it is. So long as we can afford it, I want my youngest to enjoy his childhood as long as possible.

By Vicki

August 1, 2006 06:09 PM | Link to this

My rising 3rd Grader was in the Pre-K program at our school and he loved it (I loved it!). He was ready to be part of his big brother’s school and really thrived. His teachers let us know he was academically ready for Kindergarten but not ready socially. Instead of pushing the school to advance him, his teachers allowed him go into a Kindergarten class and read to the students daily. Thus, he was socially where he needed to be and academically challenged. Thank you Mrs. C and Mrs. B, you started my child off loving school and we are very grateful to have you as part of our lives.

By Dana

August 1, 2006 06:11 PM | Link to this

I didn’t elect not to have my daughter in pre-K. There were just no openings in my area, not even at the public school.

By Lisa B.

August 1, 2006 07:16 PM | Link to this

My son is now in 7th grade. His Pre-K experience was excellent, and set the tone for his education. My husband and I have been pleased, for the most part, with his teachers and with our son’s positive attitude regarding school. My son is still friends with several children he met in Pre-K, and continues to be an excellent student.

By mbfp

August 1, 2006 08:22 PM | Link to this

My child will be 4 next year and I will not be putting him in the GA Pre-K program. While it has a strong curriculum and highly qualified teachers, the hours are not conducive to a working mother’s schedule. I will keep my child in a private Pre-K and then put him in a public elementary school with no hesitations.

By SNY

August 2, 2006 08:39 AM | Link to this

My daughter has an October birthday, so she was not allowed to attend GA Pre-K. So I put her in a private school Pre-k. I really had no choice in the matter. By the time my child was 3, she was recognizing all of her letters, writing her full name, writing her address and phone number. She knew all of her numbers up to 50 by sight and could count to 100. She was reading 1st grade books and reading to herself at night. Could you picture me waiting another year to start this particular child in school? If I had put her in a public Pre-K or kindergarten, the school would have been telling me that my child was ADHD or something because she was bored. Her private school Pre-K teacher was already sending her to the kindergarten 2 times a week because she loved the class, the teacher and the work.

My youngest will not attend GA Pre-K either. They will both be at private school. He is not as advanced as my daughter was (they say that boys are slower, is that true?) but I believe that they will catch him up without a problem.

By Tam

August 2, 2006 09:35 AM | Link to this

I have a question…What does a child need to know after finishing Pre-K? My twin boys just finish and I wondering if they are ready for Kindergarten. Could a teacher or experienced parent let me know? Also, Do they need to be reading before Kindergarten?

By Tam

August 2, 2006 09:39 AM | Link to this

I have a question…Have does a child need to know after finishing Pre-K? My twin boys just finished and I was wondering if they were on track for Kindergarten. They were in a Headstart program. Could a teacher or experienced parent let me know? Also, Should kids being reading by Kindergarten?

By Tam

August 2, 2006 09:39 AM | Link to this

I have a question…Have does a child need to know after finishing Pre-K? My twin boys just finished and I was wondering if they were on track for Kindergarten. They were in a Headstart program. Could a teacher or experienced parent let me know? Also, Should kids being reading by Kindergarten?

By BlindHomer

August 2, 2006 11:49 AM | Link to this

I think pre-K not only set the foundation for nine years of straight A’s, but also helped my only child daughter develop her social skills. The bad news is that was the year before it became lottery funded, so I had to pay. The good news is that was before the lottery funding turned pre-K into a mediocre experience. We’ve seen time and again that private enterprises with profit incentives out produce the socialism that is public school.

By T-Man

August 2, 2006 12:18 PM | Link to this

The hours for the Pre-K’s are not always set for working parents. The wife and I had to enroll our son into private school. To fix the problem of low enrollment in Pre-K, the hours would have to change and be more conducive for working parents.

By Nel

August 2, 2006 12:48 PM | Link to this

T-Man: Don’t know where you live but from my experiences, the lottery funded pre-k program don’t have low enrollment, in fact, they typically have very long waiting lists.

By Nel

August 2, 2006 01:15 PM | Link to this

My youngest child attends an Elementary school that has a before/afterschool program run by the teachers for anyone in the student body to sign-up and pay to participate in it. They are there until 6:30pm just like daycare or private pre-k programs. This program is also good for the older children since they are able to get help with their homework from the teachers while they are there.

Both my children have so-called late birthdays. My first child was older entering pre-k, She did pre-k in daycare and entered that already reading and was allowed to read to the other students. I was fortunate enough not to go through the lottery process with her so she got in our local school without any major drama. My second child got in and had an amazing teacher who unfortunately was made to concentrate on the students who were not as advanced. From my experience, the quality of the program depends on the individual school Principal. You see the results of a good program when the children arrive in Kindergarten. That is also when you see what the children who were at home for that year did or didn’t learn.

By decaturparent

August 2, 2006 01:24 PM | Link to this

Blindhomer - then please explain the recent Department of Education study that says, adjusting for income levels, public schools do as well or slightly better than private schools.

I went to a very posh private school and did not get as good of an education as my husband did who went to a public “comprehensive” high school in Walton Co.

Private does not automatically equal better.

The business model works for companies because they can pick the raw materials that go into their product. Public schools have to take everyone, so the business model does not work for them because they don’t all have access to the same raw materials.

School choice or any such “business model” for schools only works when choice goes both ways. If the families get to choose the schools, the schools should also get to choose the families that are best suited for their particular programs.

Of course, that would leave children who have behavior problems, are poor or who have learning disabilites with few good choices. We as a society will need to decide if we can live with that.

By BlindHomer

August 2, 2006 02:17 PM | Link to this

decaturparent - I’m not familiar with the study. However, I went to public schools and I also went to Phillips Exeter. Exeter was a better school, a lot better. I put my daughter in public schools, but she hasn’t received an Exeter education. My point is that through 1995 the pre-K’s had to compete for the parent’s own dollars and, therefore, provided a better educational experience on average than they do now where many operate at capacity simply because of the lottery money. Then and now it’s been all but impossible to get in the pre-K’s with the best reputations, but since then a lot of marginal operators started running pre-K’s because of the availability of the state money.

By Vicki

August 2, 2006 02:20 PM | Link to this

Nel -

I agree with you about the number of children on the waiting list at our school. We have 2 Pre-K classes, 20 students each, and the waiting list has over 60 names on it. Some parents of the kids on the waiting list don’t understand why 2 or 3 other classes can’t be formed.

By waterbug24

August 2, 2006 05:44 PM | Link to this

Pre-K Teacher here. Tam-If your child knows their shapes, colors, some letters, some numbers, and can write their name, your child will be fine in Kindergarten. Kindergarten is where children are really starting to learn to read.

Interesting note: It seems that parents who sent their child to lottery funded Pre-K for the most part loved it, the negative comments were from people with no personal Pre-K experience. Hmmm…

For their parents who are afraid that their babies will be bored-I have NEVER had a bored child in my class! They are too busy playing, learning, and socializing. As to teaching to the bottom, I tend to teach to the top. My theory is that if they don’t understand it now, they will get it again in K, 1st, 2nd, and so on, until they do get it. I ended the year last year (rural area, Title 1 school) with 80% of my kids knowing most of their letters, numbers, and writing their names. About 50% of my class knew at least a few sight words. We dug for dinosaur bones, played on the computer, dissected owl pellets, planted seeds, experimented with changing a carnations color with food coloring, carved a pumpkin, and went on 5 field trips! Who has time to be bored?

I LOVE MY JOB!

By luvs2teach

August 2, 2006 05:59 PM | Link to this

My son was in the first year of the Georgia pre-K program - he is now a HS sophomore. His pre-K was held in the private daycare he attended (I was working in the “real world” at the time, not teaching) and the nicest thing was that my daycare bill dropped significantly. He was shy then (not so anymore!) and being able to stay where he was comfortable, and still reap the benefits of the program were great. Because he was so quiet and not as verbally adept as his older sister, the year there really proved to be beneficial when he went to kindergarten.

Tam, according to Piaget’s theory, children are “pre-operational” from about 2 - 6/7. This makes being able to read and comprehend difficult for children under the age of 7. That doesn’t mean they can’t - everyone develops differently - it just means you shouldn’t worry about it unless they are 6 or 7 and aren’t getting it AT ALL. I personally think the push to have all kids reading in kindergarten makes kids who aren’t ready for it yet hate it - and then they never develop it. We do the same with trying to get kids to understand abstract concepts (like algebra) when their brains aren’t ready for it. \ BlindHomer - Phillips Exeter? Is that the one in Andover MA? That’s not your garden variety “private school” - that’s an outstanding school even by private standards. The study was looking at all including lesser (for lack of a better word) quality private schools.

By decaturparent

August 2, 2006 06:57 PM | Link to this

blindhomer -

I’m with lovestoteach. I would imagine that Phillips Exeter would be far better than 99% if not 100% of all private schools. If you graduated from Exeter, I am sure that you understand that the Exeter/public school comparison is not the same as comparing the average of public schools to the average of private schools.

If you pay attention to your kid and they are in a good school node - it doesn’t matter whether it’s private or public. With three kids to put through college, I’d rather save my money for the Ivys or another excellent private college than blow it all on private school and then have to tell them that they are headed to an enormous state university.

Everyone has to weigh their options and look at their situation, but blanket statements that public equals bad just makes you look stupid - and stupid you clearly are not.

By CMT

August 3, 2006 10:52 AM | Link to this

I HAVE A CHILD THAT WILL BE STARTING A PRE-K PROGRAM. I BELIEVE THAT AS LONG AS PARENTS DO THEIR PART OUR CHILDREN WILL BE FINE. EVERYONE’S CHILD IS NOT GOING TO BE A STRAIGHT A STUDENT AND THAT IS JUST THE FACTS. I BELIEVE WE AS PARENTS PUT TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON OUR CHILDREN TO “OUTSHINE” OTHERS INSTEAD OF ENCOURAGING THEM TO DO THEIR BEST. I TOTALLY SUPPORT THE GA LOTTERY PRE-K I KNOW THAT MY CHILD WILL DO HIS BEST BECAUSE I ENCOURAGE HIM TO.

By Laf

August 3, 2006 05:29 PM | Link to this

I certainly agree with decaturparent about sending your child to the public schools and use the money for a top ranked college education. Also some of that money could be used to provide the child enrichment activities or tutoring while attending the public school. No one cares about what high school you graduated from anyway if you have that college degree from a top ranked Ivey League College. Also that money can be used to allow the student to pursue a graduate program. My family can fill in the gaps left by a public school but we can’t fill in the gaps left by a second rate college.

By Christy

August 4, 2006 10:03 AM | Link to this

I loved the Pre-K program. My 4 yr. old daughter went last year. She had a great time and it really helped her get ready for K. She is very excited about K and I fill this is due to her having such a great experience at the Pre-K. It has help her learn that school can be fun but also structured and goals to work towards. My only complaint is THEIR ARE NOT ENOUGH SPACES. I have 2 other children coming up and I hope they will get the same opportunity to have the experience as my oldest got. Please keep it growing so that everyone will get the same chance. Help our future to succeed. The foundation starts at home and lets keep it going through the school system . We have many years ahead of us.

By M

August 4, 2006 11:31 AM | Link to this

I have a 3 yr old, but we are looking at moving, planning ahead, etc.
Is there a list anywhere on which schools offer the pre-k program??? I can’t find one.

However, since the program is a full day; I probably will not send my children. I napped till Kindergarden, and I have every intention of letting them nap till then too. There’s no reason why they should be in school for over 6 hrs. a day.

By Vicki

August 4, 2006 03:03 PM | Link to this

M

At our school, the Pre-K class study/play/discover/learn in the mornings, then they have playground time, then they have lunch and then they nap for 45-60 mins. They re-group and have story time and then it is time to go home. Therefore, the learning part of the day is really only as long as a church Pre-K program.

We’ve done both with our boys. My youngest was all too ready to join his brother at the “big school”. We didn’t feel our older son was really ready, but looking back, I was the one who wasn’t ready for public school.

As I stated above, our youngest really thrived in the public Pre-K program.

By Anita

August 7, 2006 08:08 AM | Link to this

The reason we didn’t participate was because we never even knew about it.

By Karen Armsby

August 7, 2006 05:54 PM | Link to this

I am an avid reader, so I prepared my 3 kids from babies by reading to them often, and doing play activities that developed their pre-reading skills. I have tutored adult illiterates and elementary kids, and have seen the frustration of those who have never learned their letters! The ability to read well is the key to all learning. If kids do not have basic knowledge of colors, numbers, letters and sounds by kindergarten then they will be behind those children who come prepared. Parents should stimulate their toddler’s minds by reading aloud; teaching through play letters and sounds; singing nursery rhymes; starting sight word practice with picture/word flash cards; having the child read a favorite story along with you, knowing that he may have memorized the story but along the way he will recognize individual words, too. Three year olds can sing the ABC song, and are more than ready to learn letter sounds and begin to build a sight word vocabulary. So by the time the child is five he should have good pre-reading skills. Parents hold the key to their children’s reading future. If you start early, then you will develop a little reader in no time, giving the child confidence and skills to successfully learn in school. If you wait until the child goes to school to let a teacher do the pre-reading skill work, then you have failed your child.

By Mabelton parent with concerns

August 11, 2006 06:06 PM | Link to this

My comment on the GA Pre-K program is that there are not enough classes for all the students that are in need of going to the public schools. My husband and I are both full-time working parents and cannot continue to afford to send our son to a private kindergarten as we struggled to do this year. Now I am left to leave my full-time job to take care of my son so that he can get a quality education. We don’t know what we are going to do now! The private schools are so expensive that this year we were barely eating and paying household billes trying to keep him in private school.