Over the last few months I have been looking at preschools for my son. Now, he is a little young for preschool at this point, but since I have no idea about availability and waiting lists, I figured I would try to get a jump on it. My son already attends a daycare that has preschool, so really he wouldn’t have to move at all. However, I wanted to consider some different types of preschool, specifically Montessori and Christian preschools.
Looking at these other schools has been an eye opening experience. The rules, the policies, and the procedures are all different, and honestly thinking about my son being in a different place has created some anxiety for me, although I am sure he would be fine. I am also sure these schools are great, but I keep wondering what additional value they would bring that he isn’t already getting. Is a Montessori school the right option for us? Is a Christian school the right option for us? I’m also not here to judge the decisions of others, but I’m looking at these places and thinking, are we just going to pay people to cover topics that we could do ourselves at home? What is to stop us from creating a Montessori experience at home? What is to stop us from creating a Christian school experience at home? If these topics are so important to us, wouldn’t we be living this out at home? This is entirely my own opinion, but I feel like paying more to go to these places is saying that I give up my responsibility to do it as a parent. I could be totally wrong, but I am definitely struggling with that right now. Luckily we have time on our side, so I am hoping to get this sorted out in a practical way. Overall, though, I am fortunate to be able to have the options to consider.