Castle Rock elementary has both pre school & K...I have twin 3 yr olds & a 5 yr old- they are currently at Lil Blessings 2 "full" days a week & I LOVE it! I WISH they had a true Kindergarten...I was debating on keeping my 5 yr old ( would be turning 6 next school yr) there- HOWEVER- My main concern is- I am told that it( LB) doens't cover Kindergarten "academia"- what IS "Kindergarten academia"..in other words- what would she NOT get thre vs Kindergarten at CRE?
another concern is the scheduling- I really don;t want to turn into a "shuttle" service... taking the twins to LB twice a week ( REALLY like the full days) & then the older one to K for only a half day....opinions???
and lastly- considering Ave Maria and/or Christian schools too- opinions???
Truly never understood why people take little tiny kids to pre-school. After my first child -- and never seeing the point -- I skipped it for the other children, saved lots of money, taught them how to read, and hosted playgroups. (There are lots of people who don't do pre-school.)
Hi C.,
I disagree with some posters about the waste of preschool. From a purly social perspective it is so valuable. My preschooler loves going to school and has made great friends. She was in daycare all her life and when we went to preschool her whole attitude about learning has changed. I have a two kids, one in preschool and one in 1st grade both at Ave Maria. I can't begin to tell you how happy I am with the school. After going to K at a Parker public school I was very disappointed. Not to be too judgemental, but I am not sure my K'er really learned anything. Fortunately, what she learned in preschool helped her in 1st grade where she is excelling. The overcrowding some Parker schools are experiencing may not be an issue at CRE. One thing great about Ave Maria is that they have full days every day preschool and K. It definately helps since I work full time. I would suggest taking tours of all the schools you are interested in and I am sure you will find one you are most comfortable with.
Good luck,
Hi C. - I think you will shortchange your eldest by not sending him/her to an academic kindergarten, especially since he/she will be six next school year. When LB says they don't cover kinder academia it means that they focus on social skills rather than academic skills. My son started 1/2 day kindergarten in Parker as a just turned 5 yr old and I was amazed at all that he learned. He went from being a pre-reader to a full-reader by the end of the year. His writing skills went from almost nothing to writing sentences. They did little things like telling time and reading calendars and they learned to write out their names and phone numbers. They also learned a lot of math skills like counting to 120 with 1's 2's and 10s and they were taught pre-algebraic skills.
My son rode the school bus to school and I picked him up at 11:30. It was challenging but over in a flash and now he is at school all day and rides the bus to and from school. Many of the Douglas county schools have in-school after care programs and KinderCare was also there with a bus everyday to shuttle kids to their after school program. So you could put your twins in pre-school and your son could go to the aftercare program (more social and arts oriented)
I hate to tell you this, but the term "soccer-mom" is a mis-nomer. We're shuttle moms. If you are concerned about time in the car, maybe you could coordinate with other kinder and pre-school moms and form a car pool?
As far as charter or private schools, I encourage you to take the tours they offer and also interview the principal of your community public school. We had all options open to us and we liked the public school the best. It has proven to be the right choice.
btw - I am SO jealous that you have your 3yr olds in full-day preschool! I take my 2.5 yr old son to the babysitter 2 mornings a week but it's while I work a PT job.
I don't do preschool either, I just think it is like daycare....Anyway in Kindergarten, my son is pretty much doing all the things we started learning at home, but more of it. He has been in Kind. since August and he is begining to read lots of different books, and write simple sentecnces. They also are doing science projects with bugs and butterflies. Also he has learned 7 continents many of the states and the pledge:) I don't know what your 5 yo is doing, but I don't think it will prepare him for 1st grade if that is what you are asking. Can I add that I think it is sad that 3 yos are expected to be in school for a full day....
Hi C.,
I have the same kid situation that you do - except mine are older. It does get crazy when you are dealing with 1/2 day situations. One option is to apply at Academy Charter School (still a public school, but I believe it still has one class that is full day kindergarten). Do they not have a shuttle from CRE to Lil Blessings, so your daughter can do 1/2 day at CRE and then do childcare at Lil Blessings? I always see the daycare vans at the schools.
I know some people who did Ave Maria and the other religious school in Parker. It was lots of driving for them, but they enjoyed it. One family opted to switch to CRE and has loved it from many aspects - especially logistics.
It will be a logistically challenging few years, but soon they will all be in school full time.
Hang in there.
S.
p.s. I think you can successfully supplement learning at home, however, if she currently has any learning challenges, you might want to go with the more traditional academic route to make sure she is getting the foundational issues.
